USC: Expedition 56 launch & docking

diogom

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Expedition 56 launched yesterday to the International Space Station.

Its mission patch:

Expedition56Patch.png


(credit goes to Eli13)


Mission report:

The Jarvis rocket, with Antares-3 attached, lifted-off from KSC at 2PM EST, on July 4th, 2023. The autopilot performed well, and got the Antares spacecraft to a 220km x 215km orbit. After separating from the last stage of the Jarvis rocket, the spacecraft's solar panels and antenna deployed without any problems. After the crew configured the Antares for orbital ops, a plane alignment burn was made to bring relative inclination to 0.00. After 1 day, the Antares-3 reached the ISS. It began station-keeping, performing pre-docking checks, and also waiting for sunrise. When orbital sunrise came, the Antares started to approach the ISS, moving in to dock with it's PMA-2. Hard-dock was confirmed at 20:18 PM EST. The ISS then went back to it's normal attitude of +XVV (+x axis on Velocity Vector). Hatch opening was 3 hours after docking.
-Diogo


Screenshots here: http://unionspacecommand.webs.com/apps/photos/album?albumid=11862841


Also, two EVA's are planned for Expedition 56's six month stay at the ISS.

EVA-1, planned for July 8th. (done)
This will be a two man EVA conducted to repair the solar array S4 which was determined to be damaged by tension within the solar array similar to the incident on STS-120's voyage to the ISS. The tear is about 2 Meters in length. It will be repaired similarly, using 5 cufflink apparatuses. After the estimated 8 hour spacewalk the astronauts will return to the International Space Station's safe interior atmosphere.


EVA-2, planned for August 4th.
There will be three main objectives on the second and final EVA of Expedition-56. The first task will be to refill the P5 Radiator with Ammonia. Next, they are to replace a failed gyroscope in the Z1 truss then go on to retrieve the final MISSE experiment, MISSE 20, which was brought on Antares-1. The astronauts will return to the interior of the International Space Station after the estimated 8 hour spacewalk, concluding the second and final planned EVA for Expedition-56.

Landing is currently planned for January 3rd, at the old ARD splashdown site, off the West Coast of the USA. Undocking is at 11 AM EST, same day.
 

diogom

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Update on EVA#1
The two astronauts that will perform the EVA #1 are getting ready to venture outside the International Space Station on Friday. They will begin the regular camp-out procedure (on which astronauts sleep overnight in the airlock with a lower air pressure of 10.2 psi (70 kPa), compared to the normal station pressure of 14.7 psi (101 kPa)) Thursday night. Suits have been checked and plans reviewed again. Everything is go at the moment.
 
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diogom

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Landing is planned for January 3rd.
 
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diogom

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The EVA#1 of Expedition 56 will begin later today. The astronauts have done the camp out and will start putting on their suits and prepare to go outside.
 

Eli13

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Pictures of what has happened so far:

EV1 Egresses the Quest Airlock
11070822-34-43EMU1.jpg


Shortly after restraining to the APFR
11070822-39-12EMU2.jpg


At the repair site
(The tear in the solar panel is visible just to the right of the astronaut's head.)
11070822-29-33EMU1.jpg
 

Eli13

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EV2 Airlock Ingress
11070900-12-34EMU2ingress.jpg


Exp. 56 EVA#1 After-Activity Report:
The EVA #1 for Expedition-56 went without a problem. As planned, prior to the astronauts' egress, the SSRMS was moved to the MBS. After egress from the Quest airlock at 5:03 PM EST, EV-1 moved to the Destiny, were an APFR was stowed. After grabbing the APFR, EV-1 moved back to the Quest airlock, from where EV-2 had already egressed. The SSRMS moved to near the Quest airlock, where the two astronauts worked on attaching the APFR. After EV-2 restrained himself to the APFR, the MBS was moved over along the ITS to the S4 truss, site of the repair. EV-1 followed behind. While EV-2 did the repair work on the solar panel, EV-1 assisted by handing EV-2 the tools required for the repair.
After the repair was made, both astronauts( EV-2 still attached to the arm) moved back to the Quest airlock. EV-2 unrestrained himself from the APFR, and both worked to remove the APFR from the SSRMS. EV-1 attached the APFR back in the Destiny module, while EV-2 ingressed the Quest airlock. EV-1 returned to the Quest airlock and too ingressed.
Total EVA time was 7 hours and 11 minutes.
-Diogo
 
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diogom

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Thanks! Yeah, it's going well. BTW, the DG powered flight tests have been going for a while, everything OK so far.
 

diogom

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The two astronauts egressed the ISS's Quest airlock about 5 hours ago for EVA #2 of Expedition 56, and are nearing the end of the planned tasks. ETA for its end is about 1 hour.
 
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diogom

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Expedition 56's EVA #2 completed

The 6 and a half hours long EVA saw a failed gyroscope on the Z1 truss replaced, the MISSE 20 retrieved, and P5 re-filled with ammonia.

Working in the P5 truss:

2u6zbye.jpg



Replacing the gyroscope:

9i7jb6.jpg




Getting ready to ingress the ISS:

2dkgzu9.jpg
 
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garyw

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EVA 2 has a lot less detail than EVA-1.
 

Eli13

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That's because the full report was not added. That was just a quick synopsis. Here it is:
EVA #2 began at 5PM EST with the egress of EV1 from the ISS. After the two astronauts were outside, both headed for the P5 truss to complete the first task: re-filling it with ammonia. The first task completed, EV1 moved to the Z1 truss, attached to the Unity's zenith port, where he replaced a failed gyroscope. While EV1 was at Z1, EV2 moved to the Quest airlock, were MISSE 20 was stowed, and retrieved it. After both tasks were done, and with a half an hour advance, both ingressed the ISS, ending Expedition 56's second and final planned EVA.
-Diogo
 

diogom

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I should add a small :facepalm: for the forgetting.
 
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