IMPORTANT NOTES
All information added or updated since this page first went up on December 16, 2013, is in GREEN TEXT below.
Information still to be determined (if any) is in RED TEXT below.
Last update of this page: March 11, 2014, 6:35 am ET
Quick Jump:
1. Introduction and Nomenclature for the Log
2. Pre-Launch Activities
3. Launch and Docking
4. Flight Experiment Log, On-Orbit Operations: Mission 3 Falcon II Payload
5. Flight Experiment Log, On-Orbit Operations: Mission 4 Orion Payload
6. Undocking and Landing
7. Return of Experiments to Student Teams
1. Introduction and Nomenclature for the Log
This page provides student flight experiment teams a log of all activities associated with the 23 flight experiments comprising the SSEP Mission 4 Orion payload (11 experiments) and SSEP Mission 3b Falcon II payload (12 experiments) from the time the mini-laboratories are received in Houston before the flight of Orb-1 to the point when the mini-labs are shipped back to the flight teams after return to Earth. While the page will feature progress reports on the status of the SSEP payloads in general, its main purpose is to provide updates to the flight experiment teams as quickly as possible regarding the handling of the mini-laboratories in orbit, so that they can effectively conduct their ground truth experiments. The teams are advised to bookmark this page and check it for updates during the mission.
As per the SSEP Mission 4 to ISS: Flight Phase Operations page:
Updates to Student Teams on the Progress of Their Experiment
Astronauts will work with the SSEP payload at times of the day that fit best in their overall work schedule. Even though crew interactions with the experiments are to take place on pre-specified Crew Interaction Days, the time of interaction can therefore vary from one Crew Interaction Day to the next. While the SSEP program team may know the astronauts’ planned work schedule a few days in advance, we’ll not know exactly when the payload is handled until the task is complete. After the astronauts have completed handling of the SSEP payload, NanoRacks will forward a report on the activity to the SSEP program team at NCESSE, and we’ll then post the details, including the time at which the payload was handled, on this SSEP Mission 4 and Mission 3b to ISS: Experiment Log page (the page you are reading now) to make the information available to all student teams as quickly as possible. The report will be posted as soon as it is received, but it may take up to 24 hours for the information from the International Space Station to make its way to the Log. That means, for example, that the details for an activity conducted by the astronauts on the afternoon of a specified Crew Interaction Day will be posted on the Experiment Log no later than the afternoon of the following day (and likely far sooner than that).
Conducting Your Ground Truth Experiments
Ground truth experiments – the control versions of the experiment conducted on Earth while the microgravity experiment is being conducted in orbit – are an essential part of analyzing the results of the flight experiment. Once the flight experiment returns to Earth, simultaneous harvesting and analysis of both the flight experiment and the ground truth experiments allows the research team to assess the role of gravity in the physical, chemical, or biological system under study. It is hard to imagine how the role of gravity can be determined without ground truth experiments conducted at the same time as the flight experiment.
However, given that it may take up to a day to receive a report on exactly what time of day a specific activity was conducted with an experiment aboard the ISS, the student team may want to shift activities with their ground truth experiments by 1 day (24 hours). That will allow teams to ensure that the timing of activities they carry out on their ground truth experiments accurately reflects the timing of activities with their experiment aboard the station. This is especially important for experiments that are sensitive to exact timing. For example, if a microbiological experiment is likely to produce different results depending on whether it is active for 40 or 50 hours, the teams will want to match the exact timing of the experiment aboard the station with their ground truth experiment.
Nomenclature: The purpose of this log is to provide to the flight experiment teams information on the handling of their experiment, as well as providing updates on the progress of the Mission. For this log, the individual experiments are assigned a flight Designation such as “NRP-10009-4, S/N 1010” together with the Community and Experiment names (see Section 4 below).
December 3, 2013, 7 pm ET: all 23 SSEP flight experiment mini-laboratories were reported received by NanoRacks in Houston for payload integration, for a December 19, 2013, launch of Orbital Sciences 1 (Orb-1). This included: 12 flight experiments comprising the SSEP Mission 3b to ISS Falcon II payload, and 11 experiments comprising the SSEP Mission 4 to ISS Orion payload.
December 9, 2013, 5 am ET: NanoRacks handed the payload to NASA for vehicle integration.
December 21, 2013, 2:39 pm ET: NanoRacks reports that Tubes 1008-02 (Washington, DC) and 1011-04 (Jamestown, PA) went into the freezer at 1300 today (1:00 pm ET)
December 29, 2013, 10:32 pm ET: NanoRacks reports that Tubes 1008-02 (Washington, DC) and 1011-04 (Jamestown, PA) were pulled out of the freezer and placed in the refrigerated payload box at 1900 CST today (8:00 pm ET); also reported, refreshed Tube 1008-4 (Fitchburg, MA) was prepped and labeled for payload integration
December 19, 2013, 9:19 pm ET: expected launch of Orb-1 from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS), Pad 0A, Wallops Island, Virginia.
December 22, 2013: expected grapple and berthing of Cygnus spacecraft at ISS
NET, January, 7, 2013: expected launch of Orb-1 from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS), Pad 0A, Wallops Island, Virginia.
January 9, 2014, 1:07 pm: Orb-1 successfully lifts off from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia.
January 12, 2014, 3:00 am ET: Cygnus began its final approach to the ISS
January 12, 2014, 6:08 am ET: Cygnus was grappled by the station’s robotic arm when it was about 30 feet (10 meters) from ISS
January 12, 2014, 8:05 am ET: Cygnus berthed with ISS on the nadir side of its Harmony module
4. Flight Experiment Log, On-Orbit Operations: Mission 3b Falcon II Payload
Interactions Scheduled Prior to Flight (subject to change) CLICK ON TABLE TO ZOOM
Record of Reported On-Orbit Interactions
NRP-10009-1, S/N 1010: New York City, New York, Mammalian Milk in Microgravity
(A=0) Action: Activated; When Action Occurred on ISS: 7:30 AM ET, 01/13/14; Time of NCESSE Notification: 10:25 AM ET, 01/13/14
(A+2) Action: Shaken; When Action Occurred on ISS: 9:30 AM ET, 01/15/14; Time of NCESSE Notification: 3:35 PM ET, 01/15/14
(A+17) Action: Shaken; When Action Occurred on ISS: 10:10 AM ET, 1/30/14; Time of NCESSE Notification: 12:15 PM ET, 1/30/14
(U-14) Action: Shaken; When Action Occurred on ISS: 2:11 PM ET, 2/24/14; Time of NCESSE Notification: 2:50 PM ET, 2/24/14
(U-5) Action: Shaken; When Action Occurred on ISS: 6:25 AM ET, 3/5/14; Time of NCESSE Notification: 12:05 PM ET, 3/5/14
(U-2) Action: Shaken; When Action Occurred on ISS: 10:24 AM ET, 3/8/14; Time of NCESSE Notification: 10:57 AM ET, 3/8/14
NRP-10009-2, S/N 1010: Pleasanton and Callaway, Nebraska, Kidney Stone Growth in Space
(A=0) Action: Activated; When Action Occurred on ISS: 7:30 AM ET, 01/13/14; Time of NCESSE Notification: 10:25 AM ET, 01/13/14
NRP-10009-3, S/N 1010: Hilo/Waiakea, Hawai’i, Does microgravity affect the growth of a Glycine max plant?
(A=0) Action: Activated; When Action Occurred on ISS: 7:30 AM ET, 01/13/14; Time of NCESSE Notification: 10:25 AM ET, 01/13/14
(U-14) Action: Deactivated; When Action Occurred on ISS: 2:11 PM ET, 2/24/14; Time of NCESSE Notification: 2:50 PM ET, 2/24/14
NRP-10009-4, S/N 1010: Teachers in Space (TiS) Program, Space Frontier Foundation, A Study of How Microgravity Affects the Activity of Enzymes in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Using the Model of Papain and Gelatin
(U-5) Action: Activated; When Action Occurred on ISS: 6:25 AM ET, 3/5/14; Time of NCESSE Notification: 12:05 PM ET, 3/5/14
(U-2) Action: Deactivated; When Action Occurred on ISS: 10:24 AM ET, 3/8/14; Time of NCESSE Notification: 10:57 AM ET, 3/8/14
NRP-10009-5, S/N 1010: Salem, Oregon, How does bacterial growth and subsequent decay of enamel on pig teeth differ in a microgravity environment compared to on Earth?
(A=0) Action: Activated; When Action Occurred on ISS: 7:30 AM ET, 01/13/14; Time of NCESSE Notification: 10:25 AM ET, 01/13/14
(U-2) Action: Deactivated; When Action Occurred on ISS: 10:24 AM ET, 3/8/14; Time of NCESSE Notification: 10:57 AM ET, 3/8/14
NRP-10009-1, S/N 1008: Wise County, Virginia, Denaturation of the Protein Casein in Microgravity
(U-5) Action: Activated; When Action Occurred on ISS: 6:25 AM ET, 3/5/14; Time of NCESSE Notification: 12:05 PM ET, 3/5/14
(U-2) Action: Deactivated; When Action Occurred on ISS: 10:24 AM ET, 3/8/14; Time of NCESSE Notification: 10:57 AM ET, 3/8/14
NRP-10009-2, S/N 1008: Washington, DC, Bacterial Growth on Meat
No crew interactions are scheduled
NRP-10009-3, S/N 1008: Stonewall, Manitoba, Canada, Will cosmic radiation increase the rate of mutations in yeastís DNA? Will an antioxidant from green tea decrease the rate of mutations in DNA?
No crew interactions are scheduled
NRP-10009-4, S/N 1008: Fitchburg, Massachussetts, Will Microgravity Alter the Regeneration of Dugesia Tigrina?
(A+2) Action: Activated; When Action Occurred on ISS: 9:30 AM ET, 01/15/14; Time of NCESSE Notification: 3:35 PM ET, 01/15/14
NRP-10009-5, S/N 1008: Guilford County, North Carolina, Geotropism in Microgravity
(U-14) Action: Activated; When Action Occurred on ISS: 2:11 PM ET, 2/24/14; Time of NCESSE Notification: 2:50 PM ET, 2/24/14
NRP-10009-6, S/N 1008: Valley Center, Kansas, The Effect of Microgravity on Bacterial Growth and its Resistance to Antibiotics
(U-14) Action: Activated; When Action Occurred on ISS: 2:11 PM ET, 2/24/14; Time of NCESSE Notification: 2:50 PM ET, 2/24/14
NRP-10009-10, S/N 1008: Traverse City, Michigan, How do growth and antibiotic use together respond in microgravity?
(U-5) Action: Activated; When Action Occurred on ISS: 6:25 AM ET, 3/5/14; Time of NCESSE Notification: 12:05 PM ET, 3/5/14
(U-2) Action: Deactivated; When Action Occurred on ISS: 10:24 AM ET, 3/8/14; Time of NCESSE Notification: 10:57 AM ET, 3/8/14
5. Flight Experiment Log, On-Orbit Operations: Mission 4 Orion Payload
Interactions Scheduled Prior to Flight (subject to change) CLICK ON TABLE TO ZOOM
Record of Reported On-Orbit Interactions
NRP-10009-1, S/N 1011: Downingtown, Pennsylvania, Aleve XR and Encapsulation in Microgravity
(A=0) Action: Activated; When Action Occurred on ISS: 7:40 AM ET, 01/13/14; Time of NCESSE Notification: 10:25 AM ET, 01/13/14
(A+2) Action: Deactivated; When Action Occurred on ISS: 9:30 AM ET, 01/15/14; Time of NCESSE Notification: 3:35 PM ET, 01/15/14
NRP-10009-2, S/N 1011: Highlands Ranch, Colorado, What Are the Effects of Creation of Beer in Microgravity and is it Possible?
(A=0) Action: Activated; When Action Occurred on ISS: 7:40 AM ET, 01/13/14; Time of NCESSE Notification: 10:25 AM ET, 01/13/14
NRP-10009-3, S/N 1011: Huron County, Michigan, The Effect of Microgravity on Calcium Absorption by Bones
(A=0) Action: Activated; When Action Occurred on ISS: 7:40 AM ET, 01/13/14; Time of NCESSE Notification: 10:25 AM ET, 01/13/14
NRP-10009-4, S/N 1011: Jamestown, Pennsylvania, Bacteria and Decomposition
No crew interactions are scheduled
NRP-10009-5, S/N 1011: North Charleston, South Carolina, The Effect of Microgravity on the Oxidation of Metal Exposed to a Salt Water Solution
(A=0) Action: Activated; When Action Occurred on ISS: 7:40 AM ET, 01/13/14; Time of NCESSE Notification: 10:25 AM ET, 01/13/14
(A+2) Action: Shaken; When Action Occurred on ISS: 9:30 AM ET, 01/15/14; Time of NCESSE Notification: 3:35 PM ET, 01/15/14
(A+17) Action: Shaken; When Action Occurred on ISS: 10:10 AM ET, 1/30/14; Time of NCESSE Notification: 12:15 PM ET, 1/30/14
(U-14) Action: Shaken; When Action Occurred on ISS: 2:11 PM ET, 2/24/14; Time of NCESSE Notification: 2:50 PM ET, 2/24/14
NRP-10009-6, S/N 1011: Pharr, Texas, How does microgravity effect the growth of mold on bread?
(A+2) Action: Activated; When Action Occurred on ISS: 9:30 AM ET, 01/15/14; Time of NCESSE Notification: 3:35 PM ET, 01/15/14
NRP-10009-7, S/N 1011: Rochester, New York, Dehydrated and Live Tardigrades Vs. Microgravity
(A+2) Action: Activated; When Action Occurred on ISS: 9:30 AM ET, 01/15/14; Time of NCESSE Notification: 3:35 PM ET, 01/15/14
NRP-10009-8, S/N 1011: Warren, Michigan, The Formation of Silver Crystals in Microgravity
(A=0) Action: Activated; When Action Occurred on ISS: 7:40 AM ET, 01/13/14; Time of NCESSE Notification: 10:25 AM ET, 01/13/14
NRP-10009-7, S/N 1008: Hays County, Texas, L. acidophilus Bacteria Growth in Microgravity
(A=0) Action: Activated; When Action Occurred on ISS: 7:20 AM ET, 01/13/14; Time of NCESSE Notification: 10:25 AM ET, 01/13/14
(A+2) Action: Deactivated; When Action Occurred on ISS: 9:30 AM ET, 01/15/14; Time of NCESSE Notification: 3:35 PM ET, 01/15/14
NRP-10009-8, S/N 1008: Indiana State Science Education Consortium, Indiana, The Effect of Microgravity on the Development of the Salamander
(A+17) Action: Activated; When Action Occurred on ISS: 10:10 AM ET, 1/30/14; Time of NCESSE Notification: 12:15 PM ET, 1/30/14
NRP-10009-9, S/N 1008: Children First Network 201, New York City, New York, Effect of Microgravity in Structure of the Fungus Flammulina populicola
(U-5) Action: Activated; When Action Occurred on ISS: 6:25 AM ET, 3/5/14; Time of NCESSE Notification: 12:05 PM ET, 3/5/14
(U-2) Action: Deactivated; When Action Occurred on ISS: 10:24 AM ET, 3/8/14; Time of NCESSE Notification: 10:57 AM ET, 3/8/14
March 10, 2014: undocking of Soyuz 36S (8:02 PM EDT) and return to Earth of Falcon II and Orion payloads (touchdown 11:24 PM EDT)
7. Return of Experiments to Student Teams
The Student Spaceflight Experiments Program (SSEP) is a program of the National Center for Earth and Space Science Education (NCESSE) in the U.S., and the Arthur C. Clarke Institute for Space Education internationally. It is enabled through a strategic partnership with NanoRacks LLC, working with NASA under a Space Act Agreement as part of the utilization of the International Space Station as a National Laboratory. SSEP is the first pre-college STEM education program that is both a U.S. national initiative and implemented as an on-orbit commercial space venture.
The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS), Carnegie Institution of Washington, NASA Nebraska Space Grant Consortium, and Subaru of America, Inc., are National Partners on the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program.