SkinSuit: Over the weekend a crewmember performed two days of Skinsuit activities. With assistance from an operator, measurements of the subject were taken after donning the suit in the morning and before doffing it in the afternoon. The Skinsuit is a tailor-made overall with a bi-directional weave specially designed to counteract the lack of gravity by squeezing the body from the shoulders to the feet, with a force similar to that felt on Earth. The subjects perform an evaluation of the efficacy of the Skinsuit in reducing or preventing lower back pain and preventing spine elongation. They measure the gravitational load provided by Skinsuit and evaluate operational considerations, in particular hygiene, microbiology, comfort, thermoregulation, donning and doffing, impingement and range of motion. Results from this investigation will be used to prepare for long duration missions. Human Research Program (HRP): A 50S crewmember collected Flight Day (FD) 30 blood and urine samples over the weekend and today for Biochem Profile and Repository investigations. The Biochem Profile experiment tests blood and urine samples obtained from astronauts before, during and after spaceflight. Specific proteins and chemicals in the samples are used as biomarkers, or indicators of health. Post-flight analysis yields a database of samples and test results which scientists can use to study the effects of spaceflight on the body. Repository is a storage bank that is used to maintain biological specimens over extended periods of time under controlled conditions. This archive of biosamples will be used as a resource for future spaceflight related research. NanoRack Cubesat Deployer (NRCSD) #11: The crew installed two Quad deployers on the attachment mechanism of the JEM (Japanese Experiment Module) Airlock (JEMAL) Slide Table. The table was then retracted and JEMAL depressurized and vented in preparation for planned Cubesat deployment over the next two days. NanoRacks Module-55: The crew swapped a sample inside the NanoRacks Module 55 which is mounted on the front of NanoRacks Platform-1 in the JEM. This investigation is part of research into why bacteria are more virulent and grow more rapidly in space. NanoRacks Module 55, also known as NanoRacks – National Design Challenge – Centaurus High School – The Effects of Simulated Gravity on Bacterial Lag Phase in a Microgravity Environment (NanoRacks-NDC-CHS-Bacterial Lag Phase), studies the bacterial lag phase, a delay period before the start of exponential growth, which is much shorter in microgravity than it is on Earth. The experiment uses a centrifuge to simulate gravity, comparing microgravity and simulated-gravity Escherichia coli (E. coli) cultures to determine whether microgravity itself causes changes in bacterial growth. Genes in Space 3: The crew completed a session of the Genes in Space 3 experiment today.They retrieved a sample from a General Laboratory Active Cryogenic ISS Experiment Refrigerator (GLACIER) and inserted it into the miniature Polymerase Chain Reaction (miniPCR) system for processing. Later they removed the sample and put it into a Minus Eighty Degree Celsius Laboratory Freezer for ISS (MELFI). Genes in Space-3 seeks to establish a robust, user-friendly deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) sample preparation process to enable biological monitoring aboard the ISS. The project joins two previously spaceflight tested molecular biology tools, miniPCR and the MinION, along with some additional enzymes to demonstrate DNA amplification, sample preparation for DNA sequencing, and sequencing of actual samples from the ISS. The Genes in Space-3 experiments demonstrate ways in which portable, real-time DNA sequencing can be used to assay microbial ecology, diagnose infectious diseases and monitor crew health aboard the ISS. OsteoOmics: The crew fixated BioCells in Biocell Habitat 1 and inserted the sample into the Minus Eighty Degree Celsius Laboratory Freezer for ISS (MELFI). Crewmembers experience bone loss in orbit stemming from the lack of gravity acting on their bones. OsteoOmics investigates the molecular mechanisms that dictate this bone loss by examining osteoblasts, which form bone, and osteoclasts, which dissolve bone. Improved understanding of these mechanisms could lead to more effective countermeasures to prevent bone loss during space missions and in a wide range of disorders on Earth. This may lead to better preventative care or therapeutic treatments for people suffering bone loss as a result of bone diseases like osteopenia and osteoporosis, or for patients on prolonged bed rest. Fluid Shifts: A 49S crew member performed the first of two days of their Flight Day 180 Fluid Shifts operations in the Russian Segment. The subject donned the Lower Body Negative Pressure (LBNP/Chibis) device while the operator, with ground support in Moscow, assisted in the medical monitoring. Additionally, while the subject was in the LBNP and experiencing the negative pressure (pulling the fluid feetward), the Crew Medical Officer performed Cerebral and Cochlear Fluid Pressure (CCFP) and Ultrasound measurements. Fluid Shifts is a joint NASA-Russian experiment that investigates the causes of severe and lasting physical changes to astronauts’ eyes. Because the headward fluid shift is a hypothesized contributor to these changes, reversing this fluid shift with a lower body negative pressure device is investigated as a possible intervention. Results from this study may help to develop preventative measures against lasting changes in vision and eye damage. Post Extravehicular Activity: Following Friday’s EVA #42, on Saturday the crew completed post-EVA activities including EMU water maintenance dump and fill, camera disassembly, Airlock deconfiguration and a debrief with ground teams. Pressurized Mating Adapter (PMA) 3 Leak Checks: The crew will pressurize and verify integrity of PMA3 by performing gross and fine leak checks. PMA3 was relocated from Node 3 Port to Node 2 Zenith in March to configure Node 2 Zenith as a future visiting vehicle docking port. Node 2 Common Cabin Air Assembly (CCAA) Vibration Noise: On Thursday, May 11th, 2017, the crew reported a vibration noise in the Crew Quarters (CQ) that appeared to be coming from the Node 2 CCAA. Initial data and telemetry review does not indicate any obvious anomalous signatures. The crew positioned foam between the CQ and the CCAA but it was still noticeable and the vibrations could be felt through the floor in the CQ. Teams are reviewing the data will discuss the […]