Seedling Growth-2: The third of three six-day-growth sessions was completed today. Wilmore removed Experiment Containers (ECs) from the European Modular Cultivation System (EMCS), processed the samples and stowed them in the Minus Eighty degree Laboratory Freezer for ISS (MELFI) for return on a later flight. In a troubleshooting effort, the crew installed the single EC …
Soyuz Rolls Out to Pad as Station Crew Prepares to Double in Size
A trio of new Expedition 42 crew members is in its final preparations before Sunday’s launch and six-hour ride aboard a Soyuz TMA-15M spacecraft to the International Space Station. The rocket with the Soyuz capsule rolled out to the launch pad Friday morning at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. › Read about live NASA TV …
ISS Daily Summary Report – 11/20/14
Fluids Integration Rack (FIR) maintenance: Wilmore replaced both the LMM (Light Microscopy Module) Microscope Power/Data Cable 1 and the LMM Monochrome Camera 1 and configured LMM for microscope characterization. The configuration includes removing the current Advanced Colloids Experiment (ACE) sample, replacing one objective lens, and installing Preliminary Advanced Colloids Experiment (PACE) Target inside Auxiliary Fluids …
Soyuz Preps for Rollout as Station Crew Works Array of Science
A trio of new Expedition 42 crew members is in its final preparations before Sunday’s launch and six-hour ride aboard a Soyuz TMA-15M spacecraft to the International Space Station. The rocket with the Soyuz capsule attached will roll out to the launch pad Friday morning at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. › Read about live …
ISS Daily Summary Report – 11/19/14
Khladon (Freon 218) Venting: Samokutyaev and Serova performed steps to release pressure in the Russian Segment Air Conditioner System [СКВ] by venting Khladon (Freon 218) overboard. However, several of the quick disconnects that were actuated during the procedure exhibited leaks. As a result, the Khladon was vented into the cabin instead. The quantity released was …
Botany Studies and Russian Maintenance as Soyuz Launch Nears
Commander Barry Wilmore worked in the Japanese Kibo lab module on the Aniso Tubule botany experiment that studies how roots adapt to gravity. After lunch, Wilmore went back to more hardware replacement work on the Combustion Integrated Rack that he began Tuesday. At the end of the day he configured a maintenance work area for …
East and West: The Geography of Antarctica
At first, the geography of Antarctica might seem a little confusing. From space, much of Antarctica looks featureless and white, meaning there are few features to guide you. It’s one thing to know that Pine Island Glacier is in West Antarctica, but for some it might be unclear which part of the frozen continent is […]
ISS Daily Summary Report – 11/18/14
Multi-user Droplet Combustion Apparatus (MDCA): Wilmore reviewed procedures and gathered hardware and tools for MDCA Hardware Replacement Part 1. Today’s activity had the crew configure the Fluid Combustion Facility (FCF) MDCA Chamber Insert Assembly (CIA) in support of the Flame Extinguishment Experiment-2 (FLEX-2) Binary-Droplet Array test points. Crew then removed the MDCA CIA from the …
Routine Maintenance on Station While Ground Crew Relaxes
Commander Barry Wilmore worked throughout the day Tuesday in the Destiny laboratory’s Combustion Integrated Rack replacing hardware that fuels experiments. Afterward, he drained a waste water tank in the Tranquility node then moved on to a Health Maintenance System test. › Read more about the Combustion Integrated Rack Flight Engineer Alexander Samokutyaev replaced a battery …