Archivo de la etiqueta: International Space Station

Space Delivery on its Way to Station, Crew Keeps Up Advanced Research

The Progress 90 cargo craft is orbiting Earth and on its way to resupply the International Space Station after its launch Thursday morning. In the meantime, the Expedition 72 crew continued exploring space immunity and a host of other research topics while servicing spacesuits on Thursday.

The Progress lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome at 7:22 a.m. on Thursday beginning its two-day journey to the space station. Packed inside Progress are nearly three tons of food, fuel, and supplies due to arrive at the orbital outpost when Progress automatically docks to the Poisk module at 9:36 a.m. EST on Saturday. Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner will be on duty Saturday monitoring the cargo ship during its automated approach and rendezvous maneuvers.

NASA Flight Engineers Don Pettit and Nick Hague were back on space biology on Thursday continuing to explore how living in space affects inflammation, or how the body responds to injury or infection. The duo imaged the biological samples using specialized luminescence hardware to visualize space-caused inflammatory changes. Insights from the biology study may help researchers protect astronaut health on long-term space missions.

NASA Flight Engineer Butch Wilmore replaced experiment samples inside the Combustion Integrated Rack for a fire safety experiment that observes how flames spread in the weightless environment. He also continued servicing a spacesuit that was recently delivered aboard the SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft. Wilmore first removed hardware that secured the spacesuit inside Dragon then installed camera and data cables on the suit with assistance from Commander Suni Williams from NASA. Afterward, Wilmore performed standard maintenance emptying and filling water tanks on a pair of spacesuits inside the Quest airlock.

Williams spent most of her day inside the Tranquility module removing components from inside the waste and hygiene compartment, the space station’s bathroom. Wilmore assisted Williams as she removed the orbital plumbing gear during a break in his science and spacesuit tasks.

Roscosmos Flight Engineer Aleksandr Gorbunov installed Earth observation hardware to obtain visible and near-infrared imagery of natural and human-made changes on the Earth’s surface. Ovchinin spent his day disinfecting the Zvezda service module and cleaning its ventilation systems. Vagner jogged on Zvezda’s treadmill for a fitness evaluation then tested a 3D printer for its ability to manufacture tools and hardware on the orbital lab.

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

Get the latest from NASA delivered every week. Subscribe here: www.nasa.gov/subscribe

Powered by WPeMatico

Get The Details…

Mark Garcia

Progress Cargo Spacecraft Launches; Headed for a Saturday Docking

The unpiloted Roscosmos Progress 90 spacecraft is safely in orbit headed for the International Space Station following a launch at 7:22 a.m. EST (5:22 p.m. Baikonur time) Thursday, Nov. 21, on a Soyuz rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

After a two-day in-orbit journey to the station, the spacecraft will automatically dock to the space-facing port of the orbiting laboratory’s Poisk module at 9:36 a.m., Saturday, Nov. 23.

NASA’s coverage of rendezvous and docking will begin at 8:45 a.m. on NASA+ and the agency’s website. Learn how to watch NASA content through a variety of platforms, including social media.

The spacecraft will deliver about three tons of food, fuel, and supplies to the space station.

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

Get weekly updates from NASA Johnson Space Center at: https://roundupreads.jsc.nasa.gov/

Get the latest from NASA delivered every week. Subscribe here: www.nasa.gov/subscribe

Powered by WPeMatico

Get The Details…

Abby Graf

Progress Cargo Spacecraft Launching to Station Live on NASA+

NASA’s live coverage is underway on NASA+ and the agency’s website. Learn how to watch NASA content through a variety of platforms, including social media.

The unpiloted Progress 90 spacecraft is scheduled to launch at 7:22 a.m. EST (5:22 p.m. Baikonur time) Thursday, Nov. 21, on a Soyuz rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The Roscosmos spacecraft will liftoff carrying about three tons of food, fuel, and supplies for the Expedition 72 crew aboard the International Space Station.

After a two-day in-orbit journey to the station, the spacecraft will automatically dock to the space-facing port of the orbiting laboratory’s Poisk module at 9:36 a.m., Saturday, Nov. 23. NASA’s coverage of rendezvous and docking will begin at 8:45 a.m. on NASA+ and the agency’s website.

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

Get weekly updates from NASA Johnson Space Center at: https://roundupreads.jsc.nasa.gov/

Get the latest from NASA delivered every week. Subscribe here: www.nasa.gov/subscribe

Powered by WPeMatico

Get The Details…

Abby Graf

Astronaut Health Studies Fill Crew Day Before Thursday’s Cargo Launch

Keeping astronauts healthy on long term space missions is a key research topic this week aboard the International Space Station. Back on the ground, a cargo craft is counting down to its launch to resupply the Expedition 72 crew.

NASA Flight Engineers Don Pettit and Nick Hague worked together all day Wednesday exploring how living in space affects inflammation, or how the body responds to injury or infection. The duo worked in the Kibo laboratory module servicing biological samples and observing space-caused inflammatory changes using specialized imaging gear. Insights from the biology study may help researchers prevent space-caused immune system dysfunction and protect astronaut health.

Station Commander Suni Williams and Flight Engineer Butch Wilmore, both from NASA, worked on a similar study exploring how spaceflight affects the immune system and blood clotting. The astronauts processed bone marrow cell samples and platelet samples, tiny blood cells that form clots to stop bleeding, in Kibo’s Life Science Glovebox. The Megakaryocyte Flying-One experiment seeks to understand how the cells respond to weightlessness and preserve their functionality protecting crew health during space missions.

Both astronauts also worked inside the SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft and unpacked a spacesuit for stowage inside the orbital outpost’s Quest airlock where spacewalks are staged. The duo then loaded another spacesuit inside Dragon for return to Earth and maintenance.

Roscosmos Flight Engineers Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner took turns on Wednesday wearing a sensor attached to their trachea recording their exhalation rate. The cosmonaut duo was studying how the lack of gravity impacts breathing during a forced expiration maneuver. Afterward, Ovchinin studied 3D printing tools aboard the space station. Vagner partnered with Flight Engineer Aleksandr Gorbunov replacing parts and checking for leaks on Roscosmos’ lower body negative pressure suit. The specialized suit is being tested for its ability to counteract the space-caused pooling of fluids in a crew member’s upper body and protect vision and alleviate the effects of returning to Earth’s gravity.

Nearly three tons of food, fuel, and supplies destined for the Expedition 72 crew are packed inside the Progress 90 spacecraft counting down to a lift off at 7:22 a.m. EST (5:22 p.m. Baikonur time) on Thursday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The Progress 90 will orbit Earth for two days before beginning its automated approach and rendezvous sequence with the orbiting lab before docking to the Poisk module at 9:36 a.m. on Saturday. The Progress 90 replaces the Progress 88 resupply ship which vacated Poisk’s docking port on Tuesday completing a six-month cargo mission.

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

Get the latest from NASA delivered every week. Subscribe here: www.nasa.gov/subscribe

Powered by WPeMatico

Get The Details…

Mark Garcia

Space Biology, Student Robotics Top Day as Cargo Craft Departs

Space biology to improve health and robotics to promote education were the primary research topics aboard the International Space Station on Tuesday. The Expedition 72 crew members also saw the departure of a cargo craft as another one prepares for launch.

NASA Flight Engineer Don Pettit continued nourishing research samples and servicing an artificial gravity-generating incubator housing the samples inside the Kibo laboratory module. Pettit will process the samples during the week inside Kibo’s Life Science Glovebox helping researchers prevent space-caused immune system dysfunction and protect astronaut health.

NASA Flight Engineer Nick Hague reviewed the biology study’s operations and will soon assist Pettit as they process the samples. Hague also unpacked health accessories from the SpaceX Dragon cargo craft resupplying medical kits inside the space station. He later joined Pettit troubleshooting cargo-securing hardware located inside Dragon.

Commander Suni Williams collected station water samples for microbial analysis at the beginning of her shift. Then with assistance from Flight Engineer Butch Wilmore she serviced engineered bacteria and yeast samples for a biomanufacturing study and installed the specimens in cold stowage and a variable gravity simulator for later examination.

Wilmore also activated an Astrobee robotic free-flyer and tested its operation inside Kibo supporting a robotics competition to choose student-written algorithms that control the device. Wilmore worked in conjunction with engineers on the ground monitoring the Astrobee’s flight trajectory and its gesture recognition software. The Astrobee-Zero Robotics contest is meant to inspire students from around the world to pursue STEM and space-related careers.

The trash-packed Progress 88 cargo craft ended its resupply mission today undocking from the orbital outpost at 7:53 a.m. EST after six-months docked to the Poisk module. The Progress 88 descended into Earth’s atmosphere just over three hours later for a fiery, but safe destruction above the South Pacific Ocean.

Roscosmos Flight Engineers Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner deactivated computer and video monitoring gear after the Progress 88’s departure. Flight Engineer Aleksandr Gorbunov spent his day on orbital plumbing and cleaning duties throughout the station’s Roscosmos segment.

The Progress 90 resupply ship now stands at its launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan counting down to a lift off 7:22 a.m. on Thursday. It will dock to the vacated Poisk module at 9:35 a.m. on Saturday loaded with about 5,500 pounds of cargo.

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

Get the latest from NASA delivered every week. Subscribe here: www.nasa.gov/subscribe

Powered by WPeMatico

Get The Details…

Mark Garcia