Новости МКС

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Jonathan McDowell‏Подлинная учетная запись @planet4589 2 мин. назад

Quest airlock hatch closed and locked at 1854 UTC

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Chris B - NSF‏ @NASASpaceflight 3 мин. назад

EVA-44 CONCLUDES! And was completely successful. ARTICLE: https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2017/10/spacewalkers-maintenance-stations-robotic-arm/ ... - by @Space_Pete COVERAGE: https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=43843.0 ...

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Spacewalkers conduct LEE replacement task on station's robotic arm

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ISS Updates‏ @ISS101 32 сек назад

EVA COMPLETE! @AstroKomrade & @Astro_Sabot finish a very successful spacewalk, giving #Canadarm2 a new hand & tackling a pair of get-ahead tasks. EVA-44 was 6 hours and 55 minutes in duration. http://spaceflight101.com/iss/live-spacewalk-coverage/ ...

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Jonathan McDowell‏Подлинная учетная запись @planet4589 2 мин. назад

Quest airlock repressurization began at 1900 UTC

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William Harwood‏ @cbs_spacenews 1 мин. назад

EVA-44: Airlock repress started at 3pm EDT; EVA-44 duration: six hours and 55 minutes; total ISS EVA time now 1,265 hours and 10 minutes

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Jonathan McDowell‏Подлинная учетная запись @planet4589 4 мин. назад

US EVA-44 duration 7h0min (depress/repress), 6h51m (hatch open/close, Russian rule), 6h55m (battery on to repress, NASA rule)

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ISS Updates‏ @ISS101 3 мин назад

Both spacewalkers safely back aboard ISS after a very successful day working outside.

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https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/2017/10/05/spacewalkers-wrap-up-robotic-arm-work/

Spacewalkers Wrap Up Robotic Arm Work
Posted on October 5, 2017 at 3:08 pm by Mark Garcia.


Spacewalkers Mark Vande Hei and Randy Bresnik work on installing a new latching end effector on the tip of the Canadarm2 robotic arm. Credit: NASA TV

Expedition 53 Commander Randy Bresnik and Flight Engineer Mark Vande Hei of NASA completed a 6 hour, 55 minute spacewalk at 3 p.m. EDT. The two astronauts replaced one of two Latching End Effectors (LEE) on the station's robotic arm, Canadarm2.

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They also accomplished a couple of get-ahead tasks, including removal of the multi-layer insulation from a spare direct current switching unit. They also prepared a flex hose rotary coupler for future use.

This was the first of three spacewalks planned for October. Bresnik will lead the next two, as well. Vande Hei will join him again Oct. 10 with Flight Engineer Joe Acaba joining him Oct. 18.

The second and third spacewalks will be devoted to lubricating the newly installed end effector and replacing cameras on the left side of the station's truss and the right side of the station's U.S. Destiny laboratory.

Today's spacewalk was the third for Bresnik's career and the first for Vande Hei. The Oct. 18 spacewalk will mark the third of Acaba's career.

For more information about the International Space Station, visit www.nasa.gov/station.

This entry was posted in Expedition 53 and tagged Canadarm2, Canadian Space Agency, NASA, spacewalk on October 5, 2017 by Mark Garcia.

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https://blogs.nasa.gov/stationreport/2017/10/04/iss-daily-summary-report-10042017/

ISS Daily Summary Report – 10/04/2017
Posted on October 4, 2017 at 4:00 pm by HQ.

Radiation Dosimetry Inside ISS-Neutron (RaDI-N) Retrieval:

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Today a USOS crewmember retrieved all 8 of the Space Bubble Detectors that were deployed last week for the RaDI-N experiment, and transferred them to the Russian crewmember for processing in the Bubble Reader. This Canadian Space Agency (CSA) RaDI-N investigation measures neutron radiation levels while onboard the ISS. Bubble detectors are used as neutron monitors designed to only detect neutrons and ignore all other radiation.

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Extra Vehicular Activity (EVA) preparations:

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Today the crew performed EVA tether inspections, tool configurations, cuff checklist printing, scheduled health checkups, and procedure reviews in preparation for the tomorrow's EVA. The primary goal of tomorrow's EVAs is to Remove and Replace (R&R) a Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS) Latching End Effector (LEE) which had been exhibiting some anomalies in its operation.

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Lab Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Blower Speed Test:

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Today, ground controllers began a 7 day test of the Lab CDRA using higher blower speeds. The CDRA blower speed will be gradually increased to determine the ability of the CDRA blower to operate at increased speeds without triggering software responses to excessive speed and to evaluate impacts of elevated speed to the blower.

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https://spaceflightnow.com/2017/10/05/spacewalk-concludes-with-successful-robot-arm-repair/

Spacewalk concludes with successful robot arm repair
October 5, 2017 William Harwood

STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS & USED WITH PERMISSION


Astronauts Randy Bresnik and Mark Vande Hei worked on the space station's robotic arm during a spacewalk Thursday. Credit: NASA

Two astronauts ventured outside the International Space Station early Thursday and performed what amounted to hand transplant surgery on the lab's Canadian-built robot arm, removing a crippled grapple fixture on one end of the space crane and replacing it with an on-board spare.

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Floating in the Quest airlock, station commander Randy Bresnik and flight engineer Mark Vande Hei switched their spacesuits to battery power at 8:05 a.m. EDT (GMT-4) to officially kick off U.S. EVA-44, the first of three excursions planned over the next two weeks to service the Canadarm 2 space crane and carry out a variety of maintenance work.

"It's more gorgeous and heavenly than I saw when I was out here eight years ago," Bresnik, a spacewalk veteran, marveled as he floated out of the airlock 250 miles above Africa. "Good morning Egypt!"

A few moments later, Vande Hei, making his first spacewalk, made his way outside.

"And Houston, that might have been one small step for a man, but one giant leap for Sabot," Bresnik said, using Vande Hei's nickname. "Congratulations, my friend, on becoming the 221st human to exit in your own personal spacecraft into the void of space."

"Appreciate those words," Vande Hei replied. "Happy to be doing this with you."

The primary goal of the spacewalk was to replace latching end effector A, or LEE-A, one of two grappling mechanisms on the station's Canadian-built robot arm.

One LEE typically is used to anchor the arm at various attachment points on the lab complex while the LEE at the other end is used to lock onto and move visiting spacecraft or other large components. The arm also relays power, data and video to and from attached payloads.

"The LEE is the mechanism, the set of mechanisms, that does all the heavy lifting, it does all the mechanical attachment when the arm walks end over end and establishes a new base point, when it picks up our robot DEXTRE to go do station maintenance or when it catches and releases free-flying cargo vehicles," said Tim Braithwaite, the Canadian Space Agency's station liaison.

The Canadarm 2 measures 57.7 feet long, weighs nearly 4,000 pounds, has seven joints and, in the weightless environment of low-Earth orbit, can move large spacecraft and modules from one point to another. The LEEs feature internal snares that rotate and tighten to lock onto grapple fixtures while latches engage to supply power, data and additional rigidity.

Each LEE is a "very complex package," Braithwaite said. "There are a lot of mechanisms, lots of on-board avionics, a camera, a force-and-moment sensor, it may be one of the most complex electro-mechanical packages that we've flown in space."

The two identical LEE mechanisms allow the arm to move inchworm fashion from one mounting point to another on the station's exterior. The arm also can mount itself atop a mobile transporter that runs on rails along the front side of the station's solar power truss to move the arm to various work sites.

In recent years, telemetry has indicated age-related degradation in the latching end effectors.

"Since these components are well beyond their design life, this really is expected wear and tear on the arm," Braithwaite said. "It's been manifesting itself partly as increased motor currents in the mechanisms on board, and particularly the latches."

On Aug. 22, flight controllers at the Johnson Space Center in Houston were attempting to reposition the arm when the LEE-A latches failed to fully extend.

"We actually had the latches stall during that operation, which is quite unusual," Braithwaite said. "We took a really good look at all the data ... and basically, that LEE-A latch mechanism is telling us that it's time (for repairs)."

With the robot arm positioned between them, Bresnik and Vande Hei first removed insulation and then loosened six bolts holding LEE-A in place so it could be removed and temporarily mounted on a cart attached to the arm's mobile transporter.

The astronauts then removed an operational LEE that was mounted on the transporter itself and bolted it in place on the end of the arm, tightening the six bolts and re-attaching the insulation. The faulty LEE, which eventually will be returned to Earth for repairs, was repositioned on the mobile transporter.

During one or more spacewalks early next year, the arm's LEE-B grappler will be removed and replaced with a spare currently mounted on an external storage platform. Another fight-ready spare is available for launch as needed.

Bresnik and Vande Hei completed the LEE-A replacement work well ahead of schedule and were able to carry out two so-called "get-ahead" tasks before returning to the airlock.

"We've had a very, very good day," astronaut Mike Hopkins radioed from mission control in Houston, telling the spacewalkers to wrap things up and call it a day.

"Thanks for all the work that went into developing the plan," Vande Hei replied. Bresnik then quipped: "You came out on your first EVA, Sabot, and you saved the arm."

Airlock repressurization began at 3 p.m., closing out a six-hour 55-minute spacewalk.

Two more spacewalks are planned Oct. 10, with Bresnik and Vande Hei, and 18, with Bresnik and Joe Acaba, to lubricate the newly attached LEE-A fitting, to replace two cameras with degraded color and to carry out other routine maintenance.

Thursday's spacewalk was the 203rd EVA devoted to station assembly and maintenance since construction began in 1998, the eighth so far this year, the third for Bresnik and the first for Vande Hei. All told, 127 astronauts and cosmonauts representing 10 nations have now logged 1,265 hours and 10 minutes of station EVA time, or 52.7 days.

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http://spaceflight101.com/iss/us-eva-44-successfully-completed-outside-iss/

U.S. Spacewalkers Repair Space Station Robotic Arm in Successful 7-Hour Excursion
October 5, 2017

Veteran NASA spacewalker Randy Bresnik and EVA rookie Mark Vande Hei spent nearly seven hours working outside the International Space Station on Thursday, conducting important maintenance on the Station's robotic arm to return it to a functional configuration after encountering problems back in August.

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Bresnik & Vande Hei pictured with the Canadarm2 End Effector – Photo: NASA TV

Thursday's EVA – the 203rd dedicated to ISS Assembly & Maintenance – ran for six hours and 55 minutes and accomplished its major objective of replacing one of two Latching End Effectors on the robotic arm to restore the arm's capability of walking off between work sites and establishing power & data connectivity with objects it captures. Designated U.S. EVA-44, the excursion was the first in a salvo of three spacewalks planned this month with further work to fully outfit the new end effector, install a number of external cameras and prepare for future external tasks. The two upcoming EVAs are scheduled for October 10 and 18, respectively.


Photo: NASA

Clockwork is a good descriptor for what transpired on Thursday as Bresnik and Vande Hei enjoyed a very smooth EVA with no major hold ups or technical snags typically encountered when completing complex tasks outside the orbiting laboratory.

The two successfully switched out a faulty Latching End Effector on the Canadarm2 with a seldom-used unit fr om a temporary payload holding platform, requiring them to drive a total of two dozen bolts to complete the swap. After giving Canadarm2 a new hand, both astronauts were delighted to hear that the new unit checked out well, marking the arm's return to full service after limited operations for the last six weeks. The duo also completed two get-ahead tasks to prepare hardware for future robotic and EVA maintenance operations outside ISS.


Canadarm2 – the Station's prime robotic asset – Photo: CSA

Thursday's EVA was the eighth outside the International Space Station in 2017, following up on a single Russian spacewalk and six U.S.-based excursions dedicated to the installation of new batteries, external computer upgrades and outfitting of the relocated Pressurized Mating Adapter 3. It was the third career EVA for Expedition 53 commander Randy Bresnik now with a total of 18 hours and 45 minutes, having supported two spacewalks on the STS-129 mission in 2009. For first-time space flier Mark Vande Hei, this was his first time venturing into the void.

The central objective of EVA-44 revolved around the replacement of Latching End Effector A (LEE-A) on the Space Station Remote Manipulator System, also known as Canadarm2. The Canadian-built robotic arm has become a central element of almost all external operations underway on ISS and keeping it in a functional state is a prime priority for the ISS Program as the Station could not function in its current capacity without the arm.


Image: NASA TV

The 17.6-meter long Canadarm2 arrived at the Space Station in April 2000 aboard Space Shuttle Endeavor and has since taken a number of roles within the Station's operational repertoire. While ISS was being assembled, Canadarm2 was regularly called upon for the installation of ISS modules arriving aboard the Space Shuttle and the assembly of the Station's 108.5-meter long truss structure would not have been possible without the arm. In September 2009, Canadarm2 captured and berthed its first visiting vehicle when the first HTV cargo craft arrived at ISS and since has completed 25 more such captures involving HTVs, Dragons and Cygnus spacecraft with Canadarm2 also in charge of sending the vehicles on their way after their missions at ISS end.

Canadarm2 received a robotic colleague in 2008 when the two-armed Dextre robot arrived at ISS. Since then, the Station's robotic duo has continuously expanded its capabilities in performing remote-controlled maintenance and freeing up valuable crew time that would otherwise have been spent operating the robots or venturing out on repair EVAs.


Canadarm2 Schematic – Image: NASA

The two showed off their talents earlier this year when completing the major ground work for the replacement of a dozen batteries on the Station's S4 truss segment, cutting the number of spacewalks required by the crew fr om six to only two excursions.

The 1,800-Kilogram Canadarm2 – a much improved version of the original Canadarm used on Shuttle – features seven motorized joints (an elbow hinge and three rotary joints forming the wrist/shoulder), allowing the arm to move in seven degrees of freedom, much like a human arm but with a much greater range of motion. Either end of the arm has a LEE and can serve as base point for the arm or as free-flying end manipulating items, also allowing the arm to self-relocate between the different Power & Data Grapple Fixtures spread outside the Space Station.

Most moving parts of Canadarm2 were designed for a ten-year service life and provisions were put in place to allow all components that can suffer degradation to be changed out in orbit. Degradation of the Latching End Effectors became evident in recent years and efforts were made through spacewalks in 2015 to extend their lifetimes by lubricating the moving components within the two LEEs.


Photo: NASA/ESA

However, motor currents when the latches were in motion showed that both LEEs would need replacement in the 2017/18 time frame to keep the arm functioning. LEE-B was earmarked for replacement first as it exhibited more severe wear & tear than LEE-A, but plans changed in August when LEE-A unexpectedly suffered a motor stall within its latches – preventing the arm from completing a base change in preparation for the replacement of an external power module.

Without the use of its latches, the arm can still grapple items using the snares within the LEE but the LEE can not form an electrical/data bridge which does require the latches – meaning Canadarm2 had lost its ability to complete base changes and could no longer pass power to any items it was holding. NASA and the Canadian Space Agency that operates the Mobile Servicing System decided to go ahead and change plans, replacing LEE-A instead of LEE-B to get the arm back into a functional configuration.


LEE-A Worksite – Photo: NASA TV

The plan for Thursday's EVA was to swap the degraded LEE-A, with over 400 cycles under its belt, with the POA LEE that started its career with 15 years serving as temporary payload holding mechanism (Payload/Orbital Replacement Unit Accommodations). Although in space since 2002, the POA LEE was only actuated 14 times and is considered a viable spare with plenty of life left in it.

Setting out with the single task of completing the LEE swap, Bresnik and Vande Hei began their EVA at 12:05 UTC after a smooth preparations process that started several hours in advance with the spacewalkers getting into their suits and completing two hours of pre-breathing to purge nitrogen from their blood. Having four USOS crew members helped in the EVA preparation and no Russian help was required when getting the spacewalkers out the door.


Image: NASA

After climbing outside, Bresnik and Vande Hei made their way to the P1 truss segment wh ere they set up a pair of foot restraints facing each other so that the arm's Latching End Effector could be moved in a position between the spacewalkers with ESA Astronaut Paolo Nespoli serving as robotics controller. The spacewalkers removed a pair of Multilayer Insulation blankets to access the LEE-wrist joint interface to release six Expandable Diameter Fasteners.

The Expandable Diameter Fasteners (EDFs) were identified as a potential difficulty since they had caused some trouble during earlier EVA operations. These bolts are used in the interfaces of the robotic arm itself and its grapple fixtures due to the high-load environments arising when moving high-mass components. EDFs, as their name suggests, will change in diameter when being driven by pushing out collets in order to form a friction fit with very high stiffness and zero tolerance.


POA LEE Worksite – Photo: NASA TV

Using their Pistol Grip Tools, the spacewalkers released a pair of EDFs before the LEE was rotated so they could reach the other four with the arm being deactivated before the bolts were released. No issues were encountered during the demating operation and the spacewalkers treaded carefully when moving the one-meter long, 190-Kilogram LEE-A into a temporary stowage location on what is known as a MUT-Ballstack-MUT – essentially a semi-rigid tether with jaws that can hold large hardware pieces.

With the former LEE-A (S/N 202) stowed safely, the spacewalkers repeated what they did on the arm at the POA to remove the POA LEE. Again, it was smooth sailing for them as all bolts released without issue and the team could move the LEE over to Canadarm2 to provide it with a new & healthy hand.

Installing the former POA LEE (S/N 203) on Canadarm2 to become LEE-A took some more time than removing the old one as each bolt needed careful torquing to ensure all EDFs were expanded with zero tolerance in any of the interfaces. This was accomplished by multiple 're-triggers' with the crew's Pistol Grip Tools until be bolts would no longer move at the pre-set torque value.


Photo: NASA TV

After installation was reported complete, Canadarm2 was re-powered and put through an initial checkout with Mission Control noting full functionality to the spacewalking crew members. More in-depth tests of the LEE actuators, force moment sensors and camera will be completed via an initial base change with the new LEE on Friday to set up for the next EVA.

The last task out at P1 for the crew was the installation of the former LEE-A on the POA, again taking some time with multiple triggers on each of the EDF bolts to fully secure the mechanical interface. Although in a degraded state, the POA can still be used to temp-stow hardware items; however, it does not have the ability to pass power to whatever it is holding.

Per the forward plan, LEE-B will be replaced around January and the POA LEE will also need replacement before it can again hold a powered payload such as the HTV Exposed Pallet. ISS currently has four LEEs – two on Canadarm2, the degraded POA LEE and one pristine spare on ELC-1, delivered in 2009. A flight-ready spare is available on the ground to fly to ISS on a cargo vehicle.


ESP-2 Worksite – Photo: NASA TV


Both Spacewalkers back aboard ISS – Photo: NASA TV

Having raced through the LEE replacement task, Bresnik and Vande Hei were half an hour ahead of schedule, allowing them to each tackle a get-ahead task.

Both translated over to External Stowage Platform 2, located conveniently next to the airlock, wh ere Bresnik removed a Multilayer Insulation Cover from a spare Direct Current Switching Unit (DCSU) and Vande Hei released launch locks from a Flex Hose Rotary Coupler (FHRC) – steps taken to ready these spares for potential future use. The removal of MLI from the DCSU will allow it to be moved robotically in the future and preparing the FHRC will ease the timeline of a future replacement should issues arise within this particular thermal control component.

With all primary tasks complete and two get-aheads checked off, the spacewalkers were able to call it a day and move back into the Quest airlock with the EVA coming to a close at 19 UTC sharp after an elapsed time of 6 hours and 55 minutes.

Bresnik and Vande Hei are hoping to have an equally successful EVA-45 next Tuesday which – unlike Thursday's excursion – will see them work a number of tasks including the rotation of a spare Pump Flow Control Subassembly on the Destiny lab to allow it to be vented on a future EVA, the replacement of a camera group on Camera Port 9 on the lower port truss segment, lubrication of the central ball screw of the new LEE-A, replacement of a camera lens on the Mobile Transporter, and the removal of two hand rails on the Tranquility module.

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Happy #WorldTeachersDay!

NASA.gov Video

Опубликовано: 5 окт. 2017 г.

Happy #WorldTeachersDay! @AstroAcaba, the #TeacherOnBoard the @SpaceStation, has an out-of-this-world message for all educators.

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https://blogs.nasa.gov/stationreport/2017/10/05/iss-daily-summary-report-10052017/

ISS Daily Summary Report – 10/05/2017
Posted on October 5, 2017 at 4:00 pm by HQ.

USOS Extra Vehicular Activity (EVA) #44:

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Today Randy Bresnik (as EV1) and Mark Vande Hei (as EV2) exited the airlock and successfully performed US EVA #44 with a Phased Elapsed Time (PET) of 6:55. The primary goal of today's EVA was to remove the degraded Latching End Effector (LEE) A fr om the Space Station Robotic Manipulator System (SSRMS), replace it with the LEE that is currently located on the Payload/ORU Accommodation (POA), and install the degraded LEE onto the POA. LEE-A had exhibited significantly increased resistance to latch deployment during recent robotics activities prompting today's replacement. Today's EVA brought the SSRMS back to full capability.

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Fine Motor Skills (FMS):

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This morning, a 51S crewmember conducted a Flight Day 70 FMS session, which is executed on a touchscreen tablet, wh ere the subject performs a series of interactive tasks. The investigation studies how fine motor skills are affected by long-term microgravity exposure, different phases of microgravity adaptation, and sensorimotor recovery after returning to Earth gravity. The goal of FMS is to answer how fine motor performance in microgravity trend/vary over the duration of a six-month and year-long space mission; how fine motor performance on orbit compare with that of a closely matched participant on Earth; and how performance trend/vary before and after gravitational transitions, including the periods of early flight adaptation, and very early/near immediate post-flight periods.

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MagVector:

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The crew completed the 14th experiment run of the MagVector investigation that began last week. The European Space Agency (ESA) MagVector investigation studies how Earth's magnetic field interacts with an electrical conductor. Using extremely sensitive magnetic sensors placed around and above a conductor, researchers can gain insight into ways that the magnetic field influences how conductors work. This research not only helps improve future International Space Station experiments and electrical experiments, but it could offer insights into how magnetic fields influence electrical conductors in general, the backbone of our technology.

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Biological Experiment Laboratory in Columbus (BioLab) Temperature Control Unit Cleaning and Silica Bag Exchange:

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The crew cleaned the Biolab TCUs and exchanged the silica gel bags for TCUs 1 and 2. The BioLab is a multiuser research facility located in the European Columbus laboratory. The facility is used to perform space biology experiments on microorganisms, cells, tissue cultures, small plants, and small invertebrates. BioLab allows scientists to gain a better understanding of the effects of microgravity and space radiation on biological organisms.

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