Archivo de la etiqueta: International Space Station

Bone Cell Research Advances as Dragon Adjusts Station’s Orbit

Expedition 73 continued observing bone stem cells on Wednesday to learn how to protect the skeletal system in microgravity and ensure crew health on long duration space missions. The International Space Station residents also installed advanced computer hardware and practiced an emergency drill as a SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft boosted the orbital outpost’s altitude.

NASA Flight Engineer Jonny Kim was back inside the Kibo laboratory module processing bone stem cell samples to help doctors understand the molecular changes crew member’s bones experience during a spaceflight. The human-provided samples were delivered recently aboard a SpaceX Dragon cargo craft and are being treated with a therapeutic agent for a closer look and a better understanding of space-caused bone loss. After a period of incubation during the research activities, the specimens are stowed in a science freezer to be returned back to Earth aboard Dragon for retrieval and analysis.

Before the start of the bone study, Flight Engineer Kimiya Yui of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) activated the Life Science Glovebox for Kim to begin his experimental work. Yui then moved on and set up an artificial gravity-generating incubator to study the fermentation and brewing process of sake yeast. At the end of his shift, the two-time station visitor installed the Axiom Data Center Unit-1 in the Destiny laboratory module to test processing and data storage and advanced manufacturing applications on orbit.

Flight Engineers Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke continued unpacking some of the science, supplies, and hardware packed inside Dragon on Wednesday. As the crew worked during the second half of its shift, the external reboost kit installed inside Dragon’s trunk, an independent propellant system, powered the spacecraft’s two Draco engines for several minutes in a demonstration of its ability to maintain the station’s altitude.

Cardman and Fincke also partnered together clearing up space and organizing cargo inside the Permanent Multipurpose Module. Cardman later replaced and repaired hardware on the cupola’s robotics workstation. Fincke reviewed procedures and gathered hardware for an upcoming physics study to develop and design new materials, such as pharmaceuticals, in space.

Station Commander Sergey Ryzhikov and Flight Engineer Alexey Zubritsky, both from Roscosmos, started their shift practicing an emergency evacuation drill with Kim. The three crewmates, who launched to the orbital outpost aboard the Soyuz MS-27 spacecraft, trained on a computer the procedures they would use to quickly board their Soyuz and undock from the station in the unlikely event of an emergency.

Afterward, Ryzhikov and Zubritsky joined fellow Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov and photographed crew activities documenting research work, exercise, maintenance duties, and more. Platonov spent the majority of his shift inside the Nauka science module cleaning components on its ventilation 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

NASA, SpaceX Complete Dragon Space Station Reboost

On Wednesday, Sept. 3, SpaceX’s Dragon completed an initial burn to test the spacecraft’s new capability to help maintain the altitude of the International Space Station. Two Draco engines located in the trunk of Dragon, which contains an independent propellant system, were used to adjust the space station’s orbit through a maneuver lasting five minutes, three seconds. The initial test burn increased the station’s altitude by around one mile at perigee, or low point of station’s orbit, leaving the station in an orbit of 260.9 x 256.3 miles. The new boost kit in Dragon will help sustain the orbiting lab’s altitude through a series of longer burns planned periodically throughout the fall of 2025.

This Dragon spacecraft, which is supporting NASA’s SpaceX 33rd commercial resupply mission, arrived at the orbital complex on Aug. 25. Dragon is scheduled to remain at the space station until late December or early January before returning to Earth with research and cargo, splashing down off the coast of California.

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

Bone Loss, Transistor Tech Top Tuesday Science as Cygnus Launch Announced

Bones and transistors were the main research topics aboard the International Space Station on Tuesday to explore how microgravity affects the human body and advanced technology. Also, the next cargo mission packed with new science, supplies, and hardware for the Expedition 73 crew is targeted to lift off in mid-September.

NASA Flight Engineers Zena Cardman and Jonny Kim were back on space biology duties processing bone stem cell samples inside the Kibo laboratory module’s Life Science Glovebox throughout the day. The duo took turns helping researchers explore how microgravity affects bone tissue to safeguard a crew member’s skeletal system and possibly treat aging conditions and bone diseases on Earth. The samples will be stowed in science freezers and returned to Earth aboard the SpaceX Dragon cargo craft for retrieval and analysis. Later, Cardman peered into standard medical imaging gear operated by Kim as doctors on the ground remotely examined her retinas in real-time looking for any space-caused issues.

NASA Flight Engineer Mike Fincke, on his fourth spaceflight, kicked off his shift unpacking more hardware from inside Dragon including stowage components for a station EXPRESS rack that supports a variety of microgravity experiments. He also brushed up on his Canadarm2 robotic arm skills practicing maneuvers on a computer, documented his meals for the day, then processed his biological samples for stowage and future analysis.

Flight Engineer Kimiya Yui of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) also worked on Dragon cargo transfers assisting Fincke with the science stowage hardware removals. Yui also began deconfiguring fiber manufacturing hardware from inside the Destiny laboratory module’s Microgravity Science Glovebox. Next, the two-time space station resident began installing new experiment gear in an EXPRESS rack to observe how space radiation affects advanced transistor technology.

Station Commander Sergey Ryzhikov of Roscosmos began his inventorying parts that support the Zvezda service module’s treadmill. He also joined Flight Engineer Alexey Zubritsky and tested communications gear inside the Progress 91 that will soon depart the orbiting lab after six-and-a-half months docked to Zvezda’s rear port. Zubritsky also replaced protective shielding on research hardware designed to measure the internal and external neutron radiation environment the space station is exposed to. Roscosmos Flight Engineer Oleg Platonov photographed Platonov during the radiation experiment operations then spent time inside the Nauka science module on servicing life support gear.

NASA, Northrop Grumman, and SpaceX are targeting the launch of the 23^rd Cygnus cargo mission to resupply the orbital outpost for 5:49 p.m. EDT on Sept. 15. Cygnus will launch atop a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida to deliver over 10,000 pounds of new science investigations, spacesuit hardware, crew supplies, and more to replenish the Expedition 73 crew.

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

Bone and Brain Research Fine-Tuning Long-Term Astronaut Health

Bone and brain research wrapped up the week aboard the International Space Station on Friday helping doctors keep astronauts healthy when living in weightlessness. The Expedition 73 crew also checked out spacesuit gear, conducted ultrasound eye scans, and photographed Earth landmarks.

Bone health is critical in space with astronaut’s experiencing accelerated aging-like symptoms similar to older patients on Earth. Keeping astronauts fit in microgravity requires extra attention to protect crew health and prepare their bodies for the return to Earth. NASA Flight Engineer Jonny Kim processed bone stem cell samples inside the Kibo laboratory module’s Life Science Glovebox to explore the molecular mechanisms of space-induced bone loss. The new investigation recently delivered aboard a Space X Dragon cargo craft seeks to safeguard a crew member’s skeletal system and possibly treat aging conditions and bone diseases on Earth.

Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov studied brain adjustment in microgravity and wore virtual reality goggles and responded to computerized stimuli. Researchers will review the results from the ongoing study to learn how a crew’s sense of balance and spatial orientation adapts to weightlessness informing future spaceflight training.

NASA Flight Engineer Zena Cardman worked in the Quest airlock and performed pressure and leak checks on spacesuit jetpack components. The jetpacks are attached to the rear of spacesuits and are a safety mechanism a spacewalker would use to maneuver back to the space station in the unlikely event they became untethered from their worksite. Cardman also inspected and cleaned metal oxide canisters that remove carbon dioxide from the spacesuits.

Cardman also joined Flight Engineers Mike Fincke of NASA and Kimiya Yui of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) for regularly scheduled eye scans with the Ultrasound 2 device. Doctors on the ground observed the downlinked scans in real time to learn how microgravity affects the cornea, lens, and optic nerve.

Statin Commander Sergey Ryzhikov kicked off his shift servicing the Zvezda service module’s ventilation system before ending his day downloading imagery of Australian and South American landmarks. Roscosmos Flight Engineer Alexey Zubritsky uninstalled navigation hardware from the Progress 92 cargo craft that docked to the orbital lab on July 5. Zubritsky later joined Platonov and filmed an educational video demonstrating how objects move in space.

Looking ahead to the next cargo resupply mission, NASA, Northrop Grumman, and SpaceX are targeting no earlier than 5:49 p.m. EDT Monday, Sept. 15, for the launch of the next commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station. The Northrop Grumman Cygnus spacecraft will launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, delivering science and supplies to the orbital complex.

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

Space Fitness and Agriculture Top Station Science Schedule

The Expedition 73 crew explored microgravity’s effect on bone and plant cells and studied futuristic space workouts aboard the International Space Station on Thursday to keep astronauts fit and promote space agriculture.

The lack of gravity aggravates bone loss on astronauts similar to the aging process on Earth. Exercising every day in space slows the rate of bone loss but does not eliminate it completely. NASA Flight Engineers Jonny Kim and Zena Cardman explored the molecular mechanisms of space-induced bone loss for a new investigation delivered aboard a SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft on Aug. 25. The duo took turns operating the study and processing bone stem cell samples inside the Kibo laboratory module’s Life Science Glovebox. Results could help the human skeletal system adapt to spaceflight and lead to advanced treatments for aging conditions and bone diseases on Earth.

Flight Engineer Kimiya Yui of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) also worked inside Kibo processing algae and tobacco plant cells and stowing them in an artificial gravity-generating research incubator. The cell samples will be imaged inside JAXA’s COSMIC fluorescent microscope to visualize microgravity’s effect on plant cell division and microstructures. Insights may lead to improved methods for growing plants on spacecraft and growing crops on the Moon, Mars, and beyond.

NASA Flight Engineer Mike Fincke began his shift working out for an exercise study observing what happens to a crew member’s bone, muscle, and aerobic health when training without a treadmill on a spacecraft. Fincke worked out on the advanced resistive exercise device that mimics free wights in Earth’s gravity for the human research experiment. Researchers are exploring how the lack of walking on a spacecraft will affect future crews and are adjusting space exercise programs. Due to the size limits of a spacecraft, lighter exercise equipment will be necessary to maintain resistive and aerobic training on long duration missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.

Station Commander Sergey Ryzhikov started his shift downloading imagery of Central and Southeast Asia automatically captured overnight as the crew slept. Afterward, he worked on computer software upgrades and filled out a questionnaire helping scientists understand how international crews and mission controllers from around the world communicate with each other.

Roscosmos Flight Engineers Alexey Zubritsky and Oleg Platonov spent their shift on Thursday servicing a wide variety of life support and electronics gear. Zubritsky started his day in the Zarya module examining its power systems then moved into the Zvezda service module and refilled the Elektron oxygen generator. Platonov participated in the computer software upgrades throughout the station’s Roscosmos segment and filmed an educational video demonstrating how objects move in space.

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