Food Physiology: The crew participated in a briefing with the Food Physiology team. The Integrated Impact of Diet on Human Immune Response, the Gut Microbiota, and Nutritional Status During Adaptation to Spaceflight (Food Physiology) experiment is designed to characterize the key effects of an enhanced spaceflight diet on immune function, the gut microbiome, and nutritional status indicators. These factors are interlinked, but diet is the only one that can be easily and meaningfully altered on Earth or during flight. This investigation aims to document the effect of dietary improvements on human physiology and the ability of those improvements to enhance adaptation to spaceflight.
JAXA Wireless Access point: In support of the Wireless Access Point checkout, the crew installed the JEM Infrared (IR) camera, Ethernet extender, and associated hardware onto the MPEP (Multi-Purpose Experiment Platform) on the JEMAL (JEM airlock) slide table. The airlock was depressurized and the ground prepared for a checkout of the systems. This activity is in support of the future HTV wireless LAN demo. HTV Wireless LAN Demonstration (HTV WLAN Demo) will demonstrate real-time wireless video transfer between the International Space Station (ISS) and a visiting spacecraft. Autonomous docking technology is important for future missions, such as to the Moon and Mars, that will be unable to rely on human operations the same way as current vehicle logistics. Stable and high-rate data transfer is critical to the real-time video monitoring required for docking.
Slingshot: The crew worked on the controller data cables today. These cables are attached to the slingshot controller which is inside Cygnus – the 2 cables were taped side-by-side, jumpers were installed at the appropriate connector locations, then selected pins were continuity checked. This reconfiguration is needed to support the planned Slingshot activities following NG-13 undock. SEOPS’ SlingShot is a small satellite deployment system that fits inside the Cygnus spacecraft’s Passive Common Berthing Mechanism (PCBM). SlingShot can accommodate up to 18 satellites that are deployed post Cygnus unberth.
Systems
H-II Transfer Vehicle 9 (HTV9) Proximity Communication System (PROX) Review and Checkout: Today the crew checked PROX baseband functionality and performance by sending commands to an HTV Simulator at a ground site in Tanegashima, Japan. HTV missions use the PROX system for communication with ISS via a Portable Computer System (PCS) version of the Hardware Command Panel (HCP). This checkout is required to meet the Launch Commit Criteria (LCC) required prior to HTV9 launch currently scheduled May 20th.
Robotic Transfer of High Definition Earth Viewing (HDEV): The Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator (SPDM) demated the High Definition Earth Viewing (HDEV) experiment from Columbus today and then transferred the payload to Cygnus for disposal. HDEV was declared to have reached its end of life in late August 2019. The experiment was previously mounted on the ISS External Payload Facility of the Columbus module and activated April 30, 2014. During the 5+ year operating period, downlink video from HDEV was seen by more than 318 million viewers across the globe on USTREAM alone.
Completed Task List Activities:
- Actiwatch Plus Evaluation Display Check
- Total Organic Carbon Analyzer (TOCA) Water Recovery System (WRS) Sample Analysis
Today’s Ground Activities:
- Ground Supt for HDEV Transfer
- SD ABIT Sync
- ATS PPL Update
- HTV Prox Ops Cmding
- JEM Robotic Ground Supt
Look Ahead Plan
Friday, 5/8 (GMT 129)
Payloads:
- Radi-N2 retrieve
Systems:
- Crew Off Duty
- HTV PCS HCP Checkout (Side A)
Saturday, 5/9 (GMT 130)
Payloads:
- Saffire prep
Systems:
- Cygnus Cargo Ops & Closeout
- N1N VOK Gather
- PCS Relocate
- Cygnus Departure OBT
Sunday, 5/10 (GMT 131)
Payloads:
- Slingshot install
Systems:
- Cygnus Closeout Activities for Egress
Today’s Planned Activities:
All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.
- JEM Airlock Slide Table (ST) Extension & Retraction
- Cleaning vent screens on FGB interior panels (panels 116, 316, 231, 431)
- WAP/Camera Unit, JEM IR Camera and JEM Ethernet Extender External Installation onto MPEP
- Photography of RS ISS Module Interiors (DC1 and MRM2)
- HTV PROX C/O Review
- Vacuum cleaning of dust collectors ПC1, ПС2 filter cartridges in FGB (panels 203, 403)
- HTV PROX Switch ON
- Vacuum clean FGB
- Environmental Health System (EHS) Total Organic Carbon Analyzer (TOCA) Sample Data Record
- USOS Window Shutter Close
- Transfer Cygnus Cargo Operations
- VIZIR. Photo image coordinate referencing system (СКПФ-УМ) PL Session
- JEM Airlock Depressurization
- Replacement of RSE1 laptop main HDD
- URAGAN. Observation and Photography using VSS
- SlingShot Jumper Fix
- Discharge Makita tool batteries (No.6,7,8,9). Charging Makita Drill Tool Battery No.6
- Nikon camera sync with station time
- HTV PCS HCP Checkout (Side B)
- PLT3 Setup for WAP/Camera Unit Checkout
- RS Photo Equipment Inventory and Checkout
- СКПФ1, СКПФ2 dust filter replacement and MRM1 Gas-Liquid Heat Exchanger (ГЖТ) Cleaning
- TERMINATOR. Deinstall from the window, closeout ops with Terminator-Nadir PL
- JEM Airlock Vent & Confirmation
- Columbus Payload Power Switching Box (PPSB) – SDN switches reconfigured to DISCHARGE
- Food Physiology Crew Diet Briefing