Archivo de la etiqueta: International Space Station

Crew Off-Duty, Cosmonauts Work Cargo and Station Upkeep

Four Expedition 74 crew members are enjoying an off-duty day following a busy week of science prep, post-spacewalk closeout procedures, cargo operations, and more. Three other International Space Station residents set their sights on an array of maintenance tasks throughout the day.

NASA astronauts Chris Williams, Jessica Meir, and Jack Hathaway, along with European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Sophie Adenot all had the day off on Friday. The quartet exercised and spent the day relaxing.

NASA continues to assess potential dates for U.S. spacewalk 95 outside the International Space Station as teams prepare for the installation of future roll-out solar arrays. The agency has been reviewing the standard spacesuit preparations and other procedures needed following U.S. spacewalk 94 along with other station activities including cargo, research, and maintenance activities

On March 18, NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Chris Williams successfully completed U.S. spacewalk 94, preparing the 2A power channel and performing additional tasks. This work will enable the future installation of roll-out solar arrays to provide additional power for the orbiting laboratory, supporting critical systems and its safe, controlled deorbit. NASA will share the updated date and time for spacewalk 95 once scheduling is finalized.

In the Roscosmos segment, space station commander Sergey Kud-Sverchkov removed and replaced an AC compressor. He then proceeded to take a health assessment that analyzes how a crew member works individually and with their teammates before conducting some maintenance on the treadmill.

Flight engineer Andrey Fedyaev worked in the Nauka module to replace stowage battery units and test video cameras the crew uses to document work and life aboard the orbital complex.

Flight engineer Sergei Mikaev reviewed the schedule for next week, organized and cleaned up files on station computers, and configured cameras and hardware crewmembers use to take photos of Earth. He ended his day on Progress 94 cargo operations, unloading food and supplies that were delivered earlier this week, and installed a payload that will assist with acquiring images of Earth in the visible and near-infrared ranges.

Science, supplies, and equipment are soon to be delivered to the International Space Station aboard a Northrop Grumman Cygnus XL spacecraft. NASA’s Northrop Grumman Commercial Resupply Services 24 mission is targeted to lift off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida no earlier than Wednesday, April 8 at 8:49 a.m. EDT.

In addition to food, supplies, and equipment for the crew, Cygnus will deliver research to the space station, including a new module to advance quantum science that could improve computing technology and aid in the search for dark matter and hardware to produce a greater number of therapeutic stem cells for blood diseases and cancer. Cygnus also will carry model organisms to study the gut microbiome and a receiver that could enhance space weather models that protect critical space infrastructure, such as GPS and radar.

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

Expedition 74 Works Health Research and Cargo Operations on Thursday

Expedition 74 Works Health Research and Cargo Operations on Thursday

Health research, biology experiments, cleaning, and cargo operations were the main tasks on Thursday’s schedule aboard the International Space Station. The Expedition 74 crew worked an array of activities that look at how the human body reacts to space, analyzed samples for microbial growth, and unloaded a cargo delivery.

NASA astronaut Jessica Meir and European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut kicked off the day collecting biological samples to take a deeper look at how the human body and its functions react and adapt to spaceflight. Afterward, Adenot prepped the samples before stowing them in the orbital lab’s Minus Eighty-Degree Freezer for future analysis.

Meir moved into the Destiny laboratory module to collect water samples from the Potable Water Dispenser. Adenot later processed those samples to assess for any microbial growth. Adenot then began to gather items for an upcoming tech demonstration that uses environmental sensors to collect CO2 measurements.

In the Kibo module, NASA astronaut Chris Williams spent part of his day moving and consolidating stowage. He then removed modules from the Nanoracks main frame to make room for new installations. Williams completed his two-hours of daily exercise on the station’s Advanced Resistive Exercise Device (ARED) and treadmill, to help maintain cardiovascular health and bone and muscle density in zero gravity.

NASA astronaut Jack Hathaway kicked off the day with his two hours of exercise on ARED and the station’s bicycle, CEVIS. Later on, he cleaned vent fans in the Unity module. Near the end of the day, he moved into the Permanent Multipurpose Module to organize stowage and clean with Meir.

Cargo operations were ongoing in the Roscosmos segment throughout the day. In the morning, station commander Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and flight engineer Sergei Mikaev worked together to disassemble the docking mechanism inside the Poisk module. The duo, along with flight engineer Andrey Fedyaev, then spent the day unloading cargo from the recently arrived Progress 94 spacecraft, in addition to a few other tasks, including food consolidation, general maintenance, and data transfers.

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

Science and Operational Prep Work Top Wednesday’s Schedule

Science preparation and procedure reviews topped the schedule aboard the International Space Station on Wednesday. The seven Expedition 74 crew members conducted a variety of tasks to ready for upcoming experiments and to conduct cargo operations.

NASA astronauts Jack Hathaway and Jessica Meir worked separately throughout the day to consolidate food and complete post-spacewalk work following the March 18 spacewalk to install a modification kit on the 2A power channel of the space station ahead of future solar array upgrades. This work included the inspection of the suit glove heaters, data recorders, cameras, and helmet lights.

To prepare for upcoming experiment operations, European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Sophie Adenot spent the morning cleaning and inserting samples into the Soft Matter Dynamics experiment containers, which explore the dynamics of droplets and their size evolution in emulsions. After donning the RelaxPro actigraphy device earlier this week, Adenot transferred the data to ground teams for analysis. She then familiarized herself with spacesuit systems before loading software onto payload hard drives.

In the Kibo module, NASA astronaut Chris Williams spent a large portion of the day installing new data management system racks, which are used to house and manage data for various science experiments. Later in the day, he worked on food consolidation then inspected medical hardware.

Following yesterday’s arrival of the Progress 94 cargo spacecraft,  space station commander Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and flight engineer Sergei Mikaev reviewed cargo transfer and stowage plans as they gear up to unload the nearly three tons of food, fuel, and supplies delivered by the spacecraft.

Later on, Kud-Sverchkov and flight engineer Andrey Fedyaev photographed landmarks across Earth for documentation. Fedyaev also spent time throughout the day conducting some orbital plumbing and reconfiguring station cameras.

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

Cargo Headed to Station, Week Begins with Science Prep and Maintenance

A cargo spacecraft is in orbit catching up to the International Space Station for a docking tomorrow to deliver food and supplies to the Expedition 74 crew. Aboard the orbital lab, the seven residents kicked off the week with science operations prep, routine maintenance, and getting systems ready for a future spacewalk.

In the morning, three NASA astronauts—Jessica Meir, Chris Williams, and Jack Hathaway—split up various duties. Meir conducted routine orbital plumbing and replaced a gas trap plug. Meanwhile, Williams relocated connection cables, set up and inserted canisters in the Cell Biology Experiment Facility, and consolidated food packages. Hathaway set his sights to spacesuit work, stowing batteries and performing a cooling loop scrub on the suits.

Meir and Williams then teamed up to review procedures and checklist items for an upcoming spacewalk. The duo was later joined by Hathaway and European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Sophie Adenot to assemble the roll-out solar array mod kit struts, which will be installed to the exterior of the orbital lab during the upcoming spacewalk.

Before teaming up with her crewmates, Adenot completed a questionnaire, donned an actigraphy device, and collected biological samples for the RelaxPro experiment. The study tests relaxation training protocols in flight, which could contribute to the development of measures to reduce stress and behavioral risks for astronauts on future space missions. Adenot then moved into the Kibo module, where she retrieved and swapped in new cartridges to the Electrostatic Levitation Furnace.

In the Roscosmos segment, two cosmonauts are monitoring and gearing up for the arrival of the Progress 94 cargo spacecraft tomorrow. Progress, loaded with nearly three tons of food, fuel, and supplies, launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 7:59 a.m. EDT March 22. The cargo spacecraft is set to dock to the space-facing port of the station’s Poisk module tomorrow, March 24, at 9:34 a.m. NASA’s live rendezvous and docking coverage will begin at 8:45 a.m. on NASA+, Amazon Prime, and the agency’s YouTube channel. 

Commander Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and flight engineer Sergei Mikaev teamed up to configure and complete training on TORU, the Telerobotically Operated Rendezvous System, which is a control panel located in the Zvezda Service Module. One of the two antennas used for an automated rendezvous and docking did not deploy after separation. Progress will arrive 200 meters from the space station autonomously, then transition to manual piloting for its final approach. Kud-Sverchkov will manually pilot the spacecraft through TORU for rendezvous and docking at the space station’s Poisk module.

Mikaev then moved on to audit stowage, equipment, and hardware throughout the Roscosmos segment. Meanwhile, flight engineer Andrey Fedyaev charged camera batteries, conducted orbital plumbing, then backed up and sent exercise data to ground teams for analysis.

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

Progress Cargo Craft Launches to Resupply Station Crew

The unpiloted Roscosmos Progress 94 spacecraft is safely in orbit and headed to the International Space Station following its launch at 7:59 a.m. EDT (4:59 p.m. Baikonur time) on a Soyuz rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. 

Following launch, one of the Progress spacecraft’s two KURS automated rendezvous antennas did not deploy as planned. All other systems are operating as designed, and Progress will continue toward its planned docking at 9:34 a.m. Tuesday, March 24, to the space-facing port of the station’s Poisk module. Roscosmos will continue troubleshooting the antenna issue. If the antenna cannot be deployed, Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Kud-Sverchkov will manually pilot the spacecraft for rendezvous and docking using the TORU (Telerobotically Operated Rendezvous System), which is a control panel located in the Zvezda Service Module that can be used as a backup to the KURS automated system. 

NASA’s live rendezvous and docking coverage will begin at 8:45 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.  

The spacecraft is delivering about three tons of food, fuel, and supplies to the orbiting laboratory.  

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