Blogs

Treadmill 2 (T2) Status:  Over the weekend, the Crew completed the last set of closeout activities in order to restore T2 operations. T2 had experienced connectivity issues between the Station Support Computer (SSC) and the T2 Rack on September 22nd. After extensive troubleshooting by Crew and ground teams, it was determined that a change out …

Conjunction Status: Ground teams continued to evaluate tracking data updates overnight for a possible conjunction with Object #38971. The latest tracking data indicates that the object is tracking away from the ISS and is no longer a concern. SpaceTex: After an exercise session, Gerst completed a SpaceTex questionnaire about the textile. He then packed Tenax …

Possible Conjunction with Object #38971: Ground teams evaluated tracking data throughout the day for a possible conjunction with Object #38971. Time of Closest Approach (TCA) will be Friday, October 03, 10:51pm CDT.  A decision whether or not to perform a Debris Avoidance Maneuver will be made later this evening after additional tracking data is received. …

FLame Extinguishment Experiment (FLEX)-2 Operations: Gerst removed the Combustion Integration Rack (CIR) alignment guides, isolating the rack and allowing ground teams to start another FLEX-2 test point via ground commanding. Drug Metabolism:  Wiseman inserted the Drug Metabolism Stow Bag (containing BioCells) into Commercial generic Bioprocessing Apparatus-4 (CGBA-4), reconfigured CGBA-4 power and data cables and opened …

A bright meteor occurred around 5:18 am CDT the morning of September 30th. It was first detected 66 miles above Tennessee City, TN by four NASA All Sky Fireball Network cameras (located in Huntsville, AL, Chickamauga, GA, Tullahoma, TN, and Rosman, NC) and moved slightly south of east at a speed of 147,600 mph. It …

Rodent Research:  The Crew set up and configured the Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG) and installed various tools, supplies, and equipment in preparation for future planned Rodent Research activities. Micro-8:  Gerst terminated Micro-8 Group Activation Packs (GAPs) C,D,E,F,G.  GAP’s D,E,F,G will be returned to Commercial Generic Biologic Apparatus -5  (CGBA-5) to await packing for SpaceX-4 return.  …

Micro-8:  Over the weekend, Gerst terminated Micro-8 Group Activation Packs (GAPs) A & B.  GAP B was returned to Commercial Generic Biologic Apparatus -5 (CGBA-5) and GAP A was inserted into the General Laboratory Active Cryogenic ISS Experiment Refrigerator (GLACIER) frozen cold stowage.  Micro is a fundamental biology experiment that will expand our understanding of …

Zebra Fish:  With the arrival of 40 Soyuz (40S), Wilmore transferred Zebrafish from the Fish Carrier to Fish fixation Aquariums to start the experiment in the Aquatic Habitat.  This experiment investigates if the atrophy of muscles under the condition of microgravity also occurs in zebrafish and why their atrophy occurs in the microgravity. Dosimeter Installation:  …

40 Soyuz (40S) Launch and Dock:  40S launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome at 3:25pm CDT today with Barry Wilmore, Elena Serova, and AlexanderSamokutyaev onboard. After orbital insertion, Mission Control Center Moscow confirmed that the port side solar array had not deployed. However, battery charging was sufficient with only one array (Starboard) deployed and the vehicle …

On Tuesday, Sept. 23, a second fireball occurred about 40 minutes after the fireball in Tennessee. The Michigan fireball is close to the edge of the camera because the meteor was at extreme range, over 200 miles away, for the camera. The Michigan fireball was produced by a piece of a comet over 2 feet across, …