News

Nov 24, 2023

NASA Space Station Status Report 15 December, 2022

On Wednesday, Dec. 14, an external leak was detected from the Roscosmos Soyuz

On Wednesday, Dec. 14, an external leak was detected from the Roscosmos Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft docked to the Rassvet module on the International Space Station. The external radiator cooling loop of the Soyuz is the suspected leak source.

The Roscosmos Mission Control team in Moscow postponed Wednesday evening's planned spacewalk with two cosmonauts to evaluate the situation and data from the Soyuz spacecraft. None of the crew members aboard the space station was in danger, and all conducted normal operations throughout the day.

Roscosmos is closely monitoring Soyuz spacecraft temperatures, which remain within acceptable limits. NASA and Roscosmos continue to coordinate external imagery and inspection plans to aid in evaluating the external leak location. Plans for an additional inspection of the Soyuz exterior using the station's Canadarm2 robotic arm are underway.

The leak was first detected around 7:45 p.m. EST Dec. 14 when data from multiple pressure sensors in the cooling loop showed low readings. At that time, cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin were preparing to conduct a spacewalk. The cosmonauts did not exit the space station, and no crew members were exposed to the leaking coolant.

The Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft carried NASA astronaut Frank Rubio and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin into space after launching from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Sept. 21.

The crew aboard station completed normal operations Thursday, including participating in science investigations and research, as well as configuring tools ahead of a planned U.S. spacewalk on Monday, Dec. 19. Specialists are working through robotic plans ahead of Monday's spacewalk to best optimize for upcoming station operations and the Soyuz inspection.

A Roscosmos spacewalk scheduled for Dec. 21 is indefinitely postponed as the team continues its investigation of the Soyuz spacecraft.

More updates will be provided as data becomes available.

Significant Items:

Soyuz Coolant Leak: During preparation for RS EVA 56, coolant was seen leaking via external cameras from the external thermal control loop on the Soyuz 68S Instrumentation Module. MCC-M made a decision to cancel RS EVA 56 before crew opened the EV hatch. A commission has been formed to investigate this anomaly.

Payloads:

JEM Water Recovery System (JWRS): The JWRS was set up on the Multi-Purpose Small Payload Rack (MSPR). The demonstration of JWRS generates potable water from urine. In the past, urine and wastewater were collected and stored, or vented overboard. For long-term space missions, however, water supply could become a limiting factor. Demonstrating the function of this water recovery system on orbit contributes to updating the Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) to support astronauts on the space station and future exploration missions.

Liquid Behavior: The Liquid Behavior Boxes were removed from the Cell Biology Experiment Facility – Left (CBEF-L) as part of closeout procedures. Fluid behavior in the micro/low-gravity environment is different from the behavior on Earth, and the fluid behavior in the system sometimes affects its performance. The Observation of Liquid Behavior in Partial G Environment investigation provides important information for engineers and scientists to better predict how liquid behaves in the low gravity environment for the optimal design of equipment for future space activities.

Moon Imagery: The Maritime Awareness (Moon Imagery) payload was installed unpowered into EXPRESS Rack 2, Drawer 1 following the removal of Thermal Amine Scrubber Control Unit in preparation for return. 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. Crew members photograph the moon's phases during one 29-day cycle, providing images of varying brightness to calibrate Orion's camera software.

Pore Formation and Mobility Investigation-Asymmetric Sawtooth and Cavity-Enhanced Nucleation-Driven Transport (PFMI-ASCENT): PFMI-ASCENT samples were exchanged in the PFMI facility in MicroGravity Science Glovebox. PFMI-ASCENT demonstrates a passive cooling system for electronic devices in microgravity using a microstructured surface. When fluids boil over flat heated surfaces in microgravity, vapor bubbles grow larger in size, causing poor heat transfer that can lead to damage of devices. Adding microscopic ratchets on the surface may passively enable mobility of vapor bubbles and prevent this damage.

Plant Habitat-05: The Isolation Valve on a CO2 Bottle was opened, and the crew filled the water reservoir bag with water. Unlocking the Cotton Genome to Precision Genetics (Plant Habitat-05) cultivates several cotton genotypes that differ in their ability to regenerate into whole plants from undifferentiated masses of cells known as a calli. Cotton is highly resistant to the process of plant regeneration, making it difficult to engineer stable, reproducing plants that have specific or enhanced traits such as drought resistance. The investigation could provide a better understanding of this behavior and a pathway to avert this problem.

Space Automated Bioproduct Laboratory (SABL): The CO2 Incubator Controller was installed into SABL-2. The SABL unit supports a wide variety of investigations in the life, physical, and material sciences with a focus on supporting research of biological systems and processes. It has over 23 liters of temperature-controlled volume with LED lighting for scientific hardware and investigations. It can be fitted to provide 5% CO2 (or any required concentration of CO2) for cell cultures or other types of investigations and has two USB 2.0 ports and two Ethernet LAN connections. The SABL unit also has switchable 28VDC and 5VDC power supplies for investigation use.

Spaceborne Computer-2: Ethernet cables were reconfigured for assisting the ground with troubleshooting of the S/N 102 Spaceborne Computer 2. Spaceborne Computer-2 High Performance Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) Computer System on the ISS (Spaceborne Computer-2) builds upon the successes of Spaceborne Computer, exploring how commercial off-the-shelf computer systems can advance exploration by processing data significantly faster in space with edge computing and artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities. Spaceborne Computer-2 further tests additional techniques for recovering or mitigating errors in the extreme environment of unprotected solar radiation, galactic cosmic radiation (GCR) and other events. Additionally, Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) works with the space community and the ISS-National Laboratory (ISS-NL) to test and demonstrate that current Earth-based data processing of ISS experimental data can be performed onboard during the anticipated 24 to 36 month mission of Spaceborne Computer-2.

Systems:

Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Tool Configuring: The crew configured EVA tools prior to the 4A ISS Roll Out Array (IROSA) EVA. These tasks included inspecting the Load Alleviating Strap on several safety tethers, waist tethers, and the soft strap on D-Ring Extenders. Prior to each series of EVAs, the crew inspects all tethers planned for use during the series. During this EVA, the EV crew will install a fourth IROSA to the 4A power channel on the port truss of the ISS in order to generate more power to the ISS.

Polar Unpowered Dragon Transfer: Today, the crew uninstalled an unpowered Polar and a Single Middeck Locker Equivalent (SMLE) from the Dragon Upper Port (UP) location and transferred to Dragon Upper Aft (UA) powered payload section and powered on. Polar is a single-locker low-temperature science storage facility, as well as cold stowage transportation to/from orbit, with capability between -95°C and +4°C.

Thermal Amine Scrubber Control Unit Removal: The Thermal Amine Scrubber Control Unit was removed from LAB1O1 EXPRESS Rack 2 and packed for return to the ground. This Control Unit will be refurbished of internal components causing power instabilities internal to the box. The Thermal Amine Scrubber is the first of three CO2 scrubber technical demos which will each be demonstrated for one year on orbit. It is a follow-up to the Amine Swingbed payload that completed testing in 2020.

Completed Task List Activities:

Today's Ground Activities: All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.

Look Ahead Plan

Friday, December 16 (GMT 350) Payloads:

Systems:

Saturday, December 17 (GMT 351) Payloads:

Systems:

Sunday, December 18 (GMT 352) Payloads:

Systems:

Today's Planned Activities: All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.

SpaceRef staff editor.