NASA and Roscosmos proceed to guage an exterior leak that occurred Dec. 14, from the Roscosmos Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft docked to the Rassvet module of the Worldwide House Station. Roscosmos has recognized the supply of the leak because the exterior cooling loop of the Soyuz.
As a part of the continuing analysis and investigation, Roscosmos flight controllers carried out a profitable check of the Soyuz MS-22 thrusters at 3:08 a.m. EST Friday, Dec. 16. The techniques that had been examined had been nominal, and Roscosmos assessments of extra Soyuz techniques proceed. Temperatures and humidity inside the Soyuz spacecraft, which stays docked to the Rassvet module, are inside acceptable limits.
NASA is supporting the continuing investigation with the usage of the Canadarm2 robotic arm to supply extra viewing of the Soyuz exterior on Sunday, Dec. 18. To accommodate this variation in plans, NASA has decided a brand new goal date for the upcoming U.S. spacewalk to put in an Worldwide House Station Roll-Out Photo voltaic Array (iROSA), which was initially scheduled for Monday, Dec. 19. The spacewalk will happen Wednesday, Dec. 21.
The Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft carried NASA astronaut Frank Rubio and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin into house after launching from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Sept. 21.
The leak was first detected round 7:45 p.m. EST Dec. 14, when information strain sensors within the cooling loop confirmed low readings. At the moment, Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin had been making ready to conduct a spacewalk. The spacewalk was cancelled, so the cosmonauts didn’t exit the house station or turn out to be uncovered to the leaking coolant. From information evaluation and cameras aboard the house station, the vast majority of fluid had leaked out by yesterday, Dec. 15, round 1:30 p.m. EST.
Extra updates will probably be supplied as information turns into out there.
On station the Expedition 68 crew members arrange a wide range of superior analysis gear to seize excessive definition video of Earth and home biology samples for commentary.
Flight Engineers Josh Cassada and Frank Rubio reviewed spacewalk robotics actions with Flight Engineers Nicole Mann of NASA and Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Company (JAXA).
Cassada and Wakata additionally had time on Friday morning configuring {hardware} supporting superior house science experiments. Cassada assembled the SphereCam-1, a digital ultra-high decision video digicam, contained in the U.S. Future laboratory module. He pointed the digicam exterior Future’s science window, or Window Remark Analysis Facility, and filmed Earth demonstrating its skill to seize the best decision, groundbreaking 12K views from a spacecraft. Wakata activated the Cell Biology Experiment Facility (CBEF) contained in the Kibo laboratory module that may home scientific samples for future house biology analysis. The CBEF is an incubator that helps a wide range of life science observing cells, vegetation, and small mammals.
Prokopyev and Petelin cleaned their Orlan spacesuits and stowed their spacewalking instruments following the postponement of Wednesday evening’s spacewalk.
Flight Engineer Anna Kikina additionally labored on post-spacewalk actions returning the station’s Russian section to regular and checking radiation sensors worn on the Orlan fits. Kikina wrapped up her day treating surfaces contained in the Zarya module with an anti-fungal agent to keep up cleanliness and well being aboard the station.
Study extra about station actions by following the house station weblog, @space_station and @ISS_Research on Twitter, in addition to the ISS Fb and ISS Instagram accounts.
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