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Heart Studies Before Dragon Departs and Spacewalks Begin at Station

Cardiac research to advance human health on Earth and in space was the main research objective aboard the International Space Station on Tuesday. The Expedition 69 crew members are also packing a cargo craft for its return to Earth and preparing for a series of spacewalks.

Flight Engineers Woody Hoburg of NASA and Sultan Alneyadi of UAE (United Arab Emirates) took turns supporting the Cardinal Health 2 experiment on Tuesday. The study is taking place inside the Kibo laboratory module and aims to prevent space-caused heart conditions and Earth-bound cardiac disorders. The duo treated engineered heart tissue samples inside Kibo’s Life Sciences Glovebox to help doctors understand gravitational stresses on cardiovascular cells and tissues. Observations may lead to potential treatments advancing heart health for astronauts and Earthlings.

Samples from Cardinal Health 2 and other experiments will soon be packed inside the SpaceX Dragon cargo craft for analysis by researchers on the ground. NASA Flight Engineers Frank Rubio and Stephen Bowen partnered together on Tuesday, readying the Dragon for its departure on Saturday when it will undock from the Harmony module’s forward port at 11:05 a.m. EDT. The duo packed a variety of research gear and station hardware, securely strapping them inside Dragon. The U.S. space freighter will parachute to a splashdown off the coast of Florida several hours later for retrieval by SpaceX and NASA support personnel.

Two cosmonauts continue gearing up for a series of spacewalks set to begin on Tuesday, April 18. Commander Sergey Prokopyev and Flight Engineer Dmitri Petelin will work over three spacewalks to maneuver an experiment airlock and a radiator from the Rassvet module to the Nauka science module. The duo spent the day readying their Orlan spacesuits inside the Poisk module, checking for pressure leaks, and installing suit batteries and other components.

At the beginning of the day, Prokopyev took part in a cardiac study with assistance from Flight Engineer Andrey Fedyaev. Fedyaev attached sensors to Prokopyev and photographed the experiment activities that monitors a cosmonaut’s blood circulation in microgravity. Fedyaev then spent the rest of his day on computer maintenance, station window inspections, and a fitness test on a treadmill.

Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_station and @ISS_Research on Twitter, as well as the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.

Get weekly video highlights at: https://roundupreads.jsc.nasa.gov/videupdate/

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Mark Garcia

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Botany, Heart Research Ahead of Dragon Departure and Spacewalks

The Expedition 69 crew members began the week conducting a variety of space research and preparing for upcoming spacewalks. Cargo activities are also picking up this week aboard the International Space Station as a U.S. space freighter nears its departure and return to Earth.

The SpaceX Dragon cargo craft is nearing the end of its mission after docking to the Harmony module’s forward port on March 16. NASA Flight Engineer Stephen Bowen and Woody Hoburg partnered together throughout Monday loading finalized science experiments and used station hardware inside Dragon for analysis on Earth. Bowen spent the majority of his day with the cargo packing while Hoburg assisted him then cleaned and inspected Dragon’s docking system. Dragon is due to leave the station and splash down off the coast of Florida at the end of the week.

UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi split his day on a pair of life science experiments first studying botany then the human heart. He started his day inside the Kibo laboratory module cleaning the Advanced Plant Habitat and stowing seed samples in a science freezer for a study that explored space-caused genetic changes in plants. In the afternoon, he was in the U.S. Destiny laboratory module looking at heart tissue samples in a microscope to observe microgravity-induced changes in heart cells and learn how to prevent cardiac disorders on Earth and in space.

NASA Flight Engineer Frank Rubio spent his day primarily servicing science hardware and inspecting emergency gear. He first installed research gear inside Kibo’s airlock that will soon be exposed to the vacuum of space. Next, he spent the afternoon checking portable fire extinguishers, oxygen bottles, and breathing masks throughout the U.S. segment on the orbital outpost.

Meanwhile, preparations for a series of spacewalks from Roscosmos are ongoing this week at the space station. Commander Sergey Prokopyev and Flight Engineer Dmitri Petelin are studying the procedures they will use to move a radiator and an experiment airlock from the Rassvet module to Nauka multipurpose laboratory module over a set of spacewalks set to begin in mid-April. Flight Engineer Andrey Fedyaev will assist the duo monitoring their excursions, operating the European robotic arm, and helping them in and out of their Orlan spacesuits.

Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_station and @ISS_Research on Twitter, as well as the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.

Get weekly video highlights at: https://roundupreads.jsc.nasa.gov/videupdate/

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Mark Garcia

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Heart Research, Space Physics, and Spacewalk Preps End Workweek

Heart research and space physics topped the microgravity research schedule aboard the International Space Station on Friday. The Expedition 69 crew also continues packing a U.S. cargo craft while gearing up for a series of upcoming spacewalks.

A variety of research into microgravity’s affect on the human heart has been ongoing aboard the orbital outpost for several years. The most recent investigation is observing how gravitational forces affect cardiac muscle cells and tissues. NASA Flight Engineer Woody Hoburg set up the Life Sciences Glovebox in the Kibo laboratory module on Friday and serviced tissue samples for the Engineered Heart Tissues-2 space biology study. The experiment is testing new, innovative therapies to counteract heart symptoms in space, as well as prevent cardiac disorders on Earth.

NASA Flight Engineer Frank Rubio collected and stowed microbe samples in a science freezer for the BioFilms investigation. The samples will be analyzed back on Earth helping engineers develop antimicrobial surfaces to protect astronauts and space hardware. Rubio also continued a study Hoburg and NASA Flight Engineer Stephen Bowen worked on all week to understand how the human body adapts to weightlessness. He wrapped up his day loading the SpaceX Dragon cargo craft with finalized space experiments and used station hardware for return to Earth later this month.

Bowen joined UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi and retrieved physics research hardware from inside Kibo’s airlock. The space physics gear, containing a variety of materials, had been placed outside the station and exposed to the harsh vacuum of space. MISSE, or Materials International Space Station Experiment, enables government and private sectors to study how extreme temperatures, radiation, and micrometeoroids affect materials, coatings, and components. Results may improve the design of space hardware promoting long-term mission success.

Two cosmonauts are preparing for a series of spacewalks set to begin at the end of April for logistics work on the Roscosmos side of the space station. Commander Sergey Prokopyev and Flight Engineer Dmitri Petelin reviewed on Friday the procedures for the upcoming spacewalks that will see them move a radiator and an experiment airlock from the Rassvet module to Nauka multipurpose laboratory module. The duo was joined by Flight Engineer Andrey Fedyaev who will assist the spacewalkers in and out of their Orlan spacesuits and monitor the spacewalking activities.

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Mark Garcia

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