ISS Daily Summary Report – 4/21/2022

Private Astronaut Mission (PAM) Axiom-1 (Ax-1):
Commercial, Payload, and Imagery Activities: The Ax-1 crew continued payload operations including Earth Observation, Fluidic Space Optics, and ILAN-ES. The crew continued to capture still and video imagery of approved commercial and outreach activities. 

TheraBand Activity and Private Family Conference (PFC): The Ax-1 crew performed scheduled TheraBand exercises and PFCs.

Payloads:

Fluidic Space Optics (Ax-1): The Ax-1 crew filled two plate frames with water from the Potable Water Dispenser (PWD) to create water lenses via surface tension. The Ax-1 crew then recorded video of an object held behind the water lenses to demonstrate their magnification effect. Another method of water lens creation was tested by injecting water into C-Frames. The video and audio will be shown to children at a later date. Fluidic Space Optics studies liquid behavior in microgravity and examines how this environment affects deployment and solidification of liquid polymers into optical components, serving as a proof of concept for large scale liquid space telescopes. The investigation also provides an educational demonstration of the physics of fluid mechanics in microgravity.

Food Physiology: Crewmembers discussed their diet with the Principal Investigator (PI), the Food Physiology Operations Team, and the HRF Operations 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.

ISS HAM Radio: The crew participated in an ISS HAM pass with Bellefontaine High School (BHS), Bellefontaine, Ohio. BHS has a student population of about 900 in grades 9-12. Since the earliest space station expeditions, ISS HAM Radio has allowed groups of students in schools, camps, museums, and planetariums to hold a conversation with the people living in space. As the ISS passes overhead, students have about 9 minutes to ask crew members 10 to 20 questions.

Myotones: The crew performed skin marking on the designated experiment target areas, took measurements using the Myotones device, and performed ultrasound scans of the target areas using the Echo device. Blood samples were also collected. The Muscle Tone in Space (Myotones) investigation observes the biochemical properties of muscles (e.g. muscle tone, stiffness, elasticity) during long-term exposure spaceflight environment. Results from this investigation can provide a better understanding of the principles of human resting muscle tone. This could lead to the development of new strategies for alternative treatments for rehabilitation on Earth as well as for future space missions.

Repository: The crew performed blood and urine collection in support of the Repository experiment.    The NASA Biological Specimen Repository (Repository) is a storage bank that is used to maintain biological specimens over extended periods of time and under well-controlled conditions. This repository supports scientific discovery that contributes to our fundamental knowledge in the area of human physiological changes and adaptation to a microgravity environment and provides unique opportunities to study longitudinal changes in human physiology spanning many missions. Samples from the ISS, including blood and urine, are collected, processed, and archived during the preflight, in-flight, and post-flight phases of ISS missions. This investigation archives bio-samples for use as a resource for future space flight related research.

Vascular Aging: The crew reviewed the Vascular Aging Oral Glucose Tolerance Test Big Picture Words and then set up the Glucometer and blood tubes in preparation for the Vascular Aging Glucose Test protocol tomorrow. Emerging data points towards linkages among cardiovascular health risk, carotid artery aging, bone metabolism and blood biomarkers, insulin resistance, and radiation. Data indicates that aging-like changes are accelerated in many ISS crewmembers, particularly with respect to their arteries. As part of the Space Environment Causes Acceleration of Vascular Aging: Roles of Hypogravity, Nutrition, and Radiation (Vascular Aging) investigation, ultrasounds of the arteries, blood samples, oral glucose tolerance, and wearable sensors from ISS crewmembers are analyzed.

Systems:

Microbial Capture Device (MCD) and Coliform Water Sample Analysis: Today, the crew completed post-processing analysis of the coliform detection bags and MCDs. The water samples were acquired on GMT 109 and allowed to incubate to check for the presence of Coliform bacteria. Following the incubation period, the crew visually analyzed the coliform detection bags and MCDs and recorded the results. Visual confirmation must be performed within 40-48 hours of the initial sample collection. 

Crew Dragon Endurance Suit Checkout: The Endurance Crew performed a checkout of their Crew Dragon suits to confirm suit fit and operability prior to departure from ISS. The crew first donned their suits, open, closed, and re-opened their helmet visors, and checked all zippers. Following this suit check, the crew doffed their suits and checked their earpieces using Crew Dragon Endurance audio. Finally, the crew visually inspected their suits for any foreign object debris (FOD) or damage. Crew Dragon Endurance is planned to undock after a direct handover with the upcoming Crew-4 mission.

Total Organic Carbon Analyzer (TOCA) Water Recovery System (WRS) Sample Analysis and Data Record: The crew performed an analysis of the water processing assembly (WPA) using the TOCA. The TOCA unit oxidizes organic carbon species present in the water to carbon dioxide gas and measures the concentration using nondispersive infrared spectroscopy. Analysis of the potable water using the TOCA occurs on a weekly basis.

Completed Task List Activities:

  • None

Today’s Ground Activities:
All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.

  • Power Management Controller Unit (PMCU) Data Dump
  • Crew Dragon Endurance Awake Mode Checkout
  • Ku-Band Antenna Group 2 Troubleshooting [In Work]

Look Ahead Plan

Friday, April 22 (GMT 112)
Payloads:

  • APM Status Check
  • AstroRad Vest Don
  • CAL Jumper Leak Check
  • MELFI Ice Brick Stow
  • Myotones Blood Collect and HW Stow
  • Photocatalyst Filter Check (Ax-1/ISS)
  • Polar 4 Desiccant Swap
  • Standard Measures Urine and Blood Collect
  • Touching Surfaces pack
  • Vascular Aging

Systems:

  • Crew Dragon Endeavour Tablet Sync
  • P/TV EVA GoPro Setup and Transfer to RS

Saturday, April 23 (GMT 113)
Payloads:

  • AstroRad Vest
  • Photocatalyst Filter Check
  • Standard Measures

Systems:

  • Emergency Equipment Transfer from Crew Dragon Endeavour
  • NORS Tank Unload
  • CQ Intermediate Cleaning
  • Sleep Station Relocate
  • Ax-1 Undock

Sunday, April 24 (GMT 114)
Payloads:

  • AstroRad Vest Survey 2
  • Photocatalyst Filter Check
  • Brine Processor Filter Cleaning

Systems:

  • Crew Off-Duty

Today’s Planned Activities:
All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.

  • Human Research Facility (HRF) Generic Urine Collection [In Work]
  • HRF Generic MELFI Sample Insertion Operations
  • Myotones Blood Draw and Centrifugation
  • HRF Generic HRF Centrifuge Frozen Blood Collection
  • HRF Generic HRF Centrifuge Frozen Blood Collection Configure and Run
  • Columbus Cleanup for Myotones
  • Photo/TV (P/TV) Extravehicular Activity (EVA) GoPro RS to USOS Transfer
  • Myotones Kit Gathering
  • Echo Unit Setup for Myotones experiment
  • Polar 6 Multiple Desiccant Swap
  • PAM Facilitator Time
  • Myotones Device Setup with EPM Laptop
  • Myotones Measurements
  • P/TV EVA GoPro Card Transfer from USOS Crew to RS Crew [Aborted]
  • MCD and Coliform Water Sample Analysis
  • Photocatalyst Filter Check
  • Myotones Ultrasound Scan using Echo Unit
  • Polar Content Trash
  • Polar 7 Multiple Desiccant Swap
  • MELFI 1 Ice Brick Insert 6
  • MELFI 3 Dewar 4 Audit
  • Myotones Device Data Transfer
  • Myotones Device Charging using Multi-Port USB Charger
  • Stowage of charged batteries and ESA Power Bank
  • Cimon Disconnection, Clean-up, and Stow
  • TOCA WRS Sample Analysis and Data Record
  • Food Physiology Crew Diet Briefing
  • Vascular Aging Oral Glucose Tolerance Test Big Picture Words Review
  • Health Maintenance System (HMS) ISS Food Intake Tracker (ISS FIT)
  • HRF Generic MELFI Sample Retrieval and Insertion Operations [In Work]
  • Vascular Aging Glucose Test Setup
  • HRF Generic HRF Centrifuge Frozen Blood Collection Conclude and Stow
  • Vascular Aging FRIDGE Item Insertion
  • Crew Dragon Endurance Suit Checkout
  • Unseal MegaHEPA Filter in Crew Dragon Endurance
  • Crew Departure Preparations for Return to Earth
  • Echo Unit Stowage
  • Myotones Device Stowage after Charging
  • HRF Generic Frozen Blood Collection Hardware Setup
  • HRF Centrifuge Spin Graphical User Interface (GUI) Checkout
  • ISS HAM Radio
  • Inventory Management System (IMS) Conference
  • Crew Dragon Endurance MegaHEPA Seals Install
  • HRF Centrifuge Counterweight Tube Removal Unpowered State
  • P/TV EVA GoPro Card Transfer from RS Crew to USOS Crew [Aborted]
  • P/TV EVA GoPro Battery Charging