ISS Daily Summary Report – 1/20/2017

ISS Daily Summary Report – 1/20/2017

Fluid Shifts Before, During and After Prolonged Space Flight and Their Association with Intracranial Pressure and Visual Impairment (Fluid Shifts): The third 49S crewmember performed their second day of the Flight Day 45 Day (FD45) Fluid Shifts operations in the Russian Service Module (SM).  The subject donned the Chibis device, and while the crewmember was exposed to the negative pressure (pulling the fluid feetward), the operator, with remote guidance from Houston, performed arterial and venous measurements of the head and neck; cardiac, ophthalmic, and portal vein measurements; and tissue thickness of various body parts using the Human Research Facility (HRF) ultrasound. The crew then deconfigured the ultrasound, and configured the Cerebral and Cochlear Fluid Pressure (CCFP) and Distortion Product Otoacoustic Emissions (DPOAE) for tomorrow’s operations. Fluid Shifts investigates the causes for severe and lasting physical changes to astronaut’s eyes. Because the headward fluid shift is a hypothesized contributor to these changes, reversing this fluid shift with a lower body negative pressure device is investigated as a possible intervention. Results from this study may help to develop preventative measures against lasting changes in vision and eye damage. Electrostatic Levitation Furnace (ELF) Sample Installation:  Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s (JAXA’s) ELF is located in the Multi-Purpose Small Payload Rack (MSPR)-2.  On Wednesday, the crew performed an ELF Sample Holder removal and then ground teams were able to perform a checkout.  Today the crew installed an ELF Sample Holder.  This cartridge sample will provide science capability for ground teams to evaluate.  The ELF is an experimental facility designed to levitate/melt/solidify materials by containerless processing techniques using the Electrostatic Levitation method. With this facility, thermophysical properties of high temperature melts can be measured, and solidification from deeply undercooled melts can be achieved. Veg-03 Initiation: After reviewing On-Board Training (OBT) materials, the crew initiated the next in the series of plant growth experiments in the Veggie facility.  The crew configured and installed the Vegetable Production System (Veggie) on the Maintenance Work Area (MWA) and then installed six Small Plant Pillows to hold the Chinese Cabbage plants. The overall goal of Veg-03 is to further demonstrate proof-of concept for the Veggie plant growth chamber and the planting pillows. Future long-duration missions into the solar system, finally culminating on Mars, will require a fresh food supply to supplement crew diets, which means growing crops in space. Previous investigations focused on improving productivity in controlled environments, but the limited quarters of the Space Shuttle and ISS made it difficult to conduct large-scale crop production tests. Veg-03 expands on previous validation tests of the new Veggie hardware, which crew members have used to successfully grow flowers and lettuce in space. Tests determine which types of microorganisms are present in space-grown cabbage, providing baseline data for future crop-growing efforts. Behavioral health surveys assess the impact of growing plants on crew morale and mood. Improved Payload Ethernet Hub Gateway (iPEHG) Installation:  The crew installed an iPEHG into Expedite the Processing of Experiments to the Space Station (ExPRESS) Rack-7 (ER-7). The iPEHG is a component of the ISS’s Joint Station Local Area Network (JSL) and provides switched Ethernet full-duplex network data communication between International Standard Payload Racks (ISPR) devices, ExPRESS Rack devices, the JSL Edge Routers (ER), and a fiber optic High Rate Data Link (HRDL) Gateway to the High Rate Communications System (HRCS).  Ground activation and checkout was completed successfully.  External (EXT) Multiplexer/Demultiplexer (MDM) Checkout: Last week, the crew configured a new Enhanced Processor and Integrated Communications (EPIC) EXT MDM by removing two circuit cards from a donor MDM and installing them, plus an additional spare card, into the spare EXT MDM.  The MDM Front Cover was then exchanged for an EXT MDM Ethernet Cover. Today, the crew used the MDM On Orbit Tester (MOOT) to perform a checkout of the new MDM configuration. EPIC MDMs feature faster processors, increased memory, and an Ethernet port for data output, allowing for the simultaneous operation of a greater number of experiments.  The upgraded EXT MDM is scheduled to be installed during a future EVA.  Mobile Servicing System (MSS) Operations: Overnight, the Robotics Ground Controllers maneuvered the Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS) to stow the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator (SPDM) on Mobile Base System (MBS) Power Data Grapple Fixture 2 (PDGF2).  Then the SSRMS was walked off MBS PDGF1 onto MBS PDGF3.  In this configuration, with Latching End Effector B (LEE-B) as the Base LEE and LEE-A as the Tip LEE, troubleshooting was performed to help determine the cause of the Binary Data Transfer (BDT) errors received late last year during the HTV-6 Exposed Pallet (EP) extraction and transfer to the Payload ORU Accommodation (POA).  The anomaly appears to be within the SSRMS and is present when LEE A is the tip and payload power is being applied while operating on Channel A.  At the completion of the troubleshooting, the SSRMS was walked back off MBS PDGF3 onto MBS, the SPDM was unstowed and the SSRMS and SPDM were configured for the Mobile Transporter (MT) translation from Worksite 2 (WS2) to WS5, which was then completed this afternoon in preparation for HTV6 Operations. Integrated Communications Unit (ICU) R3 Software Patch:  The ground team uplinked and installed the ICU R3 Patch 3 utilizing the generic ICU Software Load Procedure, This software patch specifically updates the Real Time Flow (RTF) Single Board Computers (SBC) within the ICU to support the upcoming installation of the new Edge Router replacement next year. The software patch works with both the current Edge Router and it’s replacement.  Today’s Planned Activities All activities were completed unless otherwise noted. FLUID SHIFTS. Comm configuration for the experiment FLUID SHIFTS. Gathering and Connecting Equipment for TV coverage Fine Motor Skills Experiment Test – Subject FLUID SHIFTS. OCT Hardware setup in SM Inventory Management System (IMS) conference XF305 Camcorder Setup Electrostatic Levitation Furnace(ELF) Sample Holder installation Life On The Station Photo and Video FLUID SHIFTS. Connecting OCT Laptop to BRI and HRF PC to ППС-26 Total Organic Carbon Analyzer (TOCA) Water Recovery System (WRS) […]

from ISS On-Orbit Status Report https://blogs.nasa.gov/stationreport/2017/01/20/iss-daily-summary-report-1202017/