ISS Daily Summary Report – 5/09/2024

Payloads:

EXPRESS Rack (ER) 9B: The crew rotated ER9B, gained access to the interior of the rack, and replaced a failed Ballard Box. ER9B is one of three basic EXPRESS Racks, which have been simplified to include only the most commonly required resources and feature more common connectors such as a standard Ethernet cable. The Ballard Box is the processor/controller for the Basic EXPRESS Rack.

NanoRacks CubeSat Deployer-27 (NRCSD-27): The crew removed the NRCSD-27 hardware from the JEM Airlock slide table and stowed it. The seven NRCSD-27 satellites (BurstCube, SNoOPI, HyTI, Killick-1, QMSat, VIOLET, and BigRedSat) were successfully deployed in mid-April of this year. More information on the NRCSD can be found here.

Fluids Integrated Rack (FIR): The crew gained access to the FIR, and replaced a failed hard drive in the Command-and-Control Unit (CCU). This will allow characterization tests to continue for the Condensation Module for Heat Transfer (CM-HT) test module assembly. More information on the CM-HT can be found here.

Radiation-Sensing Technologies (RadMap Telescope)-Ethernet Swap: In a continuation of the troubleshooting for RadMap, the crew exchanged the Ethernet cable. RadMap demonstrates new radiation-sensing technologies for applications in autonomous and crewed spacecraft. One of RadMap’s unique capabilities is the ability to monitor the radiation environment omnidirectionally without having to turn or relocate the instrument.

Systems:

Catalytic (Cat) Reactor Bakeout: Following the installation of the incorrect Cat Reactor into the Water Recovery System (WRS) yesterday, a Failure Investigation Team (FIT) meeting was held to discuss the best forward plan. ISS Program management provided direction to work to installing the Cat Reactor Development Test Objective (DTO) as soon as possible to support agency exploration objectives. In preparation for the Cat Reactor DTO installation into the WRS, the WRS standby temperature will be increased to kill off any bacteria introduced into the currently installed Cat Reactor to preserve its ability to serve as a degraded spare. The installation of the Cat Reactor DTO is scheduled for tomorrow.

NG-20 Cygnus Cargo Transfer Operations: Today, the crew performed cargo transfer operations between the ISS and the NG-20 cargo vehicle. The crew is loading the cargo vehicle with items slated for disposal in preparation for its departure from station in July.

Advanced Resistive Exercise Device (ARED) Video Survey: Following crew reports of reduced tension and noises while using ARED, ground teams requested that the crew perform a video survey of ARED. The video survey showed that there was degradation of the starboard tension cable, causing the reduced tension observed, and that the starboard detent was slightly out of position, causing the noises. ARED was given a partial go for use with bar exercises, and a maintenance activity to replace the cable and realign the detent will be added to the crew’s schedule in the near future to fix both issues reported.

Barcode Reader (BCR) and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Inspection: The crew inspected the BCR and the RFID readers for dead batteries. The BCR and RFID readers are used by the crew to catalogue and track cargo on the ISS, enabling the crew to find where cargo is located in a timely manner.

Cat Reactor On-orbit Replacement Unit (ORU) Stowage Preparation: To prepare the Cat Reactor removed from the WRS yesterday for return, the crew removed the cover, checked for water, and where water was present used a towel to dry the Cat Reactor internals. By removing water internal to the Cat Reactor, the crew is reducing the potential for mold growth while waiting for its return to Earth.

US Lab Forward Port Intermodule Ventilation (IMV) Cleaning: The crew performed an inspection of and cleaned the Lab Forward Port IMV fan and IMV Silencer Inlets. This IMV port is responsible for moving air between the Lab and Node 2.

Look Ahead Plan

Friday, May 10 (GMT 131)
Payloads:

  • Cold Atom Lab
  • eXploration Potable Water Dispenser (xPWD) Adlink Mini PC Recovery
  • Omics Archive

Systems:

  • Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) Common Gas Support Equipment (CGSE) Argon (Ar) Gas Bottle Unit (GBU) Remove and Replace (R&R)
  • WRS Cat Reactor R&R
  • WRS Rack Closeout
  • Urine Transfer System (UTS) Reinstall
  • FGB Hardware Transfer