ISS Daily Summary Report – 5/01/2018

Dragon Preparation for Return:  Weather at the prime Recovery Zone will not support Dragon return tomorrow; release has slipped to the backup date of Saturday, 5 May.  With guidance from stowage experts, the crew re-configured already transferred Dragon cargo and all assets, to include cold stowage, are in a good configuration.  Tomorrow, the crew will relocate payloads and cold stowage from Dragon to ISS as required.  Based on the modified timeline, the crew will resume loading activities, and complete preparations for Dragon for unberth, this Friday. Dragon release is now scheduled at 10:40 AM CDT on Saturday.  

Mouse Stress Defense:  The crew removed the Mouse Habitat Cage Units from the Cell Biology Experiment Facility (CBEF) and transferred the mice to the Transportation Cage Unit for return on the SpaceX-14 vehicle.  Microgravity provokes cellular mechanical stresses and perturbs cellular signaling, leading to reduction of muscle and bone density. To overcome these stresses, one of the promising strategies is to activate Nrf2, a master regulator of antioxidant pathway. Mouse Stress Defense investigates how Nrf2 contributes to effective prevention of space-originated stresses.  

Total & Spectral solar Irradiance Sensor (TSIS): On April 16th, the TSIS payload lost power from the 120-volt power feed on the external EXPRESS Logistics Carrier 3 (ELC-3). Yesterday and today the crew performed testing of the 28V and 120V power feeds and switches. No anomalies were detected.  TSIS has been returned to nominal operations and no additional issues have been seen with the 120V power feed.

Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Preparations: Today the crew initiated a Metox canister regeneration cycle in preparation for the upcoming US EVA Pump Flow Control System (PFCS) Relocate, currently planned on May 16th.  The Metox canister uses a silver oxide-based sorbent to remove practically all CO2 generated during EVAs.  After each EVA, the Metox canister are heated and regenerated, releasing the collected CO2 into the ISS cabin atmosphere.  The released CO2 is scrubbed from the ISS atmosphere by the Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA). Yesterday’s Metox regeneration initiation was aborted after the Lab CDRA shutdown due to an anomaly.

Advanced Resistance Exercise Device (ARED) Quarterly Maintenance: Today the crew performed routine maintenance on ARED.  This task included inspection of the X-rotation dashpots, cycling of the main arm through full range of motion, and application of grease to the Vibration Isolation and Stabilization (VIS) rails and rollers.

Public Affairs Office (PAO) Event:  Today, Feustel participated in a live-to-air PAO event with various Public Schools in Laurel, Montana. The students that participated in today’s event are part of the HUNCH (High Schools United with NASA to Create Hardware) program. HUNCH shows high school students the many ways they can put their talents to work for NASA, beyond the role of astronaut. The program provides students a hands-on experience with the space agency — building NASA-designed parts for use by agency personnel. 

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

  • Fruit Fly Lab-03 Hardware Return
  • COSMOCARD. Closeout Ops
  • Mouse Stress Defense Item Gathering
  • Preventive Maintenance of SM Ventilation Subsystem. Group В2
  • Installation of additional fans to improve thermal conditions of SM Electric Power Supply 800А storage batteries
  • XF305 Camcorder Setup
  • Mouse Stress Defense Post-mission Animal Transfer
  • Regenerative Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) Recycle Tank Drain
  • InvitroBone-2 Transfers from ExPRESS Rack to Dragon capsule
  • Polar Express Rack Uninstall, Transfer, And Dragon Install with InvitroBone
  • Polar Express Rack Uninstall, and Transfer, JAXA TCU Handover, and Polar and TCU Dragon Install
  • Cold Stowage Double Coldbag Pack
  • Probiotics Fecal Sample Operations
  • Probiotics Fecal Sample MELFI Insertion
  • Cargo Transfer to Dragon
  • СОЖ maintenance
  • FAZOPEREKHOD. Preparation steps and starting the experiment
  • Crew to cut ziptie for Cargo 2 power cable and route for access
  • InvitroBone-1 Transfer from ExPRESS Rack to Dragon capsule
  • Polar Express Rack Uninstall, Transfer, And Dragon Install with InvitroBone
  • Video Recording of Greetings
  • Double Coldbag Transfer to Dragon
  • Wastewater Storage Tank Assembly (WSTA) Fill
  • Robotics Work Station (RWS) Display and Control Panel (DCP) Powerup and Checkout
  • SM, DC1, MRM2, MRM1, FGB, Power Supply Panels ППС-26, ППС-31 Plug-in Audit
  • Transfer Center Stack to Dragon [Aborted]
  • FAZOPEREKHOD. Closeout Ops
  • Advanced Resistive Exercise Device (ARED) Quarterly Maintenance
  • Public Affairs Office (PAO) High Definition (HD) Config LAB Setup
  • FAZOPEREKHOD. Preparation steps and starting the experiment
  • PAO Preparation
  • Public Affairs Office (PAO) Event in High Definition (HD) – Lab
  • Dragon Cargo Operations Conference
  • Dragon Egress in Preparation for Departure [Aborted]
  • Metal Oxide (METOX) Regeneration Initiation
  • FAZOPEREKHOD. Closeout Ops
  • Common Berthing Mechanism (CBM) Controller Panel Assembly (CPA) Rotation, Installation, and Closeout [Aborted]

Completed Task List Activities

  • None 

Ground Activities
All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.

  • N3 ITCS Dual Mode Transition
  • Dragon Departure Preparation [Aborted]
  • LAB MCA Full Calibration
  • N3 CDRA Activation 

Three-Day Look Ahead:

  • Wednesday, 05/02: Dragon Cargo Ops, EVA Procedure Review, EVA Airlock Config, ACE T-7 Ops, Veggie PONDS Ops, Lighting Effects, ASIM Checkout Ops, EHS Air and Surface Samples
  • Thursday, 05/03: JEM ZSR Photo Survey, Mini Exercise Device Ops, Dragon Double Cold Bag Unpack, EMU On-Obit Fit Checks
  • Friday, 05/04: ETVCG Assembly, Dragon Double Cold Bag Repack, Dragon Center Stack Transfer, Dragon Egress and Closeout

QUICK ISS Status – Environmental Control Group:

Component

Status

Elektron

On

Vozdukh

Manual

[СКВ] 1 – SM Air Conditioner System (“SKV1”)

Off

[СКВ] 2 – SM Air Conditioner System (“SKV2”)

On

Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Lab

Operate

Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Node 3

Operate

Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Lab

Operate

Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Node 3

Idle

Oxygen Generation Assembly (OGA)

Process

Urine Processing Assembly (UPA)

Reprocess

Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Lab

Full Up

Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Node 3

Off