ISS Daily Summary Report – 1/30/2024

Cygnus NG-20 Launch: The Cygnus NG-20 cargo vehicle launched today, January 30th, at 11:07 AM CST, and is planned to be captured and berthed to the ISS on Thursday, February 1st, at 3:20 AM CT and 7:40 AM CT respectively. Cygnus will be berthed to the Node 1 Nadir port and will deliver more than 8,200 pounds of science investigations, crew supplies, and hardware to the ISS crew.

Private Astronaut Mission (PAM) Axiom 3:
Outreach, Commercial, and Payload Activities:

The Ax-3 crew completed several live and recorded events today. Walter Villadei participated in an ICE Cubes Media live event with university and high school students in Rome, Italy, and Alper Gezeravcı participated in one with students in Türkiye. Alper also participated in a HAM Radio event with students in Türkiye. The crew also completed several outreach recordings and commercial imagery. Additionally, the crew continued to complete payload activities associated with a variety of ISS National Lab-sponsored payloads including Cancer in LEO, Digital Voice Assistant, Extremophyte CRISPR, Endothelial Function setup, MESSAGE, Microalgae Life Science, Ready Pasta, Smart Flight Suit 2, and Vocalcord. Marcus Wandt performed multiple ESA-sponsored science investigations including Bone Health, Orbital Architecture, Sleep in Orbit, and Virtual Reality – On-Board Training Mark II.

Payloads:

Ax-3 Ham Pass (Ax-3): The crew conducted a Ham pass with Ömer Cemile Güler Imam Hatip Secondary School in Konya, Selçuklu, Türkiye. This twenty-five-classroom school was built in the 2018/2019 academic year, and recently one of their students became the first to obtain a perfect score on the High School Entrance Exam. ISS Ham Radio, conducted by Ax-3 crewmembers, connects youth, educators, and members of the public with a crewmember on the ISS via amateur radio. Participating students learn about space, the ISS, Earth observation, wireless technology, and radio science. The first-hand exposure to life in space helps inspire the next generation of explorers. PAMs are privately funded, fully commercial flights to the ISS on a commercial launch vehicle that are dedicated to commercial research, outreach, or approved commercial and marketing activities.

B Complex: Optical Coherence Tomography 2 (OCT2) measurements were made on a crewmember to support the B Complex study. Some astronauts experience swelling near where the optic nerve attaches at the back of the eye, part of a condition called Spaceflight-Associated Neuro-ocular Syndrome (SANS). Evidence exists that genetics and B vitamin status predispose some astronauts to develop this condition. The B Complex: A Nutraceutical SANS Countermeasure (B Complex) study tests whether a daily B vitamin supplement can prevent or mitigate SANS, and also assesses how an individual’s genetics may influence the response. The results could help maintain astronaut vision and health on future long-duration missions, including those to Mars.

Extremophyte Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR) (Ax-3): Fixed plant samples from the Extremophyte CRISPR experiment were placed in a Minus Eighty-Degree Laboratory Freezer for ISS (MELFI) to be frozen. Fixatives are a class of compounds used to preserve or stabilize biological samples for subsequent analysis. There are several different types of fixatives depending on the type of analysis being performed. Extreme Salt Stress and CRISPR Gene Editing Efficiency in Plants Under Microgravity (Extremophyte CRISPR) tests the salt stress tolerance of two species of plants and examines how microgravity affects the CRISPR gene editing method. Results could lead to the use of these plants and CRISPR to enhance stress resistance in plants intended for use in life support and other systems during future long-duration space missions.

ESA Education Payload Operations (EPO): The crew recorded two videos in support of ESA EPO. One video was directed to the Rocket Experiments for University Students/Balloon Experiments for University Students (REXUS/BEXUS) program, and the second was for the Wisdomes Project’s front-end visualization dome theatres. This video will be used to support the project in schools by demonstrating several exercise activities, showcasing the crew’s work and life on the ISS, and how they balance these two things.

Materials Science Research Rack/Materials Science Laboratory (MSRR/MSL) (Ax-3): The Ax-3 crew gained access to the MSL and installed the calibration probe in the furnace. MSL is used for basic materials research in the microgravity environment of the ISS. The MSL can accommodate and support diverse Experiment Modules. In this way, many material types, such as metals, alloys, polymers, semiconductors, ceramics, crystals, and glasses can be studied to discover new applications for existing materials and new or improved materials.

Ready Pasta (Ax-3): A Ready Pasta meal was heated and consumed, and a questionnaire was filled out. Ready Pasta Heat & Taste in Microgravity on the Ax-3 PAM tests a shelf-stable cooked pasta, Barilla Rotini Ready Pasta. Crew members taste and evaluate the pasta using a questionnaire developed by Barilla experts. 

Smart Flight Suit (SFS-2) (Ax-3): An Ax-3 crewmember donned the SFS-2 for several hours. The goal of this session was to evaluate its comfort, ease of movement, the functionality of the Electrocardiogram  (ECG) vest and wearable wrist device, and their overall satisfaction with the suit. SFS-2 demonstrates a suit that collects physiological data as its wearer goes about regular daily activities on the ISS. ECG measurements are taken by the ECG Vest that is worn underneath the SFS. There is also a wearable wrist device integrated into the SFS, which measures blood pressure and body temperature. This technology could provide continuous monitoring to help maintain crew health and well-being.

UzMAn (Ax-3): The Ax-3 crew removed the twelve Microalgae Life Science samples from their ICE Cube and prepared them for return to the ground. Turkish Space Science Mission’s Microalgal Life Support Systems for Space Missions (UzMAn) on the Ax-3 PAM tests the carbon dioxide capture, photosynthetic efficiency, growth, and endurance of specific microalgae species in the microgravity environment of the ISS.

Vocalcord (Ax-3): The Ax-3 crew performed calibrations and collected test data for various vocal parameters using the Vocalcord application. This was done for morning and evening sessions. Vocalcord is a project developing an artificial intelligence (AI) system that can analyze respiratory, phonation, and cough sounds to detect over 70 types of diseases, including some cancers.

Systems:

Cygnus Arrival Preparation Operations: The crew completed a Cygnus Capture Review, an Onboard Training (OBT) Robotics Onboard Trainer (ROBoT) Session, and a Cygnus Cargo Operations Review & Conference. These activities were performed in preparation for the planned capture and berth of the NG-20 cargo vehicle on Thursday, February 1st.

In-Flight Maintenance (IFM) Treadmill 2 (T2) Moderate Temperature Loop (MTL) Hose Substance Sampling: On Monday, November 27th, 2023, an unknown white substance was detected during a routine 6-month inspection of the MTL supply and return lines on T2. Today, the crew completed an activity to gather two samples of that substance for analysis. The MTL supply and return lines were subsequently cleaned, and an analysis will be conducted to determine the origin or the substance.

Nitrogen Oxygen Recharge System (NORS) Quick Disconnect (QD) Sampling: On January 12th, the crew was removing the installed empty NORS O2 tank when they discovered a substance on the NORS O2 regulator inlet. Today, the crew completed an activity to collect a sample of the substance and it will be returned to the ground for analysis.

Regenerative Environmental Control & Life Support System (ECLSS) Recycle Tank Drain/Fill: The recycle tank was set up to drain via the Urine Processor Assembly (UPA) Fill Drain Valve into a Brine EDV using the Urine Transfer System (UTS). Following the setup, the ground performed the tank drain using the UTS. Once the ground specialists completed the transfer, the crew verified the recycle tank was empty, terminated the drain, repositioned the fill/drain valve to force fill the recycle tank using UTS, and configured for nominal processing operations. The crew also swapped the EDV in the offload EDV spot of the UTS.

Completed Task List Activities:

  • WHC-KTO-REPLACE [GMT 029]
  • ECRSP-PAM-AST HVST [GMT 029]

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

  • Regenerative ECLSS Recycle Tank Drain Support
  • Digital Voice Assistant Scripted Voice Operations
  • RWS Camera Calibration Synchronization

Look Ahead Plan

Wednesday, January 31 (GMT 031)
Payloads:

  • AC-2 Touch
  • ANITA Sample
  • AstroPi Power Swap (Ax-3)
  • Ax-3 HAM Pass (Ax-3)
  • Beta Amyloid Aggregation (Ax-3)
  • Bone Health Actibelt Donn and Doff (Ax-3)
  • CIR High O2 Bottle Replace (Joint)
  • Endothelial Function Collection and Ultrasound Measurements (Ax-3)
  • ESA Powerbank Charge (Ax-3)
  • Food Questions (Ax-3)
  • Glacier-2 Desiccant Swap
  • ICE Cube Media Set Events (2) (Ax-3)
  • GLACIER Ice Brick and Desiccant Replace
  • LSG Glove Swap
  • LSR R&R Dummy H2 Sensors Installed (Ax-3)
  • MBLA HW Insert
  • NR Module-92 MFA Removal, Photo, MELFI Insert (Ax-3)
  • OMICS Archive Collections
  • Orbital Architecture PSS Assessment Questionnaire (Ax-3)
  • Ready Pasta Ops (Ax-3)
  • Sleep in Orbit Postsleep Doff, Questionnaire, and Donn (Ax-3)
  • Vocalcord Data Collection (Ax-3)
  • VR Mental Care Session
  • VR-OBT Session, Uninstall and Questionnaire (Ax-3)

Systems:

  • PAM Facilitator Time
  • Dragon Docking System Cleaning
  • ECLSS PEPS Inspection
  • JAXA Payload Laptop Terminal 4 USB Connection
  • IFM WHC UR and IF R&R

Thursday, February 1 (GMT 032)
Payloads:

  • ANITA-2 Sample
  • Astro Bit Gesture (Ax-3)
  • Bone Health Data Transfer (Ax-3)
  • ESA EPO Weightless, Sustainability Messages (Ax-3)
  • Food Question (Ax-3)
  • ICE Cube Media Set Event and Sample Remove (Ax-3)
  • Immune Cell Activation Photo and Kubik 5 Insert
  • ISS Ham Pass
  • Lumina Data (Ax-3)
  • MBLA MELFI to SABL Inserts and Media Exchange
  • MERLIN Sample Transfer
  • NR Module-92 MERLIN Removal to MFA Insert
  • OMICS Archive Sample into MELFI and Hardware Stow
  • Orbital Architecture PSS Assessment Questionnaire (Ax-3)
  • PAUL/TangoLab Hardware Install
  • PK-4 Data to CMAU Laptop (Ax-3)
  • Sleep In Orbit (Ax-3)
  • Vocalcord Data Collection (Ax-3)

Systems:

  • NG-20 Capture & Berth
  • Cygnus Cargo Operations
  • PAM Facilitator Time
  • HMS ISS EveryWear Tracking
  • PCS Laptop Relocate
  • T2 Monthly Inspection

Friday, February 2 (GMT 033)
Payloads:

  • BRIC Cannister 25 Transfer
  • Food Transfer (Ax-3)
  • Immunity Assay Kit Gather
  • Immune Cell Activation Kubik 5 EC Uninstall and MELFI Insert
  • JAXA Media Take 7
  • MERLIN 1 Transfer
  • NanoRacks Module-92 Install into MFA
  • OMICS Archive Collections
  • Orbital Architecture PSS Assessment Cognition Test and Questionnaire (Ax-3)
  • Polar Desiccant Swaps and Transfers
  • Rhodium Crystal Preservation-02 Science Chambers Initial Transfer
  • RSat Stow
  • SASHA Blood Collection Setup (Ax-3)
  • TangoLab 3 & 4 Cartridge Replace
  • VR Mental Care Charging

Systems:

  • PAM Facilitator Time
  • Dragon SSC Relocate
  • Emergency Equipment Transfer

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

  • Cygnus Capture Review
  • HMS Tonometry MELFI Retrieval, Test, & Stow
  • HMS Ultrasound 2 Scan
  • Borescope Familiarization
  • NORS QD MWA Preparation & Substance Sampling
  • IFM T2 MTL Hose Substance Sampling
  • JEM CGSE CO2 Gas Bottle Installation
  • OBT Cygnus ROBoT Session
  • OGS Rack COTS Airflow Sensor Install
  • PAM Facilitator Time
  • Regenerative ECLSS Recycle Tank Drain & Fill
  • Overlay Camera Calibration
  • UTS Offload EDV Swap
  • Cygnus Cargo Operations Review & Conference
  • Ziplock CTB Audit and Consolidate