Archivo de la etiqueta: International Space Station

Week Wraps with Space Biology, Spacewalk Preps, and Space Station Reboost

Science hardware maintenance filled the day for the Expedition 74 crew following the release of two cargo spacecraft in less than a week at the International Space Station. The orbital residents also continued more reviews for next week’s spacewalk, kept up their ongoing human research program, and readied another spacecraft for departure.

Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus XL cargo spacecraft completed its resupply mission to the orbital outpost when the Candarm2 robotic arm released it into Earth orbit at 7:06 a.m. EDT on Thursday, March 12. It will reenter the atmosphere for a fiery, but safe demise above the South Pacific Ocean on Saturday. JAXA’s (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) HTV-X1 cargo spacecraft left the space station on Friday, March 6, when the Canadarm2 released it. HTV-X1 will orbit Earth for several more weeks of remotely controlled science experiments before an atmospheric reentry above the South Pacific.

Working inside the orbiting lab’s Kibo laboratory module, NASA flight engineers Chris Williams and Jack Hathaway completed the workweek servicing a variety of research gear ensuring continuous operations of microgravity science. Williams swapped a large centrifuge for a smaller centrifuge inside Kibo’s Saibo rack to support future biology experiments. Hathaway replaced an obsolete high-definition video camera with an upgraded one inside Kibo’s airlock that will be placed outside of the station to capture Earth imagery and spacecraft arriving and departing at the orbital outpost.

Williams then joined NASA flight engineer Jessica Meir at the end of their shift and called down to mission controllers to discuss procedures for a spacewalk scheduled on Wednesday, March 18. The team reviewed the spacewalking tools and tasks necessary to install a modification kit and route cables on the port side of the orbital outpost. The external maintenance work will enable the next roll-out solar array to be installed on a future spacewalk after it is delivered on a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft.

Earlier, Meir began her shift with flight engineer Sophie Adenot of ESA (European Space Agency) in the Columbus laboratory module and helped her set up the PhysioTool health monitoring experiment. Meir helped Adenot attach portable sensors on her body measuring a variety of health parameters including heart, lung, and brain activity. Results may enable more comprehensive biomedical data of the effects of living and working in weightlessness.

Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev wrapped up a weeklong cardiac study observing how weightlessness impacts a crew member’s circulatory system. The station commander and flight engineer, respectively, once again attached sensors on their forehead, fingers, and toes that sent their blood flow data by Bluetooth adaptor to a laptop computer for analysis. Kud-Sverchkov started his shift checking the operation of lights throughout the station’s Roscosmos segment. Mikaev prepared the trash-packed Progress 92 cargo spacecraft for its upcoming departure by disconnecting docking components and closing the hatch.

Roscosmos flight engineer Andrey Fedyaev kicked off his shift replacing orbital plumbing components and checking their functionality inside the Zarya module. Next, Fedyaev transferred fluids between tanks and removed air bubbles as part of maintenance for the Zvezda service module’s Elektron oxygen generator. Finally, the two-time station resident filmed his crewmates as they were going about science, maintenance, and exercise activities to document life onboard the International Space Station.

The International Space Station is orbiting higher today after the Progress 93 cargo spacecraft, docked to the Zvezda service module’s aft port, fired its engines for 10 minutes, 30 seconds at 11:58 a.m. EDT. The reboost increased the space station’s altitude by half a mile at apogee and nine-tenths of a mile at perigee, leaving the station in an orbit of 266 x 257 statute miles. 

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Mark A. Garcia

Canadarm2 Releases Cygnus XL Spacecraft Ending Cargo Mission

At 7:06 a.m. EDT, Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus XL was released from the Canadarm2 robotic arm, which earlier detached the cargo spacecraft from the Earth-facing port of the International Space Station’s Unity module. At the time of release, the station was flying about 260 miles over the south Atlantic Ocean.

The Cygnus XL spacecraft successfully departed the space station more than seven months after arriving at the orbiting laboratory to deliver about 11,000 pounds of supplies, scientific investigations, commercial products, hardware and other cargo for NASA and its international partners.

The spacecraft will be commanded to deorbit on Saturday, March 14, to dispose of several thousand pounds of trash during its re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere, where it will harmlessly burn up.

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

Cygnus XL Spacecraft Departing Station Soon Live on NASA+

Live coverage of the departure of Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus XL cargo spacecraft from the International Space Station is underway on NASA+, Amazon Prime, and the agency’s YouTube channel. The spacecraft’s release is scheduled for 7:05 a.m. EDT.  

Flight controllers on the ground will send commands for the space station’s Canadarm2 robotic arm to detach the Cygnus XL spacecraft from the Unity module’s Earth-facing port and maneuver it into position for release. ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Sophie Adenot will monitor Cygnus’ systems as it departs.  

Cygnus XL will be commanded to deorbit on Saturday, March 14, to  dispose of several thousand pounds of trash during its re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere, where it will harmlessly burn up.  

The Northrop Grumman spacecraft launched in September 2025 on a SpaceX Falcon 9   rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. This mission was the first flight of the larger, more cargo-capable version of the solar-powered spacecraft.  

Northrop Grumman named the spacecraft the S.S. William “Willie” McCool in honor of the NASA astronaut who perished in 2003 during the space shuttle Columbia accident.  

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 Research and Spacewalk Preps Before Cygnus XL Spacecraft Departs

The Expedition 74 crew members spent Wednesday studying the cardiovascular system while preparing for a spacewalk to upgrade the orbital outpost’s power generation system. A U.S. cargo spacecraft is also packed and ready for its departure from the International Space Station on Thursday.

NASA flight engineers Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway kicked off their shift with vein scans inside the Columbus laboratory module. Meir led the Venous Flow biomedical study operating the new Ultrasound 3 device and scanning Hathaway’s veins while he wore electrodes on his chest measuring his heart activity. Doctors are investigating space-caused blood flow changes that may lead to an increased risk of blood clots in astronauts.

Meir also partnered with flight engineer Sophie Adenot of ESA (European Space Agency) and filled out a questionnaire to document their sleep patterns then collected their saliva samples for preservation in a science freezer and later analysis. Meir later took a cognition test to understand how living in weightlessness affects a crew member’s spatial orientation, visual tracking, decision making, and more for the Standard Measures study.

Adenot and Meir worked together throughout Wednesday readying the Cygnus XL cargo spacecraft for its detachment from the Unity module and release into Earth orbit at 7:05 a.m. on Thursday with the Canadarm2 robotic arm. Adenot configured hardware that will enable Cygnus XL to be disconnected from Unity then closed the spacecraft’s hatch. Meir set up the equipment that will depressurize Cygnus XL in advance of its departure. NASA’s live coverage of undocking and departure begins at 6:45 a.m. on NASA+, Amazon Prime, and the agency’s YouTube channel. Learn how to watch NASA content through a variety of online platforms, including social media.

Meir’s main task, however, was working with NASA flight engineer Chris Williams in the Quest airlock to configure the tools they will use on an upcoming spacewalk to ready the orbital outpost for a new roll-out solar array. Meir and Williams will work in the vacuum of space to install a modification kit and route cables on the port side of the orbital outpost. The external maintenance work will enable the next roll-out solar array to be installed on a later spacewalk after it is delivered on a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. Williams and Hathaway then joined flight engineer Sophie Adenot of ESA (European Space Agency) and trained on a computer for the Canadarm2 robotic arm maneuvers necessary to support the spacewalkers.

The Roscosmos cosmonauts also worked on their portion of cardiac research adding to the biomedical data scientists from around the world collect and use to understand how living in space affects vascular health. Commander Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and flight engineer Sergei Mikaev once again took turns wearing sensors on their forehead, fingers, and toes that sent their blood flow data by Bluetooth adaptor to a laptop computer for analysis. Flight engineer Andrey Fedyaev began a 24-hour health monitoring session wearing electrodes and cuffs that recorded his heart’s electrical activity and blood pressure.

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

More Spacewalk Preps, Advanced Research as Cargo Craft Readies for Departure

The Expedition 74 crew continued its spacewalk preparations on Tuesday while keeping up vascular health research and artificial intelligence studies. Mission managers have also given the go for the departure of a U.S. cargo spacecraft from the International Space Station this week.

NASA flight engineer Jessica Meir tried on her spacesuit today with assistance from fellow NASA flight engineer Jack Hathaway inside the Quest airlock. The duo confirmed that the spacesuit is airtight and properly configured and assessed its comfort and mobility. Afterward, flight engineers Chris Williams of NASA and Sophie Adenot of ESA (European Space Agency) joined the pair and called down to mission controllers for a spacewalk procedures review. Earlier, Williams prepared a helmet for installation on a spacesuit while Adenot trained to use the Canadarm2 robotic arm to support the spacewalkers.

Meir and Williams are preparing for an upcoming spacewalk to ready the orbital outpost for a new roll-out solar array. The duo will spend about six-and-a-half-hours in the vacuum of space installing a modification kit and routing cables on the port side of the orbital outpost for the future roll-out solar array. The station’s seventh roll-out solar array will be installed on a later spacewalk to augment the main solar arrays’ power generation capabilities.

Cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev joined each other again on Tuesday and applied sensors to their forehead, fingers, and toes that sent their blood flow data by Bluetooth adaptor to a laptop computer where it was recorded for analysis. Doctors will use the biomedical data to understand how living in space affects vascular health.

Kud-Sverchkov also cleaned and inspected the Zvezda service module’s ventilation system. Mikaev took turns with Roscosmos flight engineer Andrey Fedyaev continuing to test artificial intelligence tools as a way to improve crew operations and communications with mission controllers. Fedyaev earlier spent time inside the Nauka science module replacing orbital plumbing components, inspecting its ventilation system, and measuring the airflow.

Mission managers have approved the departure of Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus XL spacecraft for 7:05 a.m. EDT on Thursday after nearly six months attached to the Unity module. Robotics controllers will remotely command the Canadarm2 to uninstall Cygnus from Unity then release it into Earth orbit for a fiery, but safe reentry above the South Pacific Ocean two days later.

NASA’s live coverage of undocking and departure begins at 6:45 a.m. on NASA+, Amazon Prime, and the agency’s YouTube channel. Learn how to watch NASA content through a variety of online platforms, including social media.

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