Video: Busy ISS Robots install Atmospheric Sensing Payload

Timelapse video of robotic activities underway outside the International Space Station from March 2 through 8 covering the installation of the Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment III (SAGE-III) and the removal of the Robotic Refueling Mission payloads. This clip plays at 50x real speed, you can use YouTube’s speed adjustment function to slow it down or increase to up to 100x real speed.

SAGE-III is taking a permanent position on Express Logistics Carrier 4 out on the starboard truss of the Space Station from where it will monitor ozone and aerosols in Earth’s atmosphere to continue a long-term data record going back into the 1980s when SAGE instruments provided pivotal data enabling an accurate calculation of ozone loss in the atmosphere that prompted major policy changes to protect Earth’s ozone layer.

Major Steps seen in this video:

1) Removal of the SAGE Instrument Payload from the Dragon SpX-10 Trunk Section, March 2 - 23:13 UTC
2) Removal of the SAGE Nadir Viewing Platform from the Dragon Trunk, March 3 - 15:47 UTC
3) Installation of the OPALS Payload in the Dragon Trunk for Disposal, March 3 - 22:22 UTC
4) Removal of the Robotic Refueling Mission pallet from ELC-4, March 5 - 22:08 UTC
5) Installation of the SAGE Nadir Viewing Platform on ELC-4 FRAM-3, March 6 - 0:39 UTC
6) Installation of the SAGE Instrument Payload to the Nadir Viewing Platform, March 7 - 23:36 UTC
(All times approximate!)

Dragon SpX-10 delivered three external payload components – SAGE-III NVP and IP (seen in this video) and the Space Test Program – Houston 5 payload (its installation is covered here: https://youtu.be/stQvMaz-5gY) Open robotics tasks include the installation of the Robotic Refueling Mission and a MISSE Flight Support Equipment component in the Dragon Trunk for disposal.