ISS Daily Summary Report – 10/18/2023

Payloads:

Circadian Light: The crew performed a Circadian Light start-of-next-day assessment. The Circadian Light investigation tests a new lighting system to help astronauts maintain an acceptable circadian rhythm. This can help enhance cognitive performance during a long-duration mission and help combat monotony through automated, varied, and gradually changing lighting sequences and settings.

Complement of Integrated Protocols for Human Exploration Research on Varying Mission Durations (CIPHER): The Bio-Monitor garment was donned and a breathing calibration was performed in support of a combined Space Health and CIPHER session. CIPHER consists of 14 studies designed to improve our understanding of physiological and psychological changes in humans on missions that range from weeks to one year in duration. Conducting the same research over missions of different durations allows scientists to extrapolate to multi-year missions, such as a three-year round-trip to Mars. This data could provide deeper knowledge about changes that may occur on such missions and supports development of countermeasures to promote astronaut health and well-being.

Earthshine from ISS: The experiment hardware was set up and photos were taken of the Moon. The Earthshine from ISS investigation involves the thorough analysis of photos taken of the Moon from the ISS at specific points in the lunar cycle to study changes in the Earth’s reflectance of light, or albedo. Activities consist of in-flight sessions comprised of photography of the Moon by the crew using a handheld digital camera and lens available aboard the ISS.

Exploration Environmental Health System (EHS) BioMole Facility: The crew gathered a water sample and performed steps to extract and amplify DNA for later sequencing. The EHS BioMole Facility demonstrates technology for monitoring the microbial environment onboard a spacecraft. As part of a Crew Health Care System (CHeCS), this technology could support missions such as Gateway and Mars transit that do not have the capability to return samples to Earth for analysis. The investigation evaluates the ability of the EHS BioMole Facility to accurately analyze potable water samples on the space station.

ISS Ham: An ISS Ham pass was supported with St Peter in Thanet CE Junior School in Broadstairs, Kent, United Kingdom. Some of the questions asked by the students included how the crew is able to tell if it’s day or night on the ISS, if the ISS shakes when a Soyuz spacecraft docks, and how fires behave in space. Since the earliest space station expeditions, 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.

Thor-Davis: The Thor-Davis camera system was used to capture thunderstorm phenomena in areas around Panama, Mexico, and Indonesia. The Thor-Davis investigation aims to provide a better understanding about the impact of thunderstorms on the Earth‘s atmosphere and climate by observing them at stratospheric altitudes from the ISS. Thor-Davis evaluates a neuromorphic camera (or event camera), that can observe thunderstorms and their electrical activity at up to 100,000 frames per second. The overall goal is to better understand, under realistic conditions, the use of such a camera for future use in space for observing processes in severe electrical storms and other applications.

Systems:

Video Distribution Subsystem (VDS) External High Definition Camera (EHDC) Survey: The ground team configured the VDS for two EHDC camera views and performed an external survey of 70S. The survey consisted of taking images of the Soyuz vehicle at the MRM-1 docking port at various lighting conditions during two day passes of the ISS. The team is looking for any physical indication that might impact 70S undock next year.

ExtraVehicular Activity (EVA) Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Inspection: The crew performed inspections on all EMU Arm and Leg Assemblies to check for potential out of configuration restraints. These inspections involved providing detailed imagery to ground teams for visual inspection to ensure proper EMU configuration. Last week, inspections were performed on the active EMU suits to ready them for the upcoming USOS EVAs. Further inspections are being performed to ensure that all other Arm and Leg Assemblies are cleared for use.

Transfer Cygnus Cargo Operations: Today, the crew continued cargo transfer operations between the ISS and the NG-19 cargo vehicle. These operations included consolidating large pieces of foam into as few Cargo Transfer Bags (CTBs) as possible. NG-19 is planned to remain at the space station until December before it departs the ISS for an eventual destructive re-entry in the Earth’s atmosphere.

Urine Transfer System (UTS) Backup EDV Swap: Today, the crew changed out the backup EDV in the UTS. EDVs are intended for short-term storage and manual water transportation between facilities. The objective of the UTS is to provide automated control of urine flow from the Toilet System and Waste and Hygiene Compartment (WHC) or from external storage containers into the Urine Processing Assembly (UPA) Wastewater Storage Tank Assembly (WSTA).

Completed Task List Activities:

• WHC KTO REPLACE [GMT 291]

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

• Soyuz EHDC Survey
• ICDC Checkout
• Dragon Quiescent Checkout
• TDRS 275 Testing

Look Ahead Plan

Thursday, October 19 (GMT 292)
Payloads:

• Biomole
• CIPHER
• LSG Filter Exchange
• MELFI 3 Coldbox Inspect
• Space Health
• Vascular Aging
• MSL SCA Exchange

Systems:

• ISS Reboost using 85P Thrusters
• Emergency Hardware Photo-documentation
• EVA EMU Deconfiguring
• EVA EMU Swap
• ISS Crew Conference

Friday, October 20 (GMT 293)
Payloads:

• CIPHER
• ESA EPO Flyby
• GLACIER/Iceberg/POLAR Desiccant Swaps
• HRF Drawer Inspect and Centrifuge Repair
• Transparent Alloys
• PLDR Activation
• Vascular Aging/Space Health Combined Session

Systems:

• SpX-29 Prepack
• Russian EVA Tool Gather
• EVA TBA Preparation
• Swap SSC 9 & SSC 12

Saturday, October 21 (GMT 294)
Payloads:

• Bio-Monitor
• Payload NAS Deep Clean
• Thor-Davis

Systems:

• Crew Off Duty

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

• Circadian Light Morning Data Collection
• PPSA USB Downlink
• Denmark and Europe Footage Recording
• P/TV D5 Camera Clock Set
• EVA EMU Restraint Inspection
• BioMole Operations
• Earthshine from ISS – Picture Taking
• SSC Loading Preparation
• JEM WIS Air Flow Sensor Correction for RSU A1
• Thor-Davis Operations & Thunderstorm Observation from Cupola.
• Columbus Video Monitors and SSD Removal
• Transfer Cygnus Cargo Operations
• CIPHER Bio-Monitor Setup & Breathing Volume Calibration
• MWA Stow
• IWIS RSU 1035 Off
• Foam CTB Consolidation
• Search for EML High Speed Camera
• UTS Backup EDV Swap
• HCU Maintenance