Archivo de la etiqueta: International Space Station

Crew Works Robotics Competition and 3D Bioprinter to Manufacture Cells, Tissues

The Expedition 72 crew spent Tuesday setting up a free-flying robotics competition for students and a cleaning a 3D bioprinter. The International Space Station residents also conducted blood and saliva tests, cleaned crew quarters, and packed a cargo ship for departure.

Flight Engineer Don Pettit powered up an Astrobee robotic free flyer at the beginning of his shift on Tuesday and cleared space in the Kibo laboratory module to allow the toaster-sized device to maneuver on its own. Ground controllers then took over and tested Astrobee’s autonomous flight trajectories and its ability to recognize hand gestures. The operations are being set up in advance of the Astrobee-Zero Robotics competition that will see students write algorithms controlling Astrobee to clear objects inside Kibo in a set amount of time.

The BioFabrication Facility (BFF), located in the Columbus laboratory module, is being tested for its capability to print biological, or organ-like, tissues in space and eventually fabricate human organs off the Earth. NASA Flight Engineer Nick Hague spent his shift cleaning pumps, replacing components, and installing bio-ink syringes inside the BFF ensuring ongoing research operations. Print files are uploaded from the ground to the 3D bioprinter, then cells are printed inside a cassette, and finally the cassettes are stowed in a sample processor for 60 days before being returned to Earth for later analysis.

Hague also joined station Commander Suni Williams collecting their blood and saliva samples for testing. The duo processed the blood draws in a centrifuge then stowed the samples in a science freezer for later analysis. Researchers on Earth will examine the specimens to understand how living in weightlessness affects an astronaut’s health. Williams then spent the rest of her day charging batteries on an eye imaging tool, draining orbital plumbing systems, and analyzing station water samples for contaminants.

A Roscosmos Progress 89 cargo craft is due to depart the orbital lab on Feb. 25 after six months docked to the rear port of the Zvezda service module. Cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner packed the Progress 89 with trash and discarded gear and transferred fluids inside the resupply ship before it completes its mission. The Progress 91 cargo craft will replace the Progress 89 when it launches on Feb. 27 and docks to Zvezda’s vacated port two days later.

Cosmonaut and Flight Engineer Aleksandr Gorbunov began his shift powering down an Earth observation camera before inspecting and servicing electronic and ventilation systems inside the orbital outpost’s Roscosmos segment. Gorbunov had a light duty shift during his afternoon then wrapped up his day with a standard medical conference.

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.

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Mark A. Garcia

Muscle Research, Blood Tests To Promote Healthy Crews End Week

Muscle stimulation and blood tests topped the International Space Station research schedule on Friday helping doctors learn how to keep astronauts healthy on long-term missions. The Expedition 72 residents also winded down the work week cleaning spacesuits and life support gear aboard the orbital outpost.

Astronauts use their legs less often aboard the station and need to exercise daily to offset the muscle loss. NASA Flight Engineers Nick Hague and Don Pettit partnered together inside the Columbus laboratory module and explored using electrical stimulation to maintain their leg muscles in addition to the crew’s two-hour daily exercise sessions. Hague was attached to a control unit and electrodes as electrical signals excited his muscles, potentially improving muscle function and endurance in space, while Pettit monitored the research operations. The lack of gravity impacts the human body in many ways and scientists are studying the physiological changes astronauts experience to learn how to counteract those changes. Results may lead to more efficient space exercise methods and smaller, lighter workout equipment on space missions.

The two astronauts started their day collecting their blood samples for processing and stowage in a science freezer. The samples will later be analyzed to understand the physiological changes astronauts experience while living and working on long-term space missions. Hague would later review procedures to install space botany hardware while Pettit prepared the Mochii electron microscope for future imaging operations.

Station Commander Suni Williams spent her day in the Quest airlock servicing a spacesuit following a Jan. 30 spacewalk she conducted with Flight Engineer Butch Wilmore. She emptied and filled suit water tanks, cleaned cooling water loops, and installed lithium-ion batteries ensuring the suit’s readiness for future spacewalks.

Wilmore worked inside the Destiny laboratory module on Friday inspecting, cleaning, and installing new components on an experimental carbon dioxide removal system. The Four Bed Carbon Dioxide Scrubber seeks to demonstrate improved reliability and performance for next-generation life support systems on future spacecraft. Researchers examine carbon dioxide samples from the device and monitor the station’s atmosphere and monitor its operation as crews of various sizes come and go.

Roscosmos Flight Engineers Aleksandr Gorbunov and Alexey Ovchinin took a regularly computer-based hearing test in the quiet area of their crew quarters. Gorbunov also worked throughout Friday on orbital plumbing duties in the Nauka science module. Alexey Ovchinin also replaced electronics and communications hardware before filling an oxygen generator with water. Flight Engineer and cosmonaut Vagner cleaned pumps and pipes inside the Zvezda service module and photographed materials that had been exposed to the external environment for a Roscosmos space experiment.

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.

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Mark A. Garcia

Vein Scans, Muscle Study on Station Informing Ways to Keep Crews Healthy

Human research, the series of ongoing investigations to understand how to keep astronauts healthy while living long-term in space, was the main science topic aboard the International Space Station on Thursday. The Expedition 72 residents also continued packing a cargo craft for its upcoming departure and conducted an emergency drill to stay familiar with response, communication, and coordination procedures.

Four NASA astronauts took turns Thursday morning in the Columbus laboratory module using the Ultrasound 2 device to scan their neck, shoulder, and leg veins. Flight Engineers Butch Wilmore and Nick Hague kicked off the biomedical work as Wilmore powered up the Human Research Facility and its ultrasound hardware. Next, Wilmore scanned Hague’s veins as doctors on the ground monitored in real-time guidance.

Hague then took control of the Ultrasound 2 and scanned the veins of station Commander Suni Williams while she relaxed in the Columbus lab. Afterward, Hague handed over the ultrasound device to Flight Engineer Don Pettit taking his turn as crew medical officer to scan the veins of Wilmore with remote guidance from specialists on Earth. Doctors will use the downlinked medical data to gain insights into crew health and learn how the human body adjusts to living and working in weightlessness.

After the vein scans, Pettit began setting up hardware and connecting electrical gear for the new Muscle Stimulation experiment that seeks to counter space-caused muscle atrophy in crew members’ legs with improved exercise methods. Hague collected his urine samples and stowed them in a science freezer for future testing. Wilmore finalized packing radio communications hardware that had been removed from outside the orbital outpost during a Jan. 30 spacewalk.

Williams also activated an Astrobee robotic free flyer that maneuvered inside the Kibo laboratory module demonstrating its ability to capture and stream live video back to Earth. Williams then retrieved samples of engineered yeast from an incubator and stowed them in a science freezer for later analysis to determine their ability to produce on-demand nutrients on future missions.

Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov pointed a camera out a Zvezda service module window and photographed Earth landmarks in a variety of wavelengths. Flight Engineer Alexey Ovchinin collected trash and obsolete gear for disposal aboard the Progress 89 cargo craft before its departure at the end of February. Flight Engineer Ivan Vagner worked on ventilation maintenance in the Nauka science module.

At the end of their shift, all seven Expedition 72 crewmates gathered together and practiced a regularly scheduled emergency drill. The orbital septet worked in conjunction with mission controllers around the world and followed simulated emergency drill steps on computer tablets. The crew then reviewed procedures to follow in the unlikely event of a depressurization, chemical leak, or fire aboard 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.

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Mark A. Garcia

Keeping Crews Healthy Farther Away from Earth Key Station Research Topic

The Expedition 72 crew continued its research on Wednesday to better understand space-caused eye pressure changes and ensure crew members stay healthy on future missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. The orbital residents also kept up the continuous operations of critical science gear and life support systems on the International Space Station.

Commander Suni Williams and Flight Engineer Nick Hague joined each other on Wednesday studying a method that may reduce space-caused pressure on the back of an astronaut’s eyes. The lack of gravity leads body fluids toward a crew member’s head potentially causing eye structure and vision problems. Williams tried on a thigh cuff that may reverse the headward fluid shifts and protect crews on long-term missions farther away from Earth. Hague performed an ultrasound scan on Williams, examined her eyes, and measured her blood pressure to test the effectiveness of the biomedical device during the human research study.

NASA Flight Engineers Don Pettit and Butch Wilmore spent their day servicing a variety of science hardware and life support systems throughout the orbital outpost’s U.S. segment. Maintaining the advanced science gear is necessary to ensure successful operations of space research experiments and the preservation of numerous types of samples for analysis both on Earth and on the space station. Keeping up life support systems is critical to preserving the orbital lab’s atmosphere for a safe, habitable crew environment in microgravity.

Pettit first disconnected a laptop computer that supported the Plant UV-B study observing how microgravity stress and high ultraviolet radiation affect plant growth in space. Next, he installed an airflow sensor in the Harmony module then measured air velocity inside the Kibo laboratory module’s ventilation system. Wilmore started his day downloading radiation exposure data to a laptop computer. Afterward, he swabbed surfaces in the Kibo, Columbus, and Unity modules to collect microbe samples for analysis. At the end of his shift, Wilmore disassembled the NanoRacks CubeSat Deployer, that deploys microsatellites outside the space station, in preparation for its return to Earth.

Working in the Roscosmos segment of the orbiting lab, Flight Engineers Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner explored the neutron radiation exposure the space station experiences and ways to shield space radiation. The duo installed components on the neutron radiation detection unit and also conducted a photographic inspection of the device. Flight Engineer Aleksandr Gorbunov repaired a water recovery system and worked on water transfer tasks.

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.

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Mark A. Garcia

Crew Studies Space Agriculture, Biotechnology to Promote Future Missions

Tuesday’s International Space Station research objectives included learning how to grow crops on spacecraft and produce vitamins and nutrients in space to sustain crews farther away from Earth. The Expedition 72 crewmates also explored how the human body orients itself in weightlessness and serviced a pair of docked spacecraft.

NASA Flight Engineers Butch Wilmore and Nick Hague joined each other on Tuesday setting up hardware for the Plant Habitat-07 botany experiment inside the Kibo laboratory module. Wilmore installed the science carrier that is packed with red romaine lettuce seeds in Kibo’s Advanced Plant Habitat then collected water samples for analysis. Hague prepared water refill bags and injected water into the plant habitat to begin growing a small crop of lettuce. The space agriculture investigation is exploring optimal plant growth methods in space, the nutritional content of space-grown plants, and the types of microbes they support.

NASA Flight Engineer Don Pettit studied how space radiation exposure affects plant growth at the molecular and cellular levels. He processed samples and watered thale cress plants that had been growing for two weeks in Kibo’s Cell Biology Experiment Facility. The samples were then placed inside a science freezer for future analysis. The Plant UV-B study is observing how microgravity stress and high ultraviolet radiation affects plants to promote growing space crops

Commander Suni Williams continued her investigation into using genetically engineered yeast to produce on-demand nutrients and avoid vitamin deficiencies on long-term missions. She first hydrated production packs containing the yeast and edible media for incubation to activate yeast growth. Williams then photographed and agitated the packs before stowing them inside a research incubator. The samples are later frozen then returned to Earth to analyze their ability promote crew health and improve the preservation of probiotics.

In the orbital outpost’s Roscosmos segment, Flight Engineers Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner took turns wearing a virtual reality headset while attached to electrodes. The two cosmonauts were studying how a crew member’s vision, balance, and spatial orientation adjusts to microgravity. Ovchinin then replaced life support gear inside the Soyuz MS-26 crew ship before gathering items for disposal inside the Progress 89 cargo craft. Vagner pointed a camera outside the Zvezda service module and photographed components on the Nauka science module for routine inspection.

Flight Engineer Aleksandr Gorbunov turned off and stowed a student-controlled camera that photographed pre-programmed Earth landmarks. He then searched areas inside the station’s Roscosmos segment for extra cargo stowage space then worked on Nauka’s ventilation system.

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.

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Mark A. Garcia