ISS Daily Summary Report – 03/27/14

38 Soyuz (38S) Dock:  38S completed a thirty-four orbit rendezvous with successful docking to the Mini-Research Module (MRM)-2 port of the ISS at 6:53pm CDT.  The addition of Soyuz crewmembers Skortsov, Artemyev, and Swanson returns the ISS to a full 6-crew complement.  Following hatch opening, the entire crew participated in a welcome ceremony and later will conduct a safety briefing.

SpaceX-3 (SpX-3) Status:  Due to an issue at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) eastern range radar site, SpX-3 will not launch as planned this weekend.  Launch is now planned for no earlier than April 10, 2014.

X2R12.1 Status:  Transition to the X2R12.1 software suite is now scheduled to begin early Saturday morning and continue through Monday.   Once installed, the X2R12.1 software will provide enhancements to the following systems: External Active Thermal Control System (EATCS), Radiator Goal Angle Calculation (RGAC), Solar Alpha Rotary Joint (SARJ)/Thermal Radiator Rotary Joint (TRRJ) and Mobile Transporter (MT).

Burning and Suppression of Solids (BASS)-II Hardware Repair:  Flight Engineer (FE) 5 Mastracchio completed repairs for the BASS-II hardware that was damaged during an experiment run on February 20th. The BASS-II door experienced heat damage when burning a double-sided, 3 mm thick sample in a different flow configuration. Mastracchio conducted a baseline fan calibration and recorded airflow readings so ground teams can assess if the leak repair is sufficient to continue operations. He applied layers of kapton tape to the switch recess on the BASS-II door window and constructed a switch recess filler shim. He also applied layers of aluminum and kapton tape to the BASS-II door to build up an area bowed by the heat damage. He was not able to conduct a post-repair fan calibration and airflow readings due to timeline constraints. These activities will be replanned for next week. Ground teams will analyze the two sets of airflow readings before determining when BASS-II operations can resume. The BASS-II investigation examines the burning and extinction characteristics of a wide variety of fuel samples in microgravity. The BASS-II experiment will guide strategies for materials flammability screening for use in spacecraft as well as provide valuable data on solid fuel burning behavior in microgravity. BASS-II results contribute to the combustion computational models used in the design of fire detection and suppression systems in microgravity and on Earth.

Hybrid Training Data Collection:  Commander Wakata measured the circumference of his arm and his muscle strength to collect baseline data prior to starting the Hybrid Training investigation, scheduled for next week.  Hybrid Training will be used for Wakata’s upper limbs (the non-dominant arm) for four weeks. His muscular strength and bulk will be compared to those of his dominant arm to examine its orbital operation capability utility as well as prevention of muscle atrophy. Hybrid Training can become a useful back-up for the standard training device on the ISS. It can also be a useful training device in small space ships for the exploration of the Moon and Mars.

ISS SERVIR Environmental Research and Visualization System (ISERV): Yesterday ground teams uploaded new software to the ISERV laptop, but after the reload could not see ISERV Health and Status (H&S). Ground teams were able to identify the issue and have uplinked new files to the Window Observational Research Facility (WORF) laptop. Today Wakata transfered the files to the ISERV laptop, successfully regaining functionality.

Waste & Hygiene Compartment (WHC) Flush Tank Fill – Wakata successfully performed a partial and full fill of the WHC flush tank to verify that there is no longer backflow through the dose pump into the pretreat tank.  With the successful completion of this procedure the WHC is considered GO for nominal operations. Ground teams continue to assess the potential impacts of pressure dynamics that result from repeated flush tank full fills.

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Protein Crystal Growth (PCG) Installation: Wakata will install the JAXA PCG samples delivered on 38 Soyuz (S) into the Protein Crystallization Research Facility (PCRF) in the Ryutai rack in the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM). The PCG samples will remain in the PCRF until they are removed for 37S return in mid-May. High quality protein crystals can be obtained in microgravity conditions, which can provide detailed information regarding crystal structure for designing new drugs for diseases and catalysts for ecological applications.

Dose Distribution inside ISS (DOSIS)-3D Deployment: Mastracchio will deploy the DOSIS-3D passive detector packs delivered on 38S. DOSIS-3D uses several active and passive detectors to determine the radiation doses inside the ISS. The goal is a three-dimensional radiation map covering all sections of the ISS. The passive detector packs will be returned on 38S in September.

Area Passive Dosimeter for Lifescience Experiment in Space (PADLES) Deployment: The Area PADLES dosimeters delivered on 38S will be deployed by Wakata in 17 fixed locations the JEM. The Area PADLES collect data to help characterize the radiation in the JEM module. The Area PADLES will remain deployed until they are gathered for return on 38S in September.

Today’s Planned Tasks

  • Reminder about familiarization with exercise equipment [Complete]
  • Morning inspection. RSS1,2 reboot / r/g 1009 [Complete]
  • Morning inspection. Laptop RS1(2) reboot [Complete]
  • СОЖ maintenance [Complete]
  • CIR aligne guide install [Complete]
  • OVTEEB J101 connector demate [Complete]
  • MSG Science Glovebox activation [Complete]
  • IFM WHC Flush Fill [Complete]
  • BASS hardware repair [Complete]
  • MSG powerdown [Complete]
  • Hybrid pre-measure [Complete]
  • USOS window shutter close [Complete]
  • IMS conference [Complete]
  • HAM radio power down [Complete]
  • LAB RWS PCS power up [Complete]
  • ISERV replace [Complete]
  • Regen ECLSS Recycle Tank Drain init [Complete]
  • Regen ECLSS Recycle Tank Drain terminate [Complete]
  • Regen ECLSS Recycle Tank R&R  [Complete]
  • CTTC confi for docking [Complete]
  • MRM2 interface leak check [Complete]
  • Sz approach monitoring [Complete]
  • MPEG2 multicast TV monitoring [Complete]
  • Switching СО-ТК PEV to ELECTR CONTROL [Complete]
  • Closing CP SSC Laptop Applications and Downlink of MPEG2 Multicast via OCA [Complete]
  • Comm Reconfig after ТК 712 Docking to MRM2 [Complete]
  • MRM2 hatch open [Complete]
  • ISS Safety Briefing
  • Exercise Overview Reminder
  • ISS HAM Radio Power up
  • IDENTIFIKATSIYA
  • Crew Quarter Outfitting for the Arriving Crew
  • RS PAO PHOTO
  • Space Headaches – Weekly Questionnaire
  • JEM System Laptop Terminal Reboot
  • KRISTALLIZATOR
  • DOSIS 3D Passive Detector Packs Handover to USOS crew
  • DOSIS 3D Passive Detector Packs Installation
  • Area Dosimeter Installation
  • ODF update
  • MATRYOSHKA-R. PADLES
  • BAKTERIOFAG photography 

Task List

  • ARED Cylinder Evac
  • Dragon ROBOT Self Study [In work]
  • WHC KTO Replace
  • WHC EDV R&R
  • EHS CSACP Battery Build
  • JAXA Video Take P12
  • IFM MELFI Insulation Install [Complete]
  • HMS Med Kit Photos
  • 38S Transfer/US Unpack

Ground

  • Nominal Commanding

Three-Day Look Ahead:

  • Friday, 03/28: Crew off duty
  • Saturday, 03/29: Crew off duty, X2R12.1 transition day 1
  • Sunday, 03/30: Crew off duty, X2R12.1 transition day 2

QUICK ISS Status – Environmental Control Group:

                              Component Status
Elektron Off
Vozdukh Manual
[СКВ] 1 – SM Air Conditioner System (“SKV1”) Off
[СКВ] 2 – SM Air Conditioner System (“SKV2”) Off
Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Lab Standby
Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Node 3 Operate
Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Lab Off
Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Node 3 Operate
Oxygen Generation Assembly (OGA) Process
Urine Processing Assembly (UPA) Standby
Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Lab Off
Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Node 3 Full up