Moon Imagery: Today the crew took photographs of the full Moon and downlinked them for evaluation on the ground. If a spacecraft loses communication with the ground or with NASA’s Deep Space Network, its crew must navigate just as ancient mariners did, using the moon and stars. The Moon Imagery investigation collects pictures of the moon from the ISS, which are then used to calibrate navigation software to guide the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle in case its transponder-based navigation capability is lost. Crewmembers photograph the moon’s phases during one 29-day cycle, providing images of varying brightness to calibrate Orion’s camera software.

Japanese Experiment Module Airlock (JEMAL) Operations for the German Space Agency (DLR) Earth Sensing Imaging Spectrometer (DESIS): Today the crew depressurized and vented the JEMAL. Later today the JEMAL Slide Table will be extended to the exterior of the ISS and the Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS) and Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator (SPDM) will be used to remove DESIS from the Slide Table and install it on the Multiple User System for Earth Sensing (MUSES) external facility. The DESIS investigation is expected to verify and enhance commercial space-based hyperspectral (from the visual to near infrared spectrum) imaging capabilities for Earth remote sensing. Requested images are transferred to a hosted cloud that provides user access. DESIS has a number of commercial and humanitarian applications.

Grip: The crew completed the first of three Grip operations in the seated position today. ESA’s Grip investigation tests how the nervous system takes into account the forces due to gravity and inertia when manipulating objects. Results from this investigation may provide insight into potential hazards for astronauts as they manipulate objects in different gravitational environments, support design and control of haptic interfaces to be used in challenging environments such as space, and provide information about motor control that will be useful for the evaluation and rehabilitation of impaired upper limb control in patients with neurological diseases.

BioServe Protein Crystallography (BPC)-1: The crew performed microscope operations today for the BPC-1 investigation. They removed the BPC-1 samples from the Space Automated Bioproduct Laboratory (SABL), made observations, photographed the sample wells with the microscope, and returned the samples to the SABL. BPC-1 seeks to demonstrate the feasibility of conducting protein crystal growth in real time onboard the ISS. Crewmembers add solutions to the hardware, observe the crystals that form and adjust for follow-on experiments. This approach gives scientists the ability to optimize crystal growth in microgravity instead of waiting for samples to return and then launching them again.

WetLab-2 Parra: Today the crew completed a session for the WetLab-2 Parra investigation. WetLab-2 Parra tests a passive method to remove air bubbles from a liquid sample (e.g., extracted ribonucleic acid [RNA]) for dispensing. Excessive air bubbles in the sample chamber introduces noise in the data acquired during SmartCycler analysis.

SpaceTex-2 and Metabolic Space: A crewmember donned Thermolab equipment, a heart rate monitor, and a SpaceTex shirt for ESA’s SpaceTex-2 investigation. He also donned Metabolic Space equipment and completed an exercise session using the Cycle Ergometer with Vibration Isolation and Stabilization (CEVIS). SpaceTex fabrics provide a higher rate of sweat evaporation and a corresponding higher evaporative heat loss compared to conventional cotton fabrics used by astronauts on the ISS. Metabolic Space provides a technology demonstration for a measurement system worn by astronauts that supports cardio-pulmonary diagnosis during physical activities of astronauts living onboard the ISS, while maintaining unrestricted mobility.

Lighting Effects: The crew conducted a Visual Performance Test for the Lighting Effects investigation today. They stowed the hardware in their crew quarters, set the light to the correct mode, turned all other light sources in the crew quarters off, and performed a Numerical Verification Test, followed by a Color Discrimination Test. The Lighting Effects investigation studies the impact of the change from fluorescent light bulbs to solid-state light-emitting diodes (LEDs) with adjustable intensity and color and aims to determine if the new lights can improve crew circadian rhythms, sleep, and cognitive performance.

ExtraVehicular Activity (EVA) Airlock Unstow: Today the crew removed hardware from the Airlock that is not needed for the upcoming EVAs or the ESA Airway Monitoring experiment. The ESA Airway Monitoring experiment, planned next week in the US Airlock, uses a special test gas that could damage the MetOx and Contamination Detection Kit necessitating its relocation prior to the experiment. The H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV)-7 Battery R&R EVAs are currently scheduled on the 20th and 26th of September and preparation activities are on-going.

Nitrogen (N2)/Oxygen(O2) Recharge System (NORS) O2 Transfer Setup and Initiation: Today the crew installed a NORS O 2 tank, mated the O 2 Fill Hose to the NORS Manifold, and initiated a gas transfer to the High Pressure O 2 system. Termination of this recharge, and a subsequent transfer of O 2 to the Low Pressure O 2 system, will occur later this week

Public Affairs Office (PAO) Event: Today Ricky Arnold participated in a live PAO event with Dakota State University (DSU). This event, part of a series of activities centered around the theme Science and Engineering in Zero or Low Gravity Environments, was held in conjunction with students from the Madison Central School District (MCSD) and will serve as a launching point for undergraduate courses at DSU in the Fall 2018 semester.

Completed Task List Activities:

KTO Replace [Completed 238]

Ground Activities:

All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.



JEMAL Depress

N3 ITCS Checkout

MSS Operations

Two-Day Look Ahead:

Tuesday, 08/28:

Payloads

DESIS installed on MUSES external facility

ACME Controller replacement

Rodent Research-7 Habitat restock

JEM depressurization and leak check. PMA removal from Airlock Slide Table

Tropical Cyclone set up

Grip operations

Systems

EMU Resize for the September HTV-7 Battery R&R EVA #1

Eye Exams – Fundoscope Ops

EVA Tool Gather, Tool Config, and REBA Battery Charging

Wednesday, 08/29:

Payloads

MSRR Master Controller R&R

BEST 4 th experiment session

experiment session Payload Control Box installation in Ryutai Rack laptop

TTS survey

SpaceTex2 & Metaspace session

Grip supine session

BCAT camera alignment and focus

Systems

JEM Stowage Consolidation for HTV-7 Mission

Eye Exams – Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) and Fundoscope Ops

EMU Swap for upcoming EMU Maintenance Activities

Today’s Planned Activities:

All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.

