Archivo de la etiqueta: International Space Station

Cancer, Blood Research Tops Science Schedule as Spacewalk Preps Continue

The Expedition 74 crew continued exploring ways to advance cancer treatments and prevent excessive bleeding aboard the International Space Station on Wednesday. The orbital residents are also unpacking a U.S. cargo spacecraft while preparing spacesuits for an upcoming spacewalk.

NASA flight engineer Chris Williams was back on new cancer research treating samples of fruit flies engineered with the genetic profile of pancreatic cancer inside the Kibo laboratory module’s Saibo research rack. The fruit flies, delivered aboard a SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft, will be treated with an anti-cancer drug, frozen for preservation, then returned to Earth so doctors can analyze how the therapy and its molecular mechanisms respond to microgravity. Results may lead to the development of more effective therapies to treat pancreatic cancer both on  Earth and in microgravity.

Another new experiment running onboard the orbital outpost seeks to understand how weightlessness affects a crew member’s blood clotting and immune response.  Blood platelets form clots when a blood vessel is damaged and help stop bleeding. NASA flight engineer Jessica Meir processed blood platelet samples launched aboard Dragon for incubation and growth inside the Kibo’s Life Science Glovebox. Researchers will study the samples to understand how the space environment affects blood platelets at the cellular and genetic level to maintain normal blood clotting, prevent excessive bleeding, and protect astronaut health.

Flight engineers Jack Hathaway of NASA and Sophie Adenot of ESA (European Space Agency) both had a light duty day on Wednesday compensating for their long shift on Sunday, May 17, when they monitored the arrival of Dragon packed with about 6,500 pounds of cargo. Hathaway, however, was back on cargo duty during the second half of his shift on Wednesday continuing to unpack supplies from inside Dragon. Adenot watered and photographed alfalfa plants growing inside the Columbus laboratory module’s Veggie facility for the Veg-06 study. The space agriculture study is exploring plant-microbe interactions to help plants thrive in microgravity and promote food production off the Earth.

Station commander Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and flight engineer Sergei Mikaev, both from Roscosmos, took turns at the beginning of their day pedaling on an exercise cycle while attached to cardiac sensors for a fitness evaluation. Afterward, the duo moved a pair of pressurized Orlan spacesuits into the Poisk module’s airlock and staged them ahead of a spacewalk planned for later this month. Finally, the two cosmonauts configured spacewalk training software and staged medical kits ahead of the upcoming excursion.

Roscosmos flight engineer Andrey Fedyaev assisted his cosmonaut crewmates with the spacesuit transfers and software configurations throughout Wednesday. Fedyaev also replaced orbital plumbing components inside the Nauka science module then cleaned the Poisk module’s ventilation system.

Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_stationon X, as well as the ISS Facebookand ISS Instagram accounts.

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Mark A. Garcia

Astronauts Work Cancer, Cartilage Treatments, Cosmonauts Prep for Spacewalk

The Expedition 74 crew explored advanced treatments for cancer and cartilage injuries on Tuesday using the weightless environment to gain new biomedical insights. The orbital residents also continued gearing up for a spacewalk planned at the end of the month outside the International Space Station.

Space Cancer Therapeutics, one of the newest investigations delivered aboard the SpaceX Dragon, is getting underway aboard the orbital outpost. NASA flight engineer Chris Williams set up the cancer research hardware inside one of the Kibo laboratory module’s research racks to begin observing microgravity’s effect on an anti-cancer drug and its molecular mechanisms. Results may lead to the development of more effective therapies to treat pancreatic cancer both on  Earth and in microgravity.

NASA flight engineer Jessica Meir is exploring ways to grow cartilage tissue in space using specialized hardware to form more natural structures. Meir processed and preserved cartilage samples—grown on Earth and launched aboard Dragon—inside Kibo’s Life Science Glovebox. The tissue samples will be incubated inside the Space Automated Bioproduct Laboratory to learn how to improve cartilage tissue engineering methods in weightlessness. Insights may provide new fitness regimens to protect astronaut health and promote the development of advanced implants to repair and regenerate injured cartilage in patients on Earth.

NASA flight engineer Jack Hathaway kicked off his shift swapping hardware inside the Advanced Space Experiment Processor-2 to support a biotechnology study that explores the synthesis of pharmaceutical compounds. Next, Hathaway serviced a centrifuge in the Columbus laboratory module’s Human Research Facility. At the end of his shift, he photographed new botany research hardware delivered aboard Dragon that will support the growth of microgreens, or plants with higher vitamin and mineral content than mature leaves, as part of a healthy diet for astronauts.

Flight engineer Sophie Adenot of ESA (European Space Agency) worked throughout Tuesday supporting a variety of research taking place aboard the orbital outpost. Adenot began her shift inside the cupola and pointed a camera toward the Moon capturing imagery of Earth’s light reflecting off the lunar surface. Next, she installed a humidifier on the Cell Biology Experiment Facility-L that is housing samples collected for William’s cancer research. Finally, she processed tubes containing biological and material samples shipped on Dragon for a variety of student-designed experiments.

Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergey Mikaev inspected a pair of Orlan spacesuits ensuring life support and communications components were installed correctly and functioning correctly. The duo then studied the procedures for a spacewalk planned at the end of the month with a time and date to be officially announced soon by NASA.

Roscosmos flight engineer Andrey Fedyaev uploaded data to a computer configuring the European robotic arm for its use during the upcoming spacewalk. Next, he joined his cosmonaut crewmates and reviewed the spacewalking activities slated to be conducted outside the orbiting lab.

Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_stationon X, as well as the ISS Facebookand ISS Instagram accounts.

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Mark A. Garcia

Crew Unloads Dragon and Begins New Space Experiments

New science experiments are getting underway aboard the International Space Station after a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft delivered about 6,500 pounds of cargo on Sunday, May 17. The Expedition 74 crew spent Monday unloading the new supplies, kicking off new research, and gearing up for a spacewalk.

NASA flight engineer Jack Hathaway was the first crew member inside Dragon on Sunday when he opened its hatch just a couple of hours after the spacecraft’s docking. Shortly afterward, his crewmates Chris Williams and Jessica Meir, both from NASA, and Sophie Adenot of ESA (European Space Agency) followed him and began transferring time-critical research samples packed inside Dragon’s portable science freezers and stowed them throughout the orbital outpost’s research facilities.

The newest investigation delivered aboard Dragon will explore how living in microgravity affects blood-making cells, or blood platelets, at the cellular and genetic level. Meir started the experiment on Monday inside the Kibo laboratory module’s Life Science Glovebox preparing samples for incubation and growth after Hathway had thawed and spun them in the BioServe centrifuge. Adenot assisted with the research then uninstalled the centrifuge after the samples were processed and handed over to Meir. Researchers will observe the cells growing into platelets to understand how weightlessness affects a crew member’s blood clotting and immune function.

Williams worked in the Harmony module activating sample-containing tubes shipped on Dragon for a variety of student-designed experiments. The tubes were filled with biological samples including plant seeds, bacteria, and mold, as well as material samples such as iron and aluminum. Observations will expand the knowledge of space phenomena and inspire junior high and high school students to consider scientific, technical, and engineering careers.

The next mission event the orbital residents are focusing on is a spacewalk planned for the end of the month. Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergey Mikaev have spent the last several days, including Monday, preparing spacewalking tools and configuring Orlan spacesuits inside the Poisk module’s airlock. The pair also took time out on Monday collecting their blood pressure measurements helping doctors understand how weightlessness affects a crew member’s blood vessels.

Roscosmos flight engineer Andrey Fedyaev focused primarily on maintenance, first updating laptop computer hardware and software. Next, Fedyaev wrapped up his shift inspecting and testing the functionality of electronics systems on the Zarya module.

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Mark A. Garcia

SpaceX Dragon Docks to Station Filled with New Science Experiments

At 6:37 a.m. EDT, the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft docked to the forward port of the International Space Station’s Harmony module, carrying nearly 6,500 pounds of food, supplies, and equipment for the Expedition 74 crew. This is the 34th SpaceX commercial resupply services mission to the space station for NASA.

In addition to cargo for the crew aboard the space station, Dragon will deliver several new experiments, including a project to determine how well Earth-based simulators mimic microgravity conditions, a bone scaffold made from wood that could produce new treatments for fragile bone conditions like osteoporosis, and equipment to help researchers evaluate how red blood cells and the spleen change in space. The Dragon spacecraft also will carry a new instrument to study charged particles around the Earth that can impact power grids and satellites, an investigation that could provide a fundamental understanding of how planets form, and a instrument designed to take highly accurate measurements of sunlight reflected by Earth and the Moon.

The mission launched at 6:05 p.m. May 15 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

Learn more about space station operations by follow @NASASpaceOps and @space_station on X, as well as the International Space Station’s Facebook and Instagram accounts.

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Mark A. Garcia

SpaceX Dragon Approaching Station Packed with Science and Supplies

Live coverage is underway for arrival of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station 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.

At approximately 6:38 a.m. EDT, Dragon will dock autonomously to the forward port of the space station’s Harmony module.

The spacecraft is carrying nearly 6,500 pounds of cargo to the orbiting laboratory aboard SpaceX’s 34th commercial resupply services mission for NASA. The mission launched at 6:05 p.m. on May 15 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

Learn more about space station operations by follow @NASASpaceOps and @space_station on X, as well as the International Space Station’s Facebook and Instagram accounts.

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Mark A. Garcia