ISS Operations Update – February 9, 2016
Experiments:
Mycological Evaluation of Crew Exposure to ISS Ambient Air (Myco) – Collection of body samples and processing of samples for return to Earth. [This study obtains samples from ISS crew members to assess fungi which may cause opportunistic infections or allergies if a crewmember’s immunity is compromised on the ISS.]
Multi-Omics Sampling & Questionnaire [Multi-Omics studies the effect of the space environment and prebiotics on astronauts’ immune function.]
Cardio Ox – [„The purpose of this study is to measure levels of biomarkers in blood and urine that are affected by oxidative and inflammatory stress before, during, and after long duration spaceflight and relate them to the risk of developing atherosclerosis.“ (NASA)]
Dose Tracker – Medication Intake Log
Fine Motor Skills [Fine Motor Skills uses a tablet touchscreen application to monitor degradation in fine motor abilities over the course of an extended exposure to microgravity. A drop in fine motor skills can lead to problems when crew members are tasked with medical treatment, repairing sensitive equipment and interacting with touch-based equipment. Tests utilized by this study include multidirectional pointing, dragging, shape tracing, and object manipulation to create a knowledgebase that will allow scientists to evaluate the risk of fine motor performance decrements due to long-duration exposure to microgravity.]
Ocular Health – Fundoscope Exams, Vision Tests & Blood Pressure Measurements [OH is a human physiology study. Its full name is Prospective Observational Study of Ocular Health in ISS Crews. “The Prospective Observational Study of Ocular Health in ISS Crews (Ocular Health) protocol aims to systematically gather physiological data to characterize the Risk of Microgravity-Induced Visual Impairment/Intracranial Pressure on crewmembers assigned to a 6 month ISS increment,” the NASA experiment overview said. It is known that some (not all) astronauts in orbit experience changes in visual acuity (visual clarity) and intraocular pressure as a result of fluid shifts within the body as it is subjected to microgravity. About 20% is astronauts flying to ISS have reported these kinds of changes. Test subjects will undergo pre-flight, flight and post-flight testing of their eyes using a variety of techniques.]
NEIROIMMUNITET. Saliva Collection and Questionnaire
Matryoshka-R – Dosimeter Readings [Matryoshka-R consists of a number of radiation dosimeters that are set up inside the space station to assess radiation exposure of the crew relative to ISS position in its orbit and shielding provided by the modules.]
VEG-01 Investigation – Plant Photo Survey. [VEGGIE or Veg-01 is a deployable plant growth unit to be set up on the Space Station to demonstrate the feasibility of a space garden. The experiment facility provides lighting and nutrient supply and is capable of supporting a variety of plant species that can be cultivated for educational outreach, fresh food and even recreation for crewmembers on long-duration missions. Thermal control is provided from ISS in-cabin systems and the carbon dioxide source is the ambient air aboard ISS.]
Interactions Experiment [‘Vzaimodeistviye’ (Interactions) looks at psychological aspects of long duration space flight during which different cultures come together aboard a Spacecraft such as ISS and seeks to improve crew interactions aboard ISS and with teams on the ground.]
Maintenance/Systems:
Nominal Inspections/Servicing Tasks (Morning Inspection, Caution & Warning Panel Check, Sozh System Maintenance) (Russian Crew)
SM Ventilation System Preventive Maintenance. Group А
Aurora Camera setup in the Cupola for collection of imagery to auroral displays.
Other Activities:
Cygnus OA-4 Cargo Operations
Extravehicular Mobility Unit #3005: Water dump & fill to set the suit up for in-orbit stowage.
Extravehicular Mobility Unit #3003: Setup to tools needed for the Fan Pump Separator Replacement planned on Wednesday.
Orlan Battery Discharge Operations
Post EVA Reconfiguration of PKhO and Pirs Modules
Robotics: The Mobile Transporter with Canadarm2 and Dextre in a stowage configuration was translated from Worksite 2 to WS-4 to allow the robotic arm to change base to the Node 2 Power & Data Grapple Fixture in preparation for Cygnus unberthing and release on February 19.