64 Progress (64P) Undock: 64P successfully undocked from the Docking Compartment 1 (DC-1) port this morning at 8:25 AM CST. Deorbit burn was at 11:34 AM CST today followed by atmospheric entry and destruction. Crew Autonomous Scheduling Test (CAST): The third of five sessions was completed today. The objective of this session was to allow the crew to self-schedule and execute a flexible afternoon using the Playbook tool. This is the final step before the crewmember will schedule a full crew day. Space missions beyond low-Earth orbit require new approaches to daily operations between ground and crew to account for significant communication delays. One approach is increased autonomy for crews, or Autonomous Mission Operations. The CAST investigation analyzes whether crews can develop plans in a reasonable period of time with appropriate input, whether proximity of planners to the planned operations increases efficiency, and if crew members are more satisfied when given a role in plan development. Multi-Purpose Experiment Platform (MPEP) and Small Fine Arm Attachment Mechanism (SAM) Removal: The crew extended the JEM Airlock (JEMAL) slide table into the cabin and removed the MPEP and SAM facilities. On Thursday, the JEMAL will be depressed and the empty Slide Table will be extended. Ground controllers will be removing an Exposed Facility Unit (EFU) from the JEM External Facility (EF) and installing it on the Slide Table to make space on the EF for the High Definition Television Camera –Exposed Facility 2 (HDTV-EF2) experiment. HDTV-EF2 is a high-definition television camera system, which is used for earth observation from the ISS. Story Time From Space – Pendulous Demonstration: The crew configured and performed the pendulous experiment to demonstrate pendulous motion in a microgravity environment. The crew aligned the support stand (fulcrum) on the wall such that the beam points in the direction of the ISS’s velocity vector and is able to freely rotate and point towards Earth. Story Time From Space combines science literacy outreach with simple demonstrations recorded aboard the ISS. Crew members read five science, technology, engineering and mathematics-related children’s books in orbit, and complete simple science concept experiments. Crew members videotape themselves reading the books and completing demonstrations. Video and data collected during the demonstrations are downlinked to the ground and posted in a video library with accompanying educational materials. This is a videotaped narrated demonstration based on the children’s (K-8) book Max Goes to the Moon. Synchronized Position Hold, Engage, Reorient, Experimental Satellites (SPHERES) Slosh Tank Maneuvers: The crew, with ground support, performed manual maneuvers using the two partially filled tanks from the SPHERES Slosh experiment. Following ground instructions for the maneuvers, the crew observed the bubble formation in tanks of different fill quantities using single and double tank combinations and motions. The maneuvers that the crew will perform will provide valuable data for potential future in-space propellant storage required for deep space exploration. Several concepts include a configuration where two partially filled tanks are spinning in tandem. The SPHERES-Slosh investigation uses small robotic satellites to examine how liquids move around inside containers in microgravity. Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) Modal Test Preparation: In preparation for Thursday’s BEAM modal test, the crew gathered and configured the necessary equipment including Space Acceleration Measurement System (SAMS) sensors and video cameras. BEAM is an experimental expandable capsule attached to the Node 3 aft Common Berthing Mechanism (CBM) port. The BEAM investigation will run approximately 2 years. BEAM is not an occupied module, and not used for stowage. During this time, BEAM is constantly monitored for temperature, pressure, and radiation. Periodically, four times per year, the ISS crew enters the module to collect data and check on its structural condition. Following the BEAM investigation, the module will be released from the ISS and burn up on reentry into the atmosphere. Radiation Dosimetry Inside ISS-Neutron (RaDI-N): After retrieving the RaDI-N hardware from the Russian crewmembers, a USOS crewmember deployed eight Space Bubble Detectors in Node 3 for the Radi-N2 experiment. The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) RaDI-N investigation will be conducted by measuring neutron radiation levels while onboard the ISS. RaDI-N uses bubble detectors as neutron monitors which have been designed to only detect neutrons and ignore all other radiation. Haptics-2: The crew completed two Haptics-2 protocols in coordination with ground support teams. The first protocol attempted to quantify the performance characteristics of the communication channel between the ISS and ground teams via software connections and data measurements. The aim of the second protocol was to demonstrate bilateral teleoperation with force-feedback between ISS and ground facilities. During the protocol the crew was asked to move a master one Degree of Freedom (1DOF) Setup joystick inside the Columbus module, in order to control in real-time the slave robotic joint located on Earth at European Space Technology Center (ESTEC). The crew was able to successfully complete the 15 trials, and due to crew efficiency repeated trials 1-11 a second time. The crew also executed a remote hand-shake with the members of the science team at the slave work-site. Microgravity Science Laboratory (MSL) Sample Cartridge Assembly (SCA) Exchange: The crew performed an exchange of the SCAs, replacing the used cartridge with the next in the series, Solidification along an Eutectic Path in Ternary Alloys (SETA)2-#9. The SETA investigation looks at how two phases that form together organize into lamellar, or fiber, structures when cooling Aluminum (Copper-Silver Alloys). Both, the SETA and Metastable Solidification of Composites (METCOMP) projects provide benchmark samples that will enable numerical model tests that aim to predict these structures. Lab Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Valve Power Cable Installation: Due to the intermittent Remote Power Controller (RPC) trip on the Lab CDRA, the CDRA Valve Power Cable was installed in order to isolate this trip. The six valves within CDRA are currently all powered from a single RPC. This new cable will initially power half of the six valves via a different RPC. Based on the results of the troubleshooting, the cable will be reconfigured to further isolate the trip source. Today’s Planned Activities […]
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