NASA’s Northrop Grumman CRS-24 Mission Targets April 11 Launch Amid Full Station Schedule

NASA, Northrop Grumman, and SpaceX now are targeting no earlier than 7:41 a.m. EDT Saturday, April 11, for the next Cygnus XL and Falcon 9 launch opportunity to resupply the International Space Station. Teams adjusted the Friday, April 10, launch opportunity due to forecasted inclement weather at Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. 

Following an April 11 launch, astronauts aboard the space station will use the Canadarm2 to capture the Cygnus XL before the spacecraft is robotically installed on the Unity module’s Earth-facing port for cargo unloading. Capture time is under review and additional details will be shared once available. If needed, the next available launch opportunity is 7:18 a.m., on April 12. 

Watch the agency’s launch and arrival coverage on NASA+, Amazon Prime, and the agency’s YouTube channel. Learn how to watch NASA content through a variety of platforms, including social media.  Hearing tests, eye checks, and an emergency drill topped the schedule for the Expedition 74 crew aboard the International Space Station on Wednesday. The orbital residents also worked inside the NanoRacks Biship airlock, updated the inventory management system, and a conducted a cargo craft communications test.

Regularly scheduled medical checkups were on tap for five flight engineers as doctors continuously monitor crew health in space. First up were hearing tests for NASA astronaut Jack Hathaway, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev. The trio took turns in the quiet environment of the Quest Airlock and logged into specialized computer software, wore headphones, conducted an ear pressure check, and responded to a series of tones.

Afterward, Adenot joined NASA flight engineer Jessica Meir for eye checks inside the Columbus laboratory module. Meir led the biomedical research as crew medical officer by first applying a numbing fluid inside Adenot’s eyes, then tapping the surface of her eye with a small handheld device and finally calculating her internal eye pressure. Doctors seek to counteract the effects of weightlessness which can affect pressure around the eyes and change the shape of the eyeball ultimately affecting vision.

Meir began her shift with Hathaway inside the NanoRacks Bishop airlock attached to the port side of the Tranquility module. Meir and Hathaway removed hardware stowed inside Bishop ahead of an upcoming swap of experiment gear installed outside Bishop on its external platform in the vacuum of space. The NASA duo also staged the ArgUS multi-payload carrier inside Bishop in advance of upcoming science activities. Meir later participated in a relaxation study that promotes calmness, stress reduction, and improved sleep quality aboard a spacecraft. Hathaway measured the airflow inside a temporary sleep station located in Columbus to assure crew comfort and safety.

NASA flight engineer Chris Williams located and identified items designated as lost and found then stowed some of the items for further use, trashed the obsolete items, and updated the orbital lab’s inventory system. Williams later collected water samples for analysis from the Exploration Potable Water Dispenser, a technology demonstration to advance water sanitization methods, reduce microbial growth, and dispense hot water into crew food and drink bags.

Station commander Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and flight engineer Sergei Mikaev, both Roscosmos cosmonauts, started their shift testing ship-to-ship communications between the space station and the Progress 93 resupply ship docked to the Zvezda service module’s aft port. The duo then split up as Kud-Sverchkov tested artificial intelligence tools for crew operations while Mikaev checked the operations of a scientific control and information processing unit.

Fedyaev worked primarily on life support and electronics maintenance throughout the station’s Roscosmos segment. He also wiped down surfaces inside the Nauka science module to inhibit the growth of fungus and protect crew health.

At the end of their shift, all seven space station crew members joined each other and conducted an emergency drill. The orbital septet coordinated with mission controllers from around the world and practiced their roles, responsibilities, and communication procedures necessary for the simulated emergency scenario.

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

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Mark A. Garcia

Station Crew Talks to Artemis II Crew Amid Busy Research Schedule

Four Expedition 74 astronauts had a ship-to-ship call with the four Artemis II astronauts on Tuesday after they flew around the Moon in a historic first for NASA and its international partners. The International Space Station residents also continued their ongoing biomedical research, trained to capture a U.S. cargo craft, and installed a small experimental robotic arm.

The station crewmates called to the Artemis II crew, NASA Commander Reid Wiseman, NASA Pilot Victor Glover, and  Mission Specialists Christina Koch of NASA and Jeremy Hansen of CSA (Canadian Space Agency), who are returning to Earth aboard the spacecraft Integrity for a short conversation. The station crew expressed their curiosity about the difference between the two spacecraft, while the Artemis II crewmates shared their experience seeing the Moon up close. Koch, who performed a pair of station spacewalks with Meir in January of 2020, remarked, “Every single thing that we learned on ISS is up here.”

Meanwhile, scientific operations remained the focus aboard the space station as the orbital lab residents studied how to keep astronauts healthy on long-term space missions. NASA astronauts Chris Williams, Jack Hathaway, and Jessica Meir, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Sophie Adenot, and cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev joined each other on Tuesday for a series of vein scans using the Ultrasound 3 biomedical device as doctors on the ground monitored in real-time. Doctors were looking for signs of potential space-caused blood clots that can form in leg veins and travel to the lungs. Knowledge gained from research aboard the space station is also informing the Artemis II mission including future space missions.

Earlier in their shift, Williams and Hathway kept up their cargo mission training as they simulated capturing the Cygnus XL resupply ship with the Canadarm2 robotic arm using a computer. Mission managers now are targeting no earlier than 8:03 a.m. EDT on Friday, April 10, for the launch of Cygnus XL atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket to resupply the Expedition 74 crew.

Meir began her shift collecting her saliva and hair samples for the RelaxPro investigation sponsored by ESA. Doctors will analyze the samples back on Earth for stress-related hormones and immune markers to measure space-associated stress and immunity levels. The ESA relaxation study explores using mindfulness and meditation techniques to improve sleep quality and manage stress during a long-term spaceflight.

Adenot was back inside the Kibo laboratory module setting up a small experimental robotic arm for the TUSK technology demonstration. The TUSK robotic arm is being tested for precise, sub-millimeter motion in weightlessness. Afterward, Adenot joined fellow astronauts Williams, Hathaway, and Meir and practiced their responses on a computer for a simulated emergency then reviewed emergency tools and procedures.

Station commander Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev, both Roscosmos cosmonauts, joined each other for a pair of crew health studies exploring team psychology and exercise on Tuesday. The duo first participated in a study that provided progressively harder computer tasks that required cooperation. Researchers were recording how crews adapt to working together in the unique conditions of space. Results may inform crew training techniques for future missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. Next, Kud-Sverchkov pedaled on an exercise cycle while attached to electrodes and a blood pressure cuff for a fitness test as Mikaev assisted and operated the health monitoring gear.

Fedyaev continued training to use the European robotic arm (ERA) from inside the Nauka science module. Fedyaev tested the ERA in primary and backup modes and practiced maneuvering the ERA while engaging all of its joints.

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

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Mark A. Garcia