Expedition 38 thread (November 11, 2013 - March 11, 2014)

[yoichi]

"Koichi Wakata Weekly Activity Report"

Vol.10
Koichi Wakata, introducing crew's sleeping quarters
Shooting Date: January 5, 2014


Vol.11
Koichi Wakata manipulated the robot arm to support the EVA
Shooting on December 21, 2013

[jacqmans]

ISS Daily Summary Report – 01/09/14

Posted on January 9, 2014 by HQ.


Today’s Planned Tasks Orbital Launch: Orb-1 launched successfully from Pad 0A at Wallops Flight Facility at 12:07 pm CST today.  This was the first flight of the Castor 30B upper stage.  Ascent and separation events were all nominal.   The Cygnus solar arrays were successfully deployed shortly after spacecraft separation.  All Cygnus systems are nominal at this time.  The first phasing burn (DV1) is scheduled for 5:24 pm CST today, with additional burns planned to occur overnight.  Capture is planned for Sunday, January 12th at approximately ~5:02 am CST. Cygnus will deliver 2,780 pounds of science experiments, hardware, and crew provisions to the ISS.
 
Ocular Health (OH) Measurements: Flight Engineer (FE)-3 Hopkins and FE-6 Wakata, alternating as the Crew Medical Officer and subject, with ground experts providing remote support, perform tonometry tests and take blood pressure measurements each of other.  This is Hopkins’ flight day 90 session of Ocular Health and Wakata’s flight day 60 session.  Researchers believe that the measurement of visual, vascular and central nervous system changes over the course of this experiment and during the subsequent post flight recovery will assist in the development of countermeasures, clinical monitoring strategies and clinical practice guidelines.
 
Circadian Rhythms:  Today Wakata completed his third 36 hour Circadian Rhythms session.  The ESA Circadian Rhythms experiment examines the role of synchronized circadian rhythms (the human body’s 24 hour light-dark cycle) and its maintenance during long duration spaceflight.  Understanding how changes in body composition, body temperature regulation and physical activity affect circadian rhythms will support development of enhancements for performance and health care of future crewmembers.
 
Radiation Dosimetry Inside ISS-Neutrons 2 (RaDI-N2) Space Bubble Detector Deploy:  FE-5 Mastracchio deployed 8 “bubble detectors” in a special pouch in the JEM for the third of four runs in the ISS.  Radi-N2 is a follow-on investigation of RaDI-N1 and the Matroshka-R experiments.  RaDI-N2 is designed to characterize the neutron radiation environment inside the ISS. The 8 neutron “bubble detectors” are attached to fixed locations inside the ISS, including one is carried by a crewmember. The results of this investigation will be used to define the risk to ISS crewmembers’ health and in the development of advanced protective measures for future space flights.
 
Material Science Laboratory (MSL) Solidification and Quench Furnce (SQF) Sample Cartridge Exchange:  Mastracchio removed a used sample cartridge from the SQF and replace it with Columnar-to-Equiaxed Transition in Solidification Processing-2 (CETSOL-2) test sample 2. This investigation aims to deepen the understanding of the physical principles that govern solidification processes in metal alloys. The patterns of the crystals resulting from transitions of liquids to solids is of substantial importance to processes in producing materials such as solar cells, thermoelectrics, and metal alloys.

[jacqmans]

Koichi Wakata‏@Astro_Wakata
 
Exciting afternoon of working on “Capillary Flow Experiment 2” with remote guidance from Portland State University. pic.twitter.com/BwGuabroHg

[jacqmans]

Mike Hopkins‏@AstroIllini

Hello Edwards AFB.

[John44]

Orbital Sciences/Cygnus-1 Rendezvous and Grapple to the ISS
http://www.space-multimedia.nl.eu.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=8670

[John44]

Orbital Sciences/Cygnus-1 Docking to the International Space Station
http://www.space-multimedia.nl.eu.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=8671

[jacqmans]

ISS Daily Summary Report – 01/12/14

Posted on January 12, 2014 by HQ.


Mobile Servicing System (MSS) Operations for Cygnus Capture: Today the Robotics Ground Controllers powered up the MSS and performed a Node-2 Nadir Active Common Berthing Mechanism (CBM) survey with the Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS).  They then maneuvered the SSRMS to the Cygnus High Hover position in preparation for capture and powered the MSS into the hot backup configuration.
 
Flight Engineer (FE)-5 Mastracchio and FE-6 Wakata monitored the Cygnus approach from the Cupola Robotic Workstation (RWS) and captured Cygnus using the SSRMS at approximately 5:08am CST.  They then maneuvered Cygnus into position to inspect the Passive CBM and proceeded with a successful installation onto the Node-2 Nadir Active CBM. The crew was ahead of the timeline today and continued with Controller Panel Assembly (CPA) removal, hatch opening/ingress, and started cargo transfer which were all originally scheduled for Monday, January 13th.

[jacqmans]

ISS Daily Summary Report – 01/13/14

Posted on January 13, 2014 by HQ.


Ants In Space Experiment:  After setting up cameras to record the experiment, Flight Engineer (FE)-5 Mastracchio and FE-3 Hopkins set up 2 of the 8 ant forage habitats and then open doors to release ants into the forage areas.  This experiment uses the Pavement Ant (Tetramorium Caespitum), which is common throughout most of the United States.  The experiment is being conducted as part of the Commercial Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus (CGBA) Science Insert (CSI) program conducted by BioServe Space Technologies and sponsored in part by NASA and the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS).  Classrooms across the country and the world are invited to participate in this program by conducting their own classroom controls.  The curriculum is developed by the Baylor College of Medicine Center for Education Outreach.  Results of the experiment will indicate if ants will take straighter paths in the larger space and if they adjust their paths differently in microgravity, when their contact with each other may be disrupted by the absence of gravity.
 
NanoRacks Module 9:  FE-6 Wakata activated and shook designated NanoRacks Module 9 mixing tubes.  This investigation results from a commercial Science Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education program overseen by the National Center for Earth and Space Science Education (NCESSE), called the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program (SSEP). Student teams from across the United States design their own experiments using flight approved fluids and materials. The investigation consists of different science experiments flown in a NanoRacks Module on board the ISS.
 
NanoRacks Microscope Operation with Module-38:  Wakata used Microscope-2 to perform microscopic analysis of the NanoRacks Module-38 Petri Dishes.  These Module-38 experiments are designed by students as part of a competition sponsored by the International Space School Educational Trust (ISSET).  This particular experiment examines three-dimensional growth of slime mold in petri dishes utilizing the NanoRacks Microscopes Facility.
 
Reversible Figures Experiment:  FE-3 Hopkins performed his fifth session of the Reversible Figures experiment in free floating conditions and Wakata completed his third session. Each subject performs this activity at least four times during their stay on board.  ESA’s Reversible Figures experiment investigates whether the perception of ambiguous perspective reversible figures that can normally be seen to change in perspective or orientation is affected by microgravity.  A comparison will be made of the perceived reversals during visualization of the figures in crewmembers that occurs before, during and after long-term exposure to microgravity.   It is expected that measurable, perceptual differences will provide insight into human cognitive-perception dynamics in the microgravity environment of the ISS and in normal gravity on Earth.
 
Emergency Procedure Review: All six crew members took part in an onboard training session to review Cygnus emergency procedures.
 
Cygnus Cargo Operations: All three USOS crew members continued cargo transfer operations. They reported working a combined total of 8 hours of cargo transfer between yesterday and today.
 
Mobile Servicing System (MSS) Operations: Today the Robotics Ground Controllers powered up the MSS, released Latching End Effector (LEE)-A from the Orbital-1 Cygnus Power and Video Grapple Fixture (PVGF) and maneuvered the Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS) to position LEE-A such that it was facing the Cupola windows.  FE-5 Mastracchio then took photos of the SSRMS LEE-A snare cables from Cupola window 3.  The team then walked the SSRMS off the Node 2 Power Data Grapple Fixture (PDGF) onto the Lab PDGF and maneuvered the SSRMS to position LEE-B such that it is facing the Cupola windows.  Wakata is scheduled to take photos of the SSRMS LEE-B snare cables tomorrow, January 14th.

[theonlyspace]

Sad but true..No new ISS  pictures of any Expedition have been added to NASA Website Gallery  since NOV.  The NASA  public affirs of promoting space has really went downhill.  FIRST  no new press kits for the new Expeditions forward..now no new ISS  pictures of any Expeditions. on Nasa website gallery. That also deleates detailed  explaination for each pidture NASA  USE  to post.  PITY FUL..TRUELY   PITYFUL NASA.

[jacqmans]

Rick Mastracchio‏@AstroRM

We captured the Orbital Cygnus 1 two days ago. Here I am with the business end of the robotic arm. pic.twitter.com/do38dzvogi

[jacqmans]

Sad but true..No new ISS  pictures of any Expedition have been added to NASA Website Gallery  since NOV.  The NASA  public affirs of promoting space has really went downhill.  FIRST  no new press kits for the new Expeditions forward..now no new ISS  pictures of any Expeditions. on Nasa website gallery. That also deleates detailed  explaination for each pidture NASA  USE  to post.  PITY FUL..TRUELY   PITYFUL NASA.

try this site for recent photos:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/nasa2explore

[robertross]

Rick Mastracchio‏@AstroRM

We captured the Orbital Cygnus 1 two days ago. Here I am with the business end of the robotic arm. pic.twitter.com/do38dzvogi

cool photo.

Reminds me of the claws on Spiderman2 that Doc Octavious had 

[jacqmans]

ISS Daily Summary Report – 01/14/14

Posted on January 14, 2014 by HQ.


Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) Low Temperature Loop (LTL) Pump Status:  Today, the Remote Power Controller (RPC) associated with the JEM LTL Pump tripped open as a result of a spike in current coming from the pump.  The failure caused a short-term loss of cooling for a subset of JEM Systems.  The Flight Control Team has since transitioned to single Low Temperature (LT) Loop mode and restored cooling for all JEM systems. JAXA specialists continue to investigate the cause and are working towards a forward plan.
 
Cygnus Cargo Operations: All three USOS crew members continued cargo operations. They reported working a combined total of 8 hours of cargo operations today. An approximate 1.5 hours of crew time is estimated to unpack the remaining Cygnus cargo items.
 
Soyuz 36S Emergency Descent Training:  Commander (CDR) Kotov, Flight Engineer (FE)-2 Ryazanskiy, and FE-3 Hopkins all participated in a Soyuz Emergency Descent Drill. The crew gained proficiency by reviewing Soyuz emergency undock and landing procedures for various off nominal scenarios.
 
Cosmo Shoot Operations:  FE-6 Wakata set up the Cosmo Shoot laptop and 4K camera this morning in the Cupola to prepare for capturing images of the Earth surface.  This afternoon he removed the hardware and temporarily stowed it back in the JEM.
 
Vaccine-21 Group Activation Packs (GAPs) Operations:  Mastracchio accessed the Commercial Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus-2 (CGBA-2), activated all 16 Vaccine-21 GAPs and then returned them into the CGBA-2.  This experiment, also referred to as Antibiotic Effectiveness in Space-1 (AES-1), tests the hypothesis that antibiotics used to treat bacterial grown in space will exhibit reduced efficacy and will be associated with specific changes in bacterial gene expression that correlate with cell survival.
 
Aniso Tubule Experiment:  Wakata performed activities to support JAXA’s Aniso Tubule experiment.  He retrieved the second set of seeds he watered 4 days ago and placed in the Minus Eighty Degree Celsius Laboratory Freezer for ISS (MELFI) to simulate a winter season for the plants.  Today he exposed the seeds to light for approximately 6 hours and then place them into the Cell Biology Experiment Unit (CBEF) for cultivation.  The Aniso Tubule experiment investigates the roles of cortical microtubules and microtubule-associated proteins in gravity-induced growth modification of plant stems.
 
Mobile Servicing System (MSS) Operations: Following yesterday’s Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS) LEE-A snare cables photo capture and subsequent SSRMS walk off to the Lab Power and Data Grapple Fixture (PDGF),  Wakata took photographs of the SSRMS LEE-B snare cables today. This is a periodic maintenance activity performed every 20 LEE snare cycles to assess the condition of the snare cables.  The photos are being downlinked for review by the engineering team.
 
Hatch Seal Inspection: Mastracchio performed a periodic hatch seal inspection for Node 1, Lab, Node 2, and the Node 3 module. During the inspection the crew cleaned and inspected the Hatch Seals, Hatch Plate Sealing Surface, and checked the Hatch Handle Mechanism for FOD or damage. Inspection results for all hatches were reported as nominal. The preventative maintenance task is performed once every 180 days.

[anik]

Today's ISS orbit's reboost was postponed to January 18 due to possible collision with 10257/1977-065CJ.

[yoichi]

"Koichi Wakata Weekly Activity Report"

Vol.12
Koichi Wakata, having his body weight measured with BMMD (Body Mass Measurement Device) at Service Module, Russian segment
January 6, 2014


Vol.13
Koichi Wakata, doing exercise with a bicycle ergometer, called CEVIS (Cycle Ergometer with Vibration Isolation System)
December 30, 2013


Vol.14
Koichi Wakata, obtaining a blood sample as an examinee in Columbus Module on the ISS
January 7, 2014

[Artyom.]

Noctilucent clouds as seen from ISS

... and Venus  .

Photo by Sergei Ryazansky.

[Jester]

Ah, thats what it was, I'll post in hi-res on L2 soon.

[jacqmans]

ISS Daily Summary Report – 01/16/14

Posted on January 16, 2014 by HQ.

USOS Food Warmer Status: Today the USOS Food Warmer within LAB Express Rack 6, Drawer 8 experienced an over current and tripped the associated Remote Power Controller (RPC). The crew has been instructed not to use the food warmer until ground teams can troubleshoot.
 
ISS Reboost: The reboost that was planned at 7:54 pm CST last night was cancelled due to possible post-reboost conjunction.  The reboost has been replanned for January 17th at 6:09pm CST.
 
NightPod Investigation:  Flight Engineer (FE)-6 Wakata installed ESA’s NightPod in the Cupola and then performed a checkout after a new software load.  NightPod photographs will be taken while the ISS trajectory passes over Mexico, the Eastern United States and Europe. Wakata then stowed NightPod and copied all of the pictures to a Station Support Computer (SSC) for downlink.  NightPod includes tracking device technology being tested on the ISS for its ability to assist cameras in taking improved photographs of the Earth, especially at night (in low light conditions). The device compensates for ISS movement allowing a camera fitted to the device a longer exposure time on fixed targets on Earth. This is helpful for taking images of Earth for education, promotion or research activities and holds the potential for use on orbital craft on future missions around other planets and planetary bodies.
 
Binary Colloidal Alloy Test – Kinetics Platform (BCAT-KP) Experiment:  FE-3 Hopkins installed and performed a checkout of the BCAT-KP hardware.  Hopkins has setup and homogenizing the first of five Harvard samples, the start of a 14 day sample run. He also photographed the sample and the other nine that are not being activated yet.  BCAT-KP provides a platform for material and industrial scientists to investigate colloid phase changes, providing results that may be used to develop new colloidal materials and formulations with unique properties.  The results may support new applications, from new liquid crystals to consumer goods having longer shelf life and uses.
 
NanoRacks Microscope Operation with Module-38:  Wakata used Microscope-2 to perform microscopic analysis of the NanoRacks Module-38 Petri dishes.  These Module-38 experiments are designed by students as part of a competition sponsored by the International Space School Educational Trust (ISSET).  This particular experiment examines three-dimensional growth of slime mold in petri dishes utilizing the NanoRacks Microscopes Facility.
 
Synchronized Position Hold, Engage, Reorient, Experimental Satellites (SPHERES) Zero Robotics Test:  FE-5 Mastracchio and Commander Kotov performed a dry run of the Zero Robotics tests in preparation for the final compatition scheduled for Friday January 17th.  SPHERES Zero Robotics provides high school students with the opportunity to act as ground controllers for research in space.  As part of the competition, students write algorithms for the SPHERES satellites to accomplish tasks relevant to future space missions. The algorithms are then tested by the SPHERES team and the best designs are selected for the competition to operate the SPHERES satellites on board the ISS.
 
Vaccine-21 Group Activation Packs (GAPs) Experiment Conclusion:  Mastracchio accessed the Commercial Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus-2 (CGBA-2), removed the active Vaccine-21 GAPs and placed them in the Minus Eighty Degree Celsius Laboratory Freezer for ISS (MELFI).  This experiment, also referred to as Antibiotic Effectiveness in Space-1 (AES-1), tests the hypothesis that antibiotics used to treat bacterial grown in space will exhibit reduced efficacy and will be associated with specific changes in bacterial gene expression that correlate with cell survival.

[Olaf]

Today's ISS orbit's reboost was postponed to January 18 due to possible collision with 10257/1977-065CJ.

The reboost was done today.
http://www.interfax.ru/world/news/352297

[John44]

Expedition 38 - In-Flight Event with Wakata for the JAXA - January 21
http://www.space-multimedia.nl.eu.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=8678