375 DAY IN THE LIFE: WHEN MAJOR ANOMALIES OCCUR CHAPTER 20 “bake-out” (ammonia sublimation) outside the airlock (see Chapter 17). After the Pump Module was installed and all of the umbilicals were mated, the ground began checking it out by sending commands to fill the system. Before the EVA, one of the major discussion points was whether the team would spend time doing a short checkout of the Pump Module before filling it with ammonia. However, the EVA timeline was intertwined with the commands, and the EVA was running long. So, the flight director made the difficult decision to skip the checkout and starting filling the Pump Module full of ammonia instead, which saved EVA time but would mean a lot of ammonia would be wasted if the new pump did not work. The SPARTAN on console sent the appropriate commands to do so. The spacewalk ended with the team focused on a safe repress of the airlock. The crew performed a test in the airlock to see whether ammonia could be detected by passing airlock air though an ammonia-sensitive predictions on whether we were going to capture Cygnus in December or whether we were going to repair the Pump Module with several spacewalks. In fact, the night before Mission Control informed us of the decision to delay Cygnus and execute the EVAs, we had put Cygnus capture as the more likely option, given our reading of the tea leaves. Despite owing the bookie, we were happy to have a decision, and life on board station took on a new intensity level. Though I was trained and qualified to execute any EVA required, the final days before hatch open were less stressful because my two USOS crewmates, Rick and Koichi, were a veteran spacewalker and a veteran robotic arm operator, respectively. Their calm demeanor and methodical preparation gave everyone confidence that the team would be ready to execute the Pump Module remove and replace (R&R) in a few days’ time. On December 20, 2013, after 9 days of intense evaluations, meetings, decisions, and preparation, and 1 day before the first of three planned EVAs, the ground team was able to give us the afternoon off. Everyone was ready and it was time to relax. Then fate intervened with a little humor, and another problem occurred on the ISS. The separator fan for the toilet in the US Segment failed and a replacement unit would have to be installed before the bathroom was open for business again. However, the flight control team wanted to keep our schedule clear since the EVA was the next day and we could use the toilet in the Russian Segment. For Rick and me, the failure was a blessing because it gave us something to do rather than float around and think about the spacewalk. After a quick conference with the ground team, the flight director gave a go and we quickly had procedures on board to make the repair. So, the afternoon before one of the biggest days of our lives, Rick and I put on our plumber hats and repaired the space toilet. The Pump Module R&R in December 2013 showcased what happens when NASA goes into crisis mode. The preparations were superb, the procedures well written, the decisions spot on. With assistance from our Russian colleagues, Rick, Koichi and I followed the detailed instructions from Mission Control and completed the repairs in two instead of the three EVAs we were planning for totaling almost 13 hours outside station. Problems were encountered during the course of the R&R, but in all cases a solution was found. Staring out the airlock hatch at the vacuum of space before my first EVA was one of the most profound moments I’ve ever experienced, and climbing back into the airlock after the second EVA with words from Mission Control that the R&R was successful was one of the proudest moments I’ve ever had. NASA’s operation of the ISS provides daily reminders of the complexity of the job and the talent of the people assigned to the task. However, when a contingency happens, NASA takes it to another level and the accomplishments are truly amazing. For the crew of Expedition 38, the knowledge that the ground team put forward a super-human effort to solve the Pump Module failure drove us to do our small part with as much care and accuracy as possible, and together we had one of the best Christmas gifts ever.