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Week Wraps with Health Research and Spacewalk Closeout Procedures

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Week Wraps with Health Research and Spacewalk Closeout Procedures

Expedition 74 Flight Engineers Jessica Meir and Chris Williams, both NASA astronauts, collect frozen research samples from inside the International Space Station's Destiny laboratory module. The samples were stowed inside science freezers aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft for retrieval and analysis on Earth.
Expedition 74 Flight Engineers Jessica Meir and Chris Williams, both NASA astronauts, collect frozen research samples from inside the International Space Station’s Destiny laboratory module. The samples were stowed inside science freezers aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft for retrieval and analysis on Earth.
ESA/Sophie Adenot

Health research and final spacewalk closeouts wrapped up the week for the Expedition 74 crew members aboard the International Space Station as they gear up to receive a cargo delivery next week.

Understanding how the human body reacts to space is key to ensure crews thrive on future longer-duration missions. Residents aboard the orbital complex often collect biological samples for ground teams to analyze, helping pinpoint microgravity-induced changes in the human body. To facilitate this work, NASA astronauts Jack Hathaway and Jessica Meir collected and analyzed blood samples in the morning for the Venous Flow experiment, which examines how spaceflight affects blood flow. Afterward, Hathaway guided an ultrasound scan on Meir to examine her cardiovascular system.

Later on, the duo was joined by NASA astronaut Chris Williams and European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Sophie Adenot to review procedures for a future spacewalk and meet with ground teams once more for another debrief following the conclusion of Wednesday’s seven-hour, two-minute spacewalk.

Williams worked in some time to power on the station’s free-flying robots, Astrobee, for future operations before moving onto spacesuit work, charging the batteries and configuring them for stowage. Adenot removed the impact shields on the suits and completed an array of other tasks throughout the day, including hatch seal inspections and computer battery swaps.

In the Roscosmos segment, flight engineer Andrey Fedyaev enjoyed a day off. His colleagues, Commander Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and flight engineer Sergei Mikaev conducted maintenance and swapped batteries on a few testing instruments that monitor materials for cracks and corrosion. Afterward, Mikaev moved into the Zvezda Service Module to conduct inspections with the instruments and then completed a round of computer software updates. Kud-Sverchkov moved throughout the orbital complex during the day to photograph and video his crewmates working to document life aboard the space station.

On Sunday, March 22, the unpiloted Progress 94 cargo spacecraft, loaded with nearly three tons of food, fuel, and supplies, will lift off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 7:59 a.m. EDT. After a two-day trip, Progress will dock to the Poisk module’s space-facing port around 9:34 a.m. Tuesday, March 24. NASA will provide live coverage of both launch and docking NASA+, Amazon Prime, and the agency’s YouTube channel.

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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Abby Graf

NASA Simulations Improve Artemis II Launch Environment

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NASA Simulations Improve Artemis II Launch Environment

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NASA Simulations Improve Artemis II Launch Environment

This simulation of the Artemis I launch shows how the Space Launch System rocket’s exhaust plumes interact with the air, water, and the launchpad. Colors on surfaces indicate pressure levels—red for high pressure and blue for low pressure. The teal contours illustrate where water is present.

Credits:
NASA/Chris DeGrendele, Timothy Sandstrom

Airflow around rockets as they travel from Earth into space can have a dramatic impact on a mission, which is why NASA used advanced simulations to provide the best possible launch conditions for the Artemis II test flight around the Moon. 

To better understand the Artemis Space Launch System (SLS) rocket’s flight environment, engineers turned to a NASA-developed tool called the Launch, Ascent, and Vehicle Aerodynamics (LAVA) framework. The software addresses computational fluid dynamics, the flow behavior of gases and liquids. 

Using data from the 2022 Artemis I launch, researchers at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley used LAVA to simulate complex interactions between the rocket plume and a system that pumps water to suppress sound during launch. The system protects the rocket and other equipment from potentially damaging sound waves. 

Comparing simulations with and without the sound suppression system activated revealed that the water effectively reduces pressure waves from sound, but exhaust gases from the rocket could also redirect water, causing significant pressure increases in certain areas of the launchpad.   

The LAVA simulations improved NASA’s understanding of the plume interaction with the Artemis mobile launcher platform. Using this knowledge, aerospace engineers at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida refined the design plume pressures and adapted the launch platform to endure those pressures for Artemis II, NASA’s first mission with crew aboard the SLS and Orion spacecraft. 

NASA will release LAVA in the coming weeks to the aerospace community and accelerate innovation by enabling U.S. companies and researchers to run complex simulations and optimize designs for aircraft and rockets. NASA has hosted a seminar on using LAVA with more about the tool’s capabilities. 

The work on LAVA is supported through NASA’s Transformational Tools and Technologies project, which develops new computational capabilities to help predict aerospace vehicle performance. The project is part of NASA’s Transformative Aeronautics Concepts Program under the Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate.  

NASA’s decades of aeronautics research expertise strengthens its space missions, using tools like wind tunnel testing, advanced software development, and other innovations to enhance safety and reliability. 

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Mar 19, 2026

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Lillian Gipson

NASA Glenn Opens Applications for Free Summer Engineering Institute

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NASA Glenn Opens Applications for Free Summer Engineering Institute

Three High School Engineering Institute students are centered in the foreground of the image working on a small vehicle with large red plastic wheels. There are two more students in the background working on their own identical vehicle.
Students collaborate on a hands‑on STEM project, assembling and testing components during the NASA Glenn High School Engineering Institute at NASA’s Glenn Research Center on July 18, 2025.
NASA/Sara Lowthian-Hanna

NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland is hosting the 2026 NASA Glenn High School Engineering Institute this July. The hands-on learning experience is designed to help high school students prepare for a future in the aerospace workforce.  

Rising high school juniors and seniors can submit applications for this summer program beginning Friday, March 20, through Friday, May 1. 

The institute will immerse students in NASA’s work while providing essential career readiness tools to help them in future science, technology, engineering, and math-focused academic and professional pursuits.  

Throughout the five-day program, students will use authentic NASA mission content and work alongside Glenn’s technical experts to gain a deeper understanding of the engineering design process, develop practical engineering solutions to real-world challenges, and test prototypes to answer questions in key mission areas: 

  • Acoustic dampening – How can we reduce noise pollution from jet engines? 
  • Power management and distribution – How can we develop a smart power system for future space stations? 
  • Simulated lunar operations – Can we invent tires that don’t use air? 

How to Apply: 
To be considered for the 2026 NASA Glenn High School Engineering Institute, applicants must submit a complete application package no later than May 1, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. ET. 

Program Dates 
Selected students will participate in one of the following weeklong sessions:

  • Session 1: July 13-17, 2026 
  • Session 2: July 20-24, 2026 
  • Session 3: July 27-31, 2026 

Eligibility and Application Requirements 
To be eligible for this program, students must:  

  • Be entering 11th or 12th grade for the 2026-2027 academic year
  • Have a minimum 3.2 GPA, verified by their school counselor 
  • Submit a letter of recommendation from a teacher 
  • Be a U.S. citizen

Questions about the institute should be directed to GRC-Ed-Opportunities@mail.nasa.gov.  

For information about NASA Glenn, visit:  

https://www.nasa.gov/glenn

-end- 

Heather Roe 
NASA Glenn Research Center, Cleveland
216-695-7292
heather.m.roe@nasa.gov

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Heather Roe

Restless Kīlauea Launches Lava and Ash

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Restless Kīlauea Launches Lava and Ash

 
The heat signature from an eruption at Kilauea glows yellow and orange in the volcano’s summit crater.
March 10, 2026

Kīlauea has entered its second year of episodic activity after reawakening in December 2024. Since then, the Hawaiian volcano has gone through dozens of bouts of lava fountaining, each lasting several hours to several days.

Activity ramped up once again on March 10, 2026, for episode 43 of the eruption. From approximately 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. local time that day, lava spewed from two active vents on the southwest side of Halema‘uma‘u Crater, adding to the ever-thickening layer of fresh basaltic rock in the summit caldera. The flareup also featured the highest lava fountains of the current eruption, estimated at 1,770 feet (540 meters). Meanwhile, ash and other airborne debris fell on communities up to 50 miles (80 kilometers) away.

About 4 hours after fountaining subsided, the Landsat 9 satellite passed over the Island of Hawai‘i. This image shows shortwave infrared and near-infrared data, acquired with the satellite’s OLI (Operational Land Imager) at 10:20 p.m. local time on March 10 (08:20 Universal Time on March 11), revealing heat emanating from the still-sizzling lava. That information is layered over a composite of daytime Landsat images and a digital elevation model.

An estimated 16 million cubic yards (12 million cubic meters) of lava erupted during the episode, according to the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO), bringing the total volume erupted across all episodes since December 2024 to close to 325 million cubic yards (250 million cubic meters). Over the same period, the depth of lava in the crater has increased by about 300 feet (90 meters).

While lava remained confined to the summit area, other erupted material traveled much farther. Images captured by satellites orbiting over the area during the daytime showed a volcanic plume drifting northeast from the vents. Volcanic gas and ash reached a maximum height in the atmosphere of more than 30,000 feet (9,100 meters) above sea level, the HVO said. The aviation color code was elevated to red during the eruption, and several flights at the airport in Hilo were canceled, according to news reports.

Volcanic fragments up to several inches in diameter fell along the north rim of the caldera and in adjacent communities. The hazards and accumulation of debris caused the temporary closure of Highway 11 and the evacuation of visitors from parts of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. Smaller particles were carried farther: people reported ash and Pele’s hair falling tens of miles to the north and east of Kīlauea, including in Hilo, Keaʻau, and other communities on the coast. Volcanic debris is an eye, skin, and respiratory irritant, the HVO warned, and it may affect water quality for those using rainwater catchment systems.

NASA Earth Observatory image by Michala Garrison, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey. Story by Lindsey Doermann.

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The heat signature from an eruption at Kilauea glows yellow and orange in the volcano’s summit crater.

March 10, 2026

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Crew Enjoys Light-Duty Day, Debriefs Spacewalk

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Crew Enjoys Light-Duty Day, Debriefs Spacewalk

The International Space Station was soaring 263 miles above the Pacific Ocean near the island of Hawaii when this 30‑second long‑duration photograph was taken, revealing Earth’s atmospheric glow and star trails at approximately midnight local time.
The International Space Station was soaring 263 miles above the Pacific Ocean near the island of Hawaii when this 30‑second long‑duration photograph was taken, revealing Earth’s atmospheric glow and star trails at approximately midnight local time.
NASA/Chris Williams

Four International Space Station residents had a light-duty day Thursday as they enjoyed some time off and worked on close out procedures following the conclusion of yesterday’s spacewalk. The three other Expedition 74 crew members spent the day inspecting various modules of the orbital complex, cleaning, and stowing cargo.

NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Chris Williams concluded a seven-hour, two-minute spacewalk yesterday at 3:54 p.m. EDT, completing their primary objectives which included preparing the 2A power channel for the future installation of roll-out solar arrays. It was Meir’s fourth spacewalk and Williams’ first.

The spacewalkers, along with NASA astronaut Jack Hathaway and European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Sophie Adenot, enjoyed the morning off. Hathaway and Adenot, who monitored yesterday’s spacewalk and assisted Meir and Williams with donning and doffing their suits, joined the duo in the afternoon for a post-spacewalk debrief with ground teams.

Later in the evening, Williams completed some spacesuit work, performed a water recharge and reset a torque wrench. Meir also worked in some time for health research, collecting biological samples for analysis, routine work that helps scientists take a closer look at the effects of spaceflight on the human body.

In the Roscosmos segment, the three cosmonauts spent the day exercising, inspecting modules, cleaning, and stowing cargo. In the morning, flight engineer Andrey Fedyaev exercised on the station’s treadmill before moving throughout the station to collect radiation sensors. Once gathered, he logged radiation measurements for analysis.

In the Zarya module, flight engineer Sergei Mikaev inspected and photographed lighting units for documentation, then vacuumed the space. He later moved into the Nauka module to record ventilation fan operations for possible repairs in the future. Meanwhile, Commander Sergey Kud-Sverchkov performed various inspections in the Zvezda Service Module before teaming up with Mikaev to gather and load cargo items into the Progress 93 cargo spacecraft for future disposal.

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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Abby Graf