ISS Daily Summary Report – 3/16/2017

Rodent Research (RR) Habitat Stow: Following Tuesday’s completion of operations, today the crew stowed the RR habitats.  The habitats were cleaned and sealed prior to their next use, planned for RR-5 scheduled for SpX-11. 

Advanced Plant Experiments (APEX)-04 Harvest: The crew removed the APEX-04 petri plate from the Light Microscopy Module (LMM) facility and harvested the plants. The crew photographed the plants within the petri plate on the Advanced Biology Research Facility (ABRS) photogrid then all plants were inserted into a single Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Fixation Tube (KFT) with RNAlater. The APEX-04 (Epigenetic change in Arabidopsis thaliana in response to spaceflight – differential cytosine DNA methylation of plants on the ISS) experiment investigates how spaceflight can affect an organism on a molecular level without altering its outward appearance. Previous research has demonstrated that large numbers of plant genes are expressed differently in space compared to plants on Earth, which can alter how plants grow. This investigation studies the entire genome of thale cress plants grown in space, creating maps of spaceflight-specific changes in certain groups of genes. Results give new insight into plants’ molecular responses to spaceflight, which benefits efforts to grow plants in space for food and oxygen.

TangoLab Card Removal and Cold/Conditioned Stowage Transfer: The crew removed several experiments from the TangoLab Facility and then stowed them in the returning General Laboratory Active Cryogenic ISS Experiment Refrigerators (GLACIERs).  Additionally, the crew transferred conditioned stowage samples from Minus Eighty Degree Celsius Laboratory Freezer for ISS (MELFI) to the GLACIERs and Polar facilities that will be returning on SpX-10.  

Aquapad Analysis: The crew performed the analysis for the water samples taken on Tuesday. Using the EveryWear application, the crew captured images of the Aquapad Containment Boxes which will be downlinked for analysis.  After image capture, the Aquapad Containment Boxes were packed for SpX-10 return. Aquapad is a new approach developed by France’s CNES space agency: paper impregnated with powdered growth medium creates a 3D petri dish. When water is added, the microbes form colored spots revealing their locations. Using a tablet computer application the crew will photograph the dots to calculate precisely how many bacteria are present.

Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Suit Maintenance: The crew performed routine maintenance tasks on EMU 3006 and EMU 3008 including a water recharge, loop scrub, a post-loop scrub water sample and an EMU conductivity test. 

Mobile Servicing System (MSS) Operations: Overnight, the Robotics Ground Controllers stowed the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator (SPDM) on Mobile Base System (MBS) Power Data Grapple Fixture #2 (PDGF2).  After Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS) had released SPDM, SSRMS Latching End Effector (LEE) diagnostics and checkouts as well as SSRMS Joint Diagnostics were performed on the prime and redundant strings. Finally, SSRMS grappled the SpX-10 Flight Releasable Grapple Fixture (FRGF) in preparation of the SpX-10 release.  MSS performance was nominal. 

Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) 275 Failure:  White Sands Facility reported a timeout of the 275 satellite.  Specialist are working the issue and expect a return to service no earlier than 18:30 GMT. 

Depress Pump Test:  Today the crew turned on the airlock depress pump for 44 minutes in order to verify proper Node 3 to Airlock Moderate Temperature Loop (MTL) cooling. This test was performed because when the Airlock cooling was switched from Lab MTL to Node 3 MTL the team realized the flow is in reverse.  Temperatures during the test confirmed better cooling to the depress pump and downstream hardware than predicted.

Today’s Planned Activities
All activities were completed unless otherwise noted.

  • Crew Prep for PAO
  • ISS HAM Video Power Down
  • Rodent Research Habitat Bag Retrieval
  • Review of Polar transfer to Dragon Overview
  • TV PAO Conference with the Participants of the Russian Schoolchildren Olympiad Step into the Future, Cosmonautics
  • Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Water Recharge
  • Aquapad Water double Analysis
  • ALGOMETRIYA. Pressure and Thermal Algometry preparation for and measurement session.
  • FGB (ГА) Vacuum Cleaning
  • AQUAPAD Packing
  • Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Cooling Loop Maintenance Scrub Initiation
  • Manufacturing Device Dragon to ISS Stow
  • Depress Pump cooling test with MTL cooling reversed.
  • Coliform Water Sample Analysis 44 +/- 4 hours post processing
  • Depress Pump cooling test with MTL cooling reversed.
  • Polar Transfer To Dragon Overview Review
  • Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Post Scrub Cooling Loop Water (H2O) Sample
  • Google Street View Dragon Photo Operations
  • Dose Tracker Data Entry Subject
  • EVA Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Cooling Loop Scrub Deconfiguration
  • APEX-04 Hardware Gather #3
  • Rodent Research. Stowage of Habitat Module
  • Water Recovery System Waste Water Tank Drain Termination
  • Dose Tracker Data Entry Subject
  • SODI Flash Disk Wrap
  • On-Orbit Hearing Assessment (O-OHA) with EarQ Software Setup and Test
  • Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Conductivity Test
  • Fluids Integrated Rack Doors Open
  • LMM APEX-04 LMM Petri Plate Remove
  • ALGOMETRIYA. Pressure Algometry Measurement Ops
  • Preparing For Upcoming MagVector Science Run
  • Metal Oxide (METOX) Regeneration Termination
  • Video Recording of Greetings
  • Fluids Integrated Rack Doors Close
  • ESA Weekly crew conference
  • APEX-04 LMM Petri Plate Harvest
  • Fluid Shifts CCFP Setup
  • IMS Update
  • Fluid Shifts CCFP Data Transfer
  • MOTOCARD. Operator Assistance with the Experiment
  • Fluid Shifts CCFP Baseline Stow
  • Rodent Research. Stowage of Habitat Module
  • COTS UHF Communication Unit (CUCU) Crew Command Panel (CCP) Checkout
  • TangoLab Card Cube Remove
  • СОЖ maintenance
  • TangoLab Glacier Sample Insertion
  • Inventory Management System (IMS) Conference
  • Wastewater Storage Tank Assembly (WSTA) Fill
  • Rodent Research Habitat Stow
  • MELFI to Glacier Sample Transfer
  • Countermeasures System (CMS) Advanced Resistive Exercise Device (ARED) Set Screw Tightening
  • MELFI to POLAR Sample Transfer
  • Stow Syringes used in H2O Conductivity Test
  • ALGOMETRIYA. Pressure and Thermal Algometry Measurement Session. Closeout Ops
  • RELAKSATSIYA Charging battery for Relaksatstiya experiment (initiate)                     

Completed Task List Items

  • Replace KTO when full
  • Recorded Greeting – SCH 25th Anniversary
  • Recorded Greeting – RNASA

Ground Activities
All activities were completed unless otherwise noted.

  • SSRMS Dragon Grapple
  • CUCU Checkout 

Three-Day Look Ahead:

  • Friday, 03/17: At Home In Space, Dragon Depart OBT, Dragon Transfers, Rodent Research Stow, Conclude PMA3 Fine Leak Check, WVE R&R Prep
  • Saturday, 03/17: Dragon Unberth Prep (Coldbag Packing, Center Stack Load, N2 CPA Install, Vestibule Depress), Dragon Unberth and Overnight Park
  • Sunday, 03/18: Dragon Release, Housekeeping, Crew Off Duty

QUICK ISS Status – Environmental Control Group:

  Component

Status

Elektron

On

Vozdukh

Manual

[СКВ] 1 – SM Air Conditioner System (“SKV1”)

Off         

[СКВ] 2 – SM Air Conditioner System (“SKV2”)

On

Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Lab

Standby

Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Node 3

Operate

Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Lab

Standby

Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Node 3

Operate

Oxygen Generation Assembly (OGA)

Process

Urine Processing Assembly (UPA)

Process

Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Lab

Off

Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Node 3

Full Up