ISS Daily Summary Report – 8/28/2023

Crew-7 Launch and Dock: Saturday, August 26th, at 2:27 AM CDT, SpaceX Crew Dragon Endurance lifted off from Launch Complex -39A at Kennedy Space Center on a Falcon 9 rocket and docked to the ISS Sunday, August 27th, at 8:17 AM CDT. Crew Dragon Endurance carries NASA astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli, ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen, JAXA astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov. The crew complement onboard the ISS increased from 7 to 11 upon Crew-7 arrival.

NanoRacks Bishop Airlock (NRAL) Gambit Sortie Robotics Operations: Last week, Gambit hardware was installed into NRAL, and the Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS) grappled the NRAL. Ground controllers commanded the NRAL depressurization and thermal stabilization over the weekend. Today, Robotics ground controllers performed the Gambit Sortie operations by demating NRAL, presenting NRAL to the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator (SPDM) on the Mobile Transporter (MT), commanded SPDM to remove Gambit from inside NRAL and install it on external NRAL payload site “D”, and then remating NRAL to Node 3. The objective of Gambit is to evaluate and catalog performance of the NRAL external sites. Gambit will be moved to all six external NRAL sites throughout the course of the investigation, and various sensors measure temperature, vibrations, and radiation to characterize each site. Results could support design and development of future science investigations that use these sites.

Payloads:

Cold Atom Lab (CAL): The crew verified that the Ion Pump Controller Power LED was illuminated. This allows the health of the new science module 3B to be preserved until it can be installed in the CAL facility at a later date. CAL produces clouds of atoms that are chilled to about one ten-billionth of a degree above absolute zero — much colder than the average temperature of deep space. At these low temperatures, atoms have almost no motion, allowing scientists to study fundamental behaviors and quantum characteristics that are difficult or impossible to probe at higher temperatures. In microgravity, researchers may be able to achieve even colder temperatures than what is possible on the ground, and observe these cold atom clouds for longer periods of time.

ISS Ham Radio: An ISS Ham contact was made with Bowman Middle School (BMS), Bakersville, North Carolina in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains. BMS has approximately 200 students in grades 5 through 8. ISS Ham Radio has allowed groups of students in schools, camps, museums, and planetariums to hold a conversation with the people living in space. As the ISS passes overhead, students have about nine minutes to ask crew members 10 to 20 questions.

Kibo Robot Programming Challenge-4 (Robo-Pro): A video was recorded which discussed various aspects of the Robo-Pro student competition. In the Robo-Pro competitions, student teams use free-flying robots to locate and resolve virtual issues aboard the ISS. JAXA hosts this program in cooperation with NASA under the framework of the Japan-United States Open Platform Partnership Program (JP-US OP3). Robo-Pro aims to inspire the next generation of scientists, engineers, and world leaders by providing opportunities to learn cutting-edge methodologies in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) subjects.

Microgravity Research for Versatile Investigations (MaRVIn): The hardware gather and procedure review were performed for the MaRVIn facility. The facility will be installed in the Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG) later this week. MaRVIn is an experiment processing system for operating scientific and commercial investigations in microgravity. Sample processing from zero to over 1000°C is supported. The first experiment to use the facility will be the MaRVIn-Phase Change in Mixtures (MaRVIn-PCIM), which examines the distribution of vapor and liquid within a wickless heat pipe.

Plant Habitat-03B: Over the weekend, one of the two Carbon Dioxide (CO2) bottles in the Plant Habitat facility was exchanged for a new bottle. This is a routine activity performed as needed based on telemetry. The CO2 system is one of the environmental control systems used to support plant growth. Plants exposed to environmental stress, including spaceflight, undergo epigenetic changes that involve adding extra information to deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) rather than changing existing information. Epigenetic Adaptation to the Spaceflight Environment – Accumulated Genomic Change Induced by Generations in Space (Plant Habitat-03) assesses whether epigenetic adaptations in one generation of plants grown in space can transfer to the next generation. This could help identify genetic elements that increase the adaptability of plants to spaceflight, a first step toward developing cultivars better suited to provide food and air and water purification in life support systems on future space missions.

Systems:

ISS Crew Handover and Adaptation: Over the weekend, the experienced Endeavour Crew and 69S Crew started a handover with the newly arrived Endurance Crew to transfer knowledge of the intricacies of onboard equipment and working in microgravity. The newly arrived crew members executed activities and the experienced crew members provided oversight and assistance.

ISS Familiarization, Emergency Overview, and Emergency Equipment Transfer: The Endurance Crew completed the ISS Safety Briefing, Emergency Roles and Responsibilities discussion, and Emergency On-board Training. Emergency response hardware was also installed in the Endurance Crew Dragon.

Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) Exposed Facility (JEF) High Definition Television (HDTV) Multilayer Insulation (MLI) Alteration: Today, the JEM Airlock was pressurized using the Valve Box Remote Controller. After preforming a leak check, the crew opened the hatch and extended the JEM Airlock slide table. The crew checked configuration of JEF HDTV MLIs 2 and 3, and corrected the MLI to clear interference that could cause unexpected limitations of JEF HDTV Camera Unit motion.

Completed Task List Activities:

• None

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

• SSRMS NRAL Unberth
• Gambit Sortie Operations
• NRAL Depress using PMD
• VDS MRM2 EHDC Survey

Look Ahead Plan

Tuesday, August 29 (GMT 241)
Payloads:

• FIR/FBCE/CM-HT Cable Reclock
• FSL SMD SCU Exchange
• Food Physiology
• GLACIER1 Desiccant Swap
• JAXA-SECRETS Install
• MaRVIn Setup
• NanoRacks Mod-48
• POIC Overview
• POLAR 4/7 Desiccant Swap
• Project EAGLE
• Standard Measures Post-Sleep Questionnaire and Sample Collections
• StemCellEx-H Pathfinder Vial Repack (prep for return)
• Zero-T2 IMTP

Systems:

• ISS Crew Handover and Adaptation
• ARED Quarterly Maintenance
• Crew-7 Unpack
• Crew 6 Departure Preparations
• Cygnus Cargo Operations Review and Conference

Wednesday, August 30 (GMT 242)
Payloads:

• ARED-K
• Astrobee Checkout/Calibration
• Circadian Light Install
• EML Camera Mode Switch
• ESA EPO
• Food Physiology
• Rhodium Biomanufacturing-02
• Standard Measures
• Zero-T2 IMTP Ops
• Wanted Poster – Drainage Syringe

Systems:

• ISS Crew Handover
• Dragon Docking Debrief
• Crew-6 Pack
• Dragon Departure Conference

Thursday, August 31 (GMT 243)
Payloads:

• ARED-K
• Astrobee off
• Bio-Monitor Cable Replace
• CAL Power LED Check
• DOSIS-3D Passive Detector Package Exchange
• Food Physiology Collections and Diet Brief
• JWRS Sample Collection
• Rhodium Biomanufacturing-02
• Standard Measures PreSleep Questionnaire and Sample Collection

Systems:

• ISS Crew Handover
• Dragon Departure Preparation
• Crew-7 Unpack
• CMAU Shell Swap
• Crew Dragon Vestibule Cleaning
• Transfer Cygnus Cargo Operations

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

• Campout Sleeping Bag Stow and Deploy
• CMAU ZBook Field Strip
• Cold Atom Lab Power LED Check
• CASA Keep-Out Zone (KOZ) & Door Stop Check
• Crew Departure Preparations for Return to Earth
• Crew Time for ISS Adaptation and Orientation
• Dragon Contingency Suit Checkout
• Dragon MegaHEPA Seals Install
• Dragon Station Support Computer Deploy
• EDV Deiodinated Water Fill Termination
• Emergency Equipment Transfer
• Emergency Roles and Responsibilities Review
• ISS Medical Accessories Kit (IMAK) Unpack from Crew 7
• Vision Questionnaire and Vision Test
• HRF Generic Sample Collection
• ISS Crew Adaptation
• ISS Crew Departure Preparation
• ISS Crew Handover
• ISS Crew Orientation
• ISS HAM Columbus Pass Kenwood
• JAXA Kibo-ABC Video Taking
• JEF HDTV MLI Check
• JEM Airlock Slide Table (ST) Extension to JPM Side and Retraction from JPM Side
• JEM Camera Robot 2 manually undocked and docked by crew
• JEM Low Power Wide Area Receiver Removal
• Microgravity Research for Versatile Investigations Hardware Gather and Procedure Review
• MSG Activation
• ISS Emergency Hardware Familiarization
• Polar Sample Transfer to Cold Stowage
• Pressure Management Device (PMD) N3 Port MPEV open