Station Crew Preps for Spacesuit Troubleshooting, Cargo Ship Departure

Aug. 30, 2013

NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy, Expedition 36 flight engineer, enters data in a computer in the Tranquility node of the International Space Station.

Image Credit: 

NASA

The International Space Station’s Expedition 36 crew spent Friday immersed in robotics and research, and prepared for this weekend’s troubleshooting of a faulty spacesuit that resulted in an abbreviated spacewalk in July.

Flight Engineers Karen Nyberg and Luca Parmitano began their day with an array of medical tests and checkups, including ultrasound exams of their eyes. Later the two flight engineers participated in blood pressure measurements and cardiac scans for the Ocular Health study.  Vision changes have been observed in some astronauts returning from long-duration spaceflight, and researchers are seeking to learn more about its root causes and develop countermeasures to mitigate the risk.

Meanwhile, Flight Engineer Chris Cassidy interacted with an experiment known as the eValuatIon And monitoring of microBiofiLms insidE the ISS, or VIABLE, as he touched and breathed on sample bags. The VIABLE study involves the evaluation of microbial biofilm development on space materials.

Afterward, Cassidy and Nyberg reviewed procedures for this weekend’s troubleshooting of the spacesuit Parmitano wore during a July 16 spacewalk that was cut short when his helmet began to fill with water.  The crew will replace a water relief valve inside the suit, power up the empty suit as if it were going out on a spacewalk and see if the water leak persists. They will also replace a gas trap in the suit. Cassidy and Parmitano were able to recreate the leak during suit testing Tuesday, giving NASA managers key insight for developing the plan for this weekend.