US Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Battery Charging Discharging Unit (BCDU) 2B2 Replacement Preparations: Over the past weekend when activating the new Li-Ion 2B2 battery BCDU, the converter close command failed; ground teams have determined that performing an EVA to replace the failed BCDU with a new spare will restore full functionality to the Channel 2B. Today, the ISS crew worked on a number of EVA preparatory activities including Equipment Lock Preparation, Robotics EVA Onboard Training (OBT), and Procedure Reviews. Additionally, the crew performed some Rechargeable EVA Battery Assembly (REBA) hardware checkouts, including verifying that the Extravehicular Activity Mobility Unit (EMU) glove heaters are functional and that the EMU RF Camera Assembly (ERCA) is receiving power.

Payloads:

Astrobee battery charge: The crew performed charging activities on eight of the Astrobee batteries. Astrobee is a series of three free-flying, cube-shaped robots. The robots are designed to help scientists and engineers develop and test technologies for use in microgravity to assist astronauts with routine chores, and give ground controllers additional eyes and ears on the ISS. The autonomous robots, powered by fans and vision-based navigation, perform crew-monitoring, sampling, logistics management, and accommodate up to three investigations.

EML (Electro-Magnetic Levitator) gas valve reconfiguration: The crew closed the Helium valve and opened the Argon valve in the EML. EML uses the various gasses (or vacuum) to process their samples in different environments. The EML is a 360 kg multi-user facility designed for containerless materials processing in space. It supports research in the areas of meta-stable states and phases along with the measurement of highly accurate thermophysical properties of liquid metallic alloys at high temperatures. EML can accommodate up to 18 samples, each 5 to 8 mm in size. Heating rates of up to 100 Kelvin per second can be achieved with a maximum temperature of 2,100°C.

Veg-04B plant check: The crew checked the plants growing in the two Veggie facilities, took photos, and watered as needed. The ground has reported that 11 of the 12 plant pillows have Mizuna plants growing in them. It’s not unexpected for the occasional plant pillow fail to produce a seedling. The ground team typically places more than one seed in each plant pillow to increase the chance of at least one seed germinating, but it’s not always successful. The currently ongoing Veg-04B session started on 01-October-2019. The research of Veg-04B focuses on the impact of light quality and fertilizer on leafy crop growth for a 56-day grow-out, microbial food safety, nutritional value, taste acceptability by the crew, and the overall behavioral health benefits of having plants and fresh food in space. A healthy, nutritious diet is essential for long-duration exploration missions, which means that the typical pre-packaged astronaut diet needs to be supplemented by fresh foods during flight; the Veggie Vegetable Production System (Veggie) has begun testing aboard the space station to help meet this need, and validation tests have demonstrated that leafy greens can be grown in spaceflight.

Completed Task List Activities:

No Task List Activities completed

Ground Activities:

All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.



Payload Support Operations

Mobile Support System EVA support

Look Ahead:

Thursday, 10/17 (GMT 290)

Payloads:



Actiwatch

Analog-1

BEST sample transfer

EXPRESS rack 6 laptop software load

Food Physiology

ISS HAM pass

Microgravity Crystals

SAIBO panel install

Standard Measures

Veg-04B

Systems:

BCDU 2B2 R&R EVA Prep (Currently being planned)

Friday, 10/18 (GMT 291)

Payloads:



Veg-04B check

Systems:

BCDU 2B2 R&R EVA (Currently being planned)

Saturday, 10/19 (GMT 292)

Payloads:



ESA EPO

Veg-04B check

Systems:

EVA Debriefs

EVA EMU Water Recharging

Today’s Planned Activities:

All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.

