Archivo de la etiqueta: International Space Station

Human Research, Advanced Tech Keep Crew Busy Before Dragon Departs

Human research, advanced robotics, and experimental workout gear filled the schedule for the Expedition 74 crew aboard the International Space Station on Wednesday. The orbital residents also continued packing a SpaceX Dragon with science experiments and space hardware for its departure on Thursday.

Flight Engineers Jessica Meir of NASA and Sophie Adenot of ESA (European Space Agency) kicked off their shift together answering a questionnaire about their sleep quality and collecting their saliva samples for analysis. Researchers will use the biomedical data to understand the stress and behavioral risks during a spaceflight, devise meditation and relaxation techniques for crews, and improve the experience of a long-term mission.

Meir then collected and processed her blood samples with assistance from NASA Flight Engineer Jack Hathaway for the Venous Flow study that examines the risk of space-caused blood clots. Next, Meir inspected and cleaned the Enhanced European Exploration Exercise Device, an advanced, compact all-in-one workout device being tested for use on deep space missions. Adenot partnered with Hathaway at the end of their shift loading hardware packed with research samples into a SpaceX Dragon scheduled to undock from the orbital outpost’s Harmony module at 12:05 p.m. EST on Thursday.

NASA Flight Engineer Chris Williams started his shift inside the Kibo laboratory module installing and configuring a pair of small robotic arms. The advanced robotic technology is demonstrating precision mobility and experiment automation in microgravity to reduce astronaut workloads. Williams then joined Meir in the Tranquility module and replaced components on the advanced resistive exercise device that mimics free weights on Earth.

Station Commander Sergey Kud-Sverchkov, attached to electrodes, pedaled on an exercise cycle for a cardiovascular assessment while Flight Engineer Sergei Mikaev monitored and assisted. The Roscosmos cosmonauts then split up their day with semiconductor research, an artificial intelligence investigation, and photographic inspections of windows on the Zvezda service module.

Roscosmos Flight Engineer Andrey Fedyaev closed out an automated photography session that imaged Earth landmarks in a variety of wavelengths during the crew’s sleep shift. The two-time station visitor then spent the rest of his day servicing the Nauka science module’s ventilation system and inventorying hardware located in the Zarya module.

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

Crew Packs Dragon for Thursday Departure, Keeps Up Human Research

The Expedition 74 crew will finalize the packing of a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft as it nears its departure later this week. Science operations were still underway aboard the International Space Station on Tuesday as the orbital residents explored how living and working in weightlessness is affecting their bodies.

NASA and SpaceX have scheduled Dragon to undock from the Harmony module’s forward port at 12:05 p.m. EST on Thursday. Live streaming coverage begins at 11:45 a.m. on NASA+, Amazon Prime, and the agency’s YouTube channel. Learn how to watch NASA content on a variety of online platforms, including social media.

Dragon will be returning numerous science experiments completed aboard the orbital outpost for retrieval and analysis on Earth. Packed inside the spacecraft will be samples of materials exposed to the harsh environment of space, flat liquid crystal films, stem cells programmed to become cardiac and brain cells, and more. Results from the investigations may lead to advanced Earth and space technologies and improved human health. Dragon’s parachute-assisted splashdown off the coast of California a half-a-day later will not be broadcast.

NASA Flight Engineers Chris Williams and Jessica Meir transferred portable science freezers containing numerous research samples, including stem cells and microbes, into Dragon on Tuesday. The duo also partnered with Flight Engineer Sophie Adenot of ESA (European Space Agency) continuing to load and secure station hardware inside Dragon for the ride back to Earth. Adenot also collected her saliva samples for immunological analysis then continued familiarizing herself with living and working aboard the space station.

NASA Flight Engineer Jack Hathaway began his shift inside the Kibo laboratory module servicing the small satellite orbital deployer that is regularly placed outside the orbital outpost to eject CubeSats into Earth orbit for public, private, and educational research. Hathaway then joined Meir at the end of their shift and continued studying station systems and procedures such as using exercise gear, handling safety equipment, and performing medical procedures.

Station Commander Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Flight Engineer Sergei Mikaev, both Roscosmos cosmonauts, worked together on a pair of human research experiments on Tuesday. Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev took turns wearing chest electrodes and arm, wrist, and thumb cuffs measuring their cardiac activity and blood pressure. Doctors are assessing microgravity’s effect on blood flow regulation, clot prevention, and inflammation responses. The duo also wore virtual reality goggles and responded to visual and audio signals to test a crew member’s sense of balance and orientation in space.

Roscosmos Flight Engineer Andrey Fedyaev kicked off his shift wearing an acoustic sensor attached to his neck that recorded his rapid exhalation to understand how microgravity affects his breathing. Next, Fedyaev set up a space physics experiment and used molecular beams to explore semiconductor growth in microgravity. Results may lead to advanced electronics systems and scientific instruments for spacecraft and satellites. At the end of his shift, Fedyaev installed Earth observation gear for an automated overnight photography session to capture ground targets in a variety of wavelengths.

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

Expedition 74 Relaxes on Monday Following Busy Weekend

Expedition 74 was off duty on Monday following a weekend of crew handover activities, cargo packing, and microbiology research. A SpaceX Dragon spacecraft will also depart the International Space Station for return to Earth later this week.

The orbital outpost’s newest residents spent Saturday and Sunday familiarizing themselves with space station systems and procedures following a busy first week of scientific operations. Standard housekeeping duties such as trash collecting, vacuuming modules and vents for dust, and wiping down surfaces with a disinfectant rounded out the weekend activities.

NASA Flight Engineer Chris Williams, who has been orbiting Earth since November, assisted the station’s newest crewmates Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, both from NASA, and Sophie Adenot of ESA (European Space Agency) helping them get up to speed with living and working in weightlessness. Williams showed the trio the location of food, drinks, and emergency gear, demonstrated the operation of medical equipment, communications gear, and computer networking hardware, and gave a tour of the modules while describing the operations and systems that take place in each. Williams also joined Meir and Adenot on Saturday and explored using ultraviolet light as a method to disinfect spacecraft inhibiting microbial growth to protect crew health and space equipment.

The quartet will also step up the pace of cargo transfers inside the Dragon cargo spacecraft as it nears its departure later this week. Dragon will return to Earth loaded with completed science experiments and station hardware for analysis. The astronauts also continued unloading crew supplies from the Dragon crew spacecraft delivered on Feb. 14.

Roscosmos Flight Engineer Andrey Fedyaev, who is beginning his second spaceflight, joined his cosmonaut crewmates over the weekend, Commander Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev, cleaning ventilation systems and inspecting laptop computers and power supply systems. Fedyaev also continued his respiratory research on Saturday attaching an acoustic sensor to his neck that recorded his rapid exhalation to understand how microgravity affects his breathing.

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

Cardiac, Respiratory, and Exercise Research Wrap Week Aboard Station

The Expedition 74 crew wrapped up the week with cardiac and respiratory studies and conducting space exercise research to keep astronauts healthy off the Earth. The International Space Station residents also packed a SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft before its return to Earth and maintained science and life support hardware.

 NASA Flight Engineers Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway partnered together in the Columbus laboratory module at the beginning of their shift on Friday and processed their blood samples for analysis. Afterward, Meir operated the Ultrasound 3 device and scanned the neck, shoulder, and leg veins of Hathaway. Doctors are monitoring the astronaut’s blood markers to protect blood flow and prevent space-caused blood clots to promote healthy crews and ensure mission success.

ESA (European Space Agency) Flight Engineer Sophie Adenot worked out on the advanced resistive exercise device, that mimics free weights on Earth, while four specialized cameras installed in the Tranquility module observed her musculoskeletal system in motion. Doctors are exploring the forces an astronaut’s muscles and bones experience when exercising in weightlessness to maintain fitness and health during a long-term spaceflight.

NASA Flight Engineer Chris Williams spent the first half of his shift continuing to load science experiments and station hardware inside a SpaceX Dragon docked to the Harmony module’s forward port and scheduled to soon depart the station and return to Earth. Meir helped out with the Dragon cargo packing after her biomedical duties. Williams also joined Hathaway for an afternoon vein scan session once again using the new Ultrasound 3 device delivered on September aboard the Cygnus XL spacecraft.

Roscosmos Flight Engineer Andrey Fedyaev worked on a pair of human research experiments, the first one exploring how microgravity affects the respiratory system. He wore an acoustic sensor around his neck that recorded his rapid exhalation for the long-running Forced Expiration breathing study. Next, he wore electrodes on his chest and measured his blood pressure using arm, wrist, and thumb cuffs. Doctors will use the cardiac data to assess microgravity’s effect on blood flow regulation, clot prevention, and inflammation responses.

Flight Engineer Sergei Mikaev kicked off his shift inspecting modules throughout the station’s Roscosmos segment to determine areas that need rearranging for more efficient cargo stowage. Afterward, he assisted Fedyaev with his station familiarization activities then helped Meir stow food packs at the end of their shift.

Station Commander Sergey Kud-Sverchkov of Roscosmos started his shift updating data files on tablet computers inside the Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft docked to the Rassvet module. The two-time station resident finished his shift photographing external station hardware then searching for hardware to update the orbital outpost’s inventory system.

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

Thursday Packed With Human Research as Station’s Orbit is Boosted

Relaxation, exercise, and biomedical studies were the key research objectives for the Expedition 74 crew on Thursday as NASA and its partners investigate ways to keep astronauts healthy on long-term missions. The International Space Station is also orbiting higher after the docked Progress 93 cargo craft fired its thrusters on Wednesday.

Flight Engineers Jessica Meir of NASA and Sophie Adenot of ESA (European Space Agency) kicked off Thursday exploring how to reduce stress and improve sleep while living and working aboard a spacecraft. The duo, right after waking up, first filled out a questionnaire documenting stress and emotions experienced off the Earth. Next, the two astronauts collected their saliva samples so researchers can analyze a crew member’s stress and immunity levels. The RelaxPro study sponsored by ESA explores using non-invasive relaxation and meditation techniques aboard a spacecraft to improve astronaut health and promote mission success.

The NASA and ESA astronauts then joined each other in the afternoon and reviewed setting up hardware for the ARED (advanced resistive exercise device) Kinematics exercise study that takes place in the Tranquility module. They watched a video explaining the precise positioning of four cameras to capture a crew member’s workout, calibrating the cameras, setting up a video monitor, and configuring a computer for data acquisition. Doctors are exploring the forces an astronaut’s muscles and bones experience when working out in weightlessness to maintain fitness and health during a long-term spaceflight.

NASA Flight Engineer Jack Hathaway began his shift organizing blood sampling hardware then retrieving biomedical samples from a science freezer for scientific processing. Afterward, Hathaway transferred food packs into the Harmony module and staged them for future crew usage. During the second half of his shift, he loaded cargo into a SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft for return to Earth then joined Meir for a call to mission controllers discussing their experience flying the Dragon crew spacecraft as it docked to the orbital outpost on Feb. 14.

NASA Flight Engineer Chris Williams partnered with Meir twice on Thursday during two short biomedical sessions. He first assisted her as she drew her blood sample, spun it in a centrifuge, then stowed it in a science freezer to analyze her bone health. Toward the end of the crew’s shift, Meir imaged William’s eyes using medical imaging hardware as doctors on the ground remotely monitored to see how microgravity is affecting his retina, optic nerve, and cornea. Williams also worked in the Kibo laboratory module uninstalling the Solid Combustion Experiment Module following the completion of its scientific objectives, including improving spacecraft fire safety and observing how solid fuels burn in microgravity.

Roscosmos Flight Engineer Andrey Fedyaev, who is beginning his second spaceflight, worked on a pair of investigations on Thursday using advanced technology. For the first experiment, Fedyaev wore virtual reality goggles and responded to visual and audio signals to test his sense of balance and orientation in space. For the second experiment, he tested artificial intelligence-assisted tools to convert speech-to-text for improved documentation for data and communications with ground controllers.

Station Commander Sergey Kud-Sverchkov assisted Fedyaev with the advanced human research studies. Kud-Sverchkov also trained to perform procedures and use medical hardware in case of a medical emergency board the orbital outpost. Finally, the two-time station resident downloaded radiation data the station is exposed to while orbiting Earth for analysis.

Roscosmos Flight Engineer Sergei Mikaev primarily spent Thursday on lab upkeep activities focusing most of his time on locating and inventorying hardware throughout the station’s Roscosmos segment. Mikaev also checked the Elektron oxygen generator’s water tanks for air bubbles to ensure the life support device’s continuous operation.

The Roscosmos Progress 93 spacecraft fired its thrusters for 10 minutes, 55 seconds to reboost the station ahead of the launch of the Progress 94 resupply spacecraft. The maneuver raised the station’s altitude by 2 miles at perigee, placing the space station in an orbit of 269.2 x 255 statute miles.

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