ISS Daily Summary Report – 8/18/2017
ISS Daily Summary Report – 8/18/2017
Rodent Research 9 (RR-9): The crew activated the water lixits and installed food bars in two Animal Habitats for the RR-9 investigation today. They then transferred 20 mice from the Transporter to the habitats after checking the health of the mice. The RR-9 experiment studies how microgravity affects the immune systems, muscles and bones of rodents during extended stays aboard the ISS. After approximately 30 days aboard the ISS, the mice will be returned to Earth where scientists on the ground will study how their time in space has affected various tissues, including brain, muscle, heart, joint, the eyes and the immune system. ISS Non-invasive Sample Investigation and results Transmission to ground with the Utmost easiness (In Situ): The crew collected a saliva sample and processed it in the bioanalyzer for the In Situ investigation. Crew members on the ISS are continually monitored for health changes, and as part of these measurements, they take saliva samples that are stored and returned to Earth. The In Situ bioanalysis uses a portable device that can check crew members’ saliva on board the ISS, enabling direct real-time analysis. The device’s first uses are to monitor stress levels and appetites among crew members. Humans living in space experience dramatic changes to their health, from weakened bone and muscle to reduced appetites and increased stress levels. The device uses disposable cartridges that check for the presence of the stress hormone cortisol. A miniature analytical device that can detect certain biomarkers using non-invasively collected samples would benefit health care workers on Earth, from emergency medical technicians on call, to small rural clinics in developing countries. Vascular Echo Ultrasound: A crewmember performed a Vascular Echo resting ultrasound of the neck, thigh and heart and collected blood pressure measurements. This Canadian Space Agency investigation examines changes in blood vessels and the heart while crew members are in space, and then upon their return to Earth. The results could provide insight into potential countermeasures to help maintain crew member health. Space Technology and Advanced Research Systems (STaARS) Intraterrestrial Fungus (iFUNGUS): The crew stowed a mesh bag containing iFUNGUS cryotubes at ambient air in Node 1. STaARS-iFUNGUS cultures a rare type of fungus in the microgravity environment of space in order to search for new antibiotics. The fungus, Penicillium chrysogenum, comes from deep in the Earth’s subsurface and shows potential as a source for new antibacterial compounds. The iFUNGUS experiment transports frozen samples of fungal spores to the ISS, grows the fungus in different nutrient mixtures over different intervals, refreezes the samples and then returns them to Earth, where scientists examine how they grew and what chemicals they produced. STaARS-iFUNGUS demonstrates how the microgravity environment of space can serve as a laboratory and production facility for new life science discoveries. Discoveries generated by this research can foster further research and production efforts that utilize low gravity conditions to create novel compounds or other products. Tangolab-1 and -2: During the initial card installation activity yesterday a Payload Card would not seat properly in Tangolab-2. Using procedures developed overnight by ground teams, the crew was able today to successfully install that Payload Card in TangoLab-1. The Payload Developer confirmed good data flow for the Card. This card contains one experiment to study genetic mutations in fruit flies and one to study Carbon Dioxide scrubbing in cactus. Space Headaches: The 51 Soyuz (51S) USOS crewmembers completed weekly questionnaires for the ESA Space Headaches investigation. The investigation collects information that may help in the development of methods to alleviate associated symptoms and improvement in the well-being and performance of crewmembers in space. Headaches during space flight can negatively affect mental and physical capacities of crewmembers that can influence performance during a space mission. Dose Tracker: A crewmember completed a weekly medication tracking entry today in the Dose Tracker application that runs on an iPad. Dose Tracker documents the medication usage of crewmembers before and during their missions by capturing data regarding medication use during spaceflight, including side effect qualities, frequencies and severities. The investigation is expected to provide anecdotal evidence of medication effectiveness during flight and any unusual side effects experienced. It is also expected that specific, near-real-time questioning about symptom relief and side effects will provide the data required to establish whether spaceflight-associated alterations in pharmacokinetics or pharmacodynamics is occurring during missions. Dragon On-Board Training (OBT): The crew reviewed SpX-12 Dragon training materials to include emergency response review and emergency hatch closure. Today’s Planned Activities All activities were completed unless otherwise noted. KUBIK Functional check Actiwatch Spectrum HRF1 Configuration Alternate 2 Combustion Integrated Rack Alignment Guide Removal Crew Departure Preparations for Return to Earth CSA Generic Frozen Blood Collection – Operator CSA Generic Frozen Blood Collection 25 Minutes – Subject CSA Generic Frozen Blood Collection Conclude And Stow CSA Generic Sample MELFI Insertion CSA Generic Refrigerated Centrifuge Configure CSA Generic Refrigerated Centrifuge Spin Conclude Dose Tracker Data Entry Subject Exploration script recording Synthetic biology script recording Glove Box Cleaning Health Maintenance System (HMS) – ESA Nutritional Assessment In-Flight Maintenance (IFM) Waste and Hygiene Compartment (WHC) Pre-treat Tank R&R Video IFUNGUS sample removal from temp stow location and stow at specified location IN SITU Camera Setup IN SITU Saliva Collect Finish IN SITU Saliva Collect Operations INSITU MELFI Sample Retrieve iPad Air 2 Comm Swing ISS HAM Radio Power Up Long Duration Sorbent Testbed Status Check Lighting Effects Sleep Log Entry – Subject Preparing For Upcoming MagVector Science Run Onboard Training (OBT) Dragon Debrief Conference On-Board Training (OBT) Dragon Emergency Review Rodent Research Habitat Stow Rodent Research Node 2 Camcorder Video Setup Rodent Research Transfer Review Rodent Research Transporter 2 Stow Rodent Research 9 Transfer Transfer of US EVA Tools to the USOS after RS EVA 43 Tool Stowage post RS EVA [In work] Space Headaches – Weekly Questionnaire Surface Tension Containment MWA Assist Surface Tension Containment MWA Operations Surface Tension Containment MWA Preparation TangoLab-1 Card Cube Replace Ultrasound 2 HRF Rack 1 Power On Vascular Echo Resting Ultrasound Scan 135 Minutes – […]