NanoRacks CubeSat Deployer #8 (NRCSD#8) Deployment Operations: The final NRCSD #8 silo was successfully deployed yesterday at 9:15 PM CDT which concludes three consecutive days of deployment operations. Eight silos were deployed during these operations, each containing two CubeSats for a total of 16 Doves. The Dove satellites are a fleet of nanosatellites that enables imagery of the entire changing planet to be taken on a frequent basis, with humanitarian and environmental applications ranging from monitoring deforestation and the ice caps to disaster relief and improving agriculture yields in developing nations. The NRCSD is a commercially operated small satellite deployer from the ISS, maximizing full capabilities of each airlock cycle [of deployments. Bigelow Expandable Aerospace Module (BEAM) Vestibule Outfitting Status: The crew installed the BEAM bulkhead Inter-Module Ventilation (IMV) valve this morning. The Vacuum Access Jumper was then connected to the Node 3 aft hatch to depressurize the Node 3 aft vestibule to 5 psi and perform an 8 hour leak check which is currently ongoing and will confirm good seals on the newly installed Node 3 aft and BEAM IMV valves. Biological Rhythms 48 Multi Media Card Exchange: The crew stopped the first 24-hour recording that began yesterday and changed out the Multi Media Card and battery of the Digital Walk Holter ECG before starting the second 24-hour recording. The objective of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Biological Rhythms 48 is to study the effects of long-term microgravity exposure on heart function by analyzing an astronaut’s electrocardiogram for 48 hours. Auxin Transport Run #3.1: The crew retrieved samples that were installed in the Cell Biology Experiment Unit (CBEF) three days ago for incubation and performed the fixation, sampling and closeout activities to complete the last of a four day Auxin Transport experiment run. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Auxin Transport investigation clarifies the role of auxins in pea and maize (corn) seedlings grown in microgravity, leading to new insight into how gravity, or the lack of gravity, affects plant development. This study may contribute to increasing the efficiency of plant cultivation in plant factories. The data obtained from the second experiment run will provide evidence of spaceflight‐alterations in auxin polar transport and endogenous levels of auxin, resulting in automorphogenesis. European Modular Cultivation System (EMCS) Pressure Relief Valve Check and Water Pump Tube Installation: The crew began installing six water pump tubes on two Rotor Based Life Support System (RBLSS) modules and conducting a pressure relief check by pushing three relief valve buttons located on EMCS Holding Structure to check that the resistance to pushing action is low and comparable for all three valves. This activity is performed once a year to ensure that valves do not get stuck and to assess their functionality. However, the Express Rack 3 Laptop (ELC 3) lost comm with indications of a hard disk error. A power cycle did not recover the system. The crew performed troubleshooting to remove the laptop battery, reseat the hard drive and reinstall the battery but the boot up sequence carried the crew back to where they had started so the installation was aborted. Packed Bed Reactor Experiment (PBRE) Lab Video Setup: Following the PBRE hardware setup and installation earlier this week, the crew set up a video camcorder for over-the-shoulder view of the Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG) high definition (HD) monitor for the ground to view the water separator. The PBRE will be used to study the behavior of gases and liquids when they flow simultaneously through a column filled with fixed porous media. The porous media or “packing” can be made of different shapes and materials and are used widely in chemical engineering as a means to enhance the contact between two immiscible fluid phases (e.g., liquid-gas, water-oil, etc.). Packed columns can serve as reactors, scrubbers, strippers, etc. in systems where efficient interphase contact is desired, both on Earth and in space. Window Observational Research Facility (WORF) Solid State Power Control Module (SSPCM) Trip Recovery: During the METEOR payload Software Load and Hardware Setup on May 20th, the WORF SSPCM channel 23 tripped when the crew flipped the Payload 3 power switch to supply power to the 28 VDC to 120VAC Inverter upstream of the METEOR hardware. It was subsequently determined that the SSPCM trip limit was set to the 10 Amp setting, while the in-rush current of the inverter requires the trip limit to be set to the 20 Amp setting. Earlier this week the SSPCM trip limit for channel 23 was increased to 20 Amps and power was successfully applied to METEOR. No additional issues have been reported. Autonomous Mission Operations (AMO): The crew successfully executed the first crew initiated run of the AMO experiment. Using onboard AMO software, the crew completed the autonomous deactivation and activation of an EXPRESS Rack (ER7 at Lab P2). While the ground team was monitoring via telemetry, this activity was completed entirely by crew and onboard software without ground personnel or ground commands. The overall purpose of the AMO investigation is to demonstrate on-board crew autonomy techniques for future deep-space human spaceflight missions. Additionally, this was the first time an ISS payload rack was nominally deactivated, then reactivated by the crew without ground support. Remote Power Controller Module (RPCM) P12B-A Remove & Replace (R&R): Overnight, ground controllers performed day 2 of the 6 day choreography to proceed with the P12B-A RPCM R&R to restore power to the P1 Lower Outboard Luminaire Heater. Over the course of the evening the team removed a spare RPCM from Cargo Transport Container 5 (CTC-5) and relocated it to the unoccupied P11A-C location on the truss. This evening, the team is continuing operations by relocating the P11A-A RPCM to the currently unoccupied P11A-D location and moving the spare RPCM that is now in the P11A-C location into the P11A-A slot. The RPCM that is currently in the P11A-A location is loaded with the firmware necessary to perform “hot-mate” operations and will eventually be […]
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