Human Research, Biotechnology for Advanced Health Fill Station Research Schedule
Wednesday’s science schedule aboard the International Space Station encompassed human research, microbial analysis, and 3D bioprinting to advance health on and off the Earth. The Expedition 74 crew members also worked on spacesuit maintenance and cargo spacecraft duties throughout the day rounding out their shift.
Doctors on the ground are constantly monitoring astronaut health using a variety of tools and techniques to ensure crews are healthy and learn how weightlessness affects the human body. One ongoing investigation is the CIPHER suite of 14 studies to understand space-caused changes to an astronaut’s physical and mental condition. NASA flight engineer Chris Williams took part in the long-running experiment first collecting his blood and urine samples for processing and analysis at the beginning of his shift. Next, Williams participated in a trio of tests to assess his thinking skills and how he judges distance, direction, and motion in microgravity. The research data is compared with measurements from other astronauts, as well as before and after a spaceflight, for a broader view of crew health in space.
NASA flight engineer Jack Hathaway focused on a pair of studies using advanced hardware to sequence microbial DNA and print high quality cartilage tissue aboard the orbital outpost. Hathaway began his shift collecting microbe samples throughout the space station for analysis. The samples will be incubated for several days before their DNA is sequenced so scientists can understand how bacteria survive in space and identify their antibiotic-resistant genes. Afterward, he thawed and cleaned cartilage cells mixed with bio-ink then assisted NASA flight engineer Jessica Meir as she loaded the bio-ink into a 3D bioprinter to print cartilage tissues. The space environment may advance regenerative medicine leading to on-demand, personalized medical implants using the patient’s own cells.
Mier later partnered up with Williams at the end of their shift and replaced hardware on a spacesuit. The duo worked inside the Quest airlock swapping out the suit’s upper body section, or hard upper torso, with a new one and packing the old torso for return to Earth.
Flight engineer Sophie Adenot of ESA (European Space Agency) spent the majority of her shift on maintenance and cargo duties. Adenot first powered on the Echo ultrasound device in the Columbus laboratory module so engineers on the ground could monitor and assess the medical hardware’s functionality. Next, she collected water samples for analysis from the Exploration Potable Water Dispenser that dispenses ambient and hot water into crew food and drink bags. Finally, Adenot packed cargo inside a SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft ahead of its planned return to Earth later this month.
Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev took turns working inside the Progress 95 cargo spacecraft docked to the Zvezda service module’s aft port. Kud-Sverchkov removed air ducts between the Progress 95 and the orbital outpost while Mikaev pumped water from the cargo spacecraft into station tanks. Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev restored the operation of the ventilation systems connecting the station’s U.S. and Roscosmos segments then worked on orbital plumbing duties.
Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_stationon X, as well as the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.
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Mark A. Garcia
