58 Soyuz (58S) Launch and Docking: The 58S Soyuz launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome this afternoon at 2:14 PM CT and completed a nominal 4 orbit rendezvous and docking to the ISS MRM1 Port at 8:01 PM CT. The 58S crew Aleksey Ovchinin, Nick Hague, and Christina Koch returned ISS to 6-crew operations after hatch …
Combustion Integrated Rack (CIR) Manifold Bottle Replacement: The crew removed a 50% ethylene fuel bottle and replaced it with a 100% ethylene bottle. They also installed a 100% helium bottle. This is in support of the ongoing BRE (Burning Rate Emulator) experiment, which is part of the ACME (Advanced Combustion via Microgravity Experiments) suite of …
SBC (Spaceborne Computer) Inverter Replacement: Today the crew replaced the failed Spaceborne Computer-1 power inverter. The inverter was subsequently powered up and showed all green lights. Spaceborne Computer’s goal is to run a yearlong experiment of high performance commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) computer systems on the ISS. During high radiation events, they intend to verify if …
SpaceX (SpX) Crew Dragon Demonstration 1 Undock and Splashdown: Following five days docked to the ISS, today the SpX Crew Dragon Demo 1 successfully undocked. Physical separation occurred at 1:32 AM CT with splashdown within the anticipated landing zone in the Atlantic Ocean at 7:45 AM CT. SpX’s two recovery ships were positioned nearby to …
SpaceX (SpX) Crew Dragon Demonstration 1 Departure Preparation: Today the crew performed refresher training in preparation for tomorrow’s Crew Dragon departure. In addition, they loaded final cargo, obtained closeout imagery, acquired samples of the atmosphere, then closed the hatches between ISS and Crew Dragon. Undocking is planned for Friday, March 8 at 01:26 AM CT …
Plasma Krystall-4 (PK-4): Today a crewmember initiated three runs for the group 2 of the PK-4 experiment and performed a hard drive change out for data downlink. PK-4 is a scientific collaboration between the ESA and the Roscosmos, performing research in the field of “Complex Plasmas”: low temperature gaseous mixtures composed of ionized gas, neutral …
Life Support Rack (LSR): Today a crewmember removed the Waste Water Filter insert element from the LSR and prepared the element for return. LSR is a Technology Demonstrator for Closed Loop Air Revitalization. It captures carbon dioxide from cabin air and recovers 50% of its oxygen for use by the astronauts. LSR will operate for …
The ISS Experience: Today a crewmember replaced the Solid State Drives for the ISS Experience. The ISS Experience creates a virtual reality film documenting daily life aboard the space station. The 8 to 1 10 minute videos created from footage taken during the six-month investigation cover different aspects of crew life, execution of science aboard …
SpaceX (SpX) Crew Dragon Demonstration 1: On Saturday, SpX Crew Dragon successfully launched from Kennedy Space Center (KSC) atop a Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket at 1:49 AM CT. On Sunday, the vehicle successfully performed an autonomous rendezvous and docking onto the Node 2 forward International Docking Adapter (IDA). Soft capture occurred at 4:51 AM …
EML (Electromagnetic Levitator) Lens switch: The crew changed the measurement mode of the EML High Speed Camera to STD mode to support the ongoing campaign. The EML is a multi-user facility designed for containerless materials processing in space. It supports research in the areas of meta-stable states and phases along with the measurement of high-accurate …
