Archivo de la etiqueta: International Space Station

Busy Science Day on Station; Mission Updates for Ax-4 and SpaceX Crew-11

Exercise research and spacesuit maintenance topped the schedule for the Expedition 73 and Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) crews on Thursday. The 11 orbital residents also kept up an array of space research to improve human health while ensuring the International Space Station continues orbiting Earth in tip-top shape.

NASA Flight Engineer Nichole Ayers kicked off her shift activating the Bio-Monitor vest and headband to measure her health data. She wore the sensor-packed wearable gear that collected her blood pressure, heart, and breathing activity while she pedaled on the Destiny laboratory module’s exercise cycle. Doctors will use the information to help monitor and protect crew health as NASA and its international partners plan missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. Ayers then spent the second half of her shift swapping out life support components and transferring water in a pair of spacesuits inside the Quest airlock.

Station Commander Takuya Onishi from JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) called down to high school students in Japan and the United Kingdom and talked to them about living and working in space. Afterward, Onishi set up a science laptop computer and a centrifuge in the Kibo laboratory module for the Plant Cell Division study to learn how to develop agricultural methods for missions to the Moon and Mars.

NASA Flight Engineers Jonny Kim and Anne McClain focused mainly on lab upkeep throughout the orbital outpost on Thursday. Kim worked in the Unity module setting up hardware and configuring cables to troubleshoot pressure valves used to depressurize the Nanoracks Bishop airlock. McClain performed fluid transfer duties inside Destiny while also continuing to assist the Ax-4 crewmates during their science experiments.

Ax-4 private astronauts Peggy Whitson, Shubhanshu Shukla, Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski, and Tibor Kapu were busy all-day Thursday conducting their critical research. The quartet explored electrical muscle stimulation to supplement space exercise, a human-computer interface, and blood flow inside the brain. Ax-4 is scheduled to complete its mission at the orbital outpost no earlier than Monday, July 14, and undock inside the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft from the Harmony module’s space-facing port for a return to Earth.

Working in the station’s Roscosmos segment, Flight Engineer Sergey Ryzhikov serviced an oxygen generator then tested new cameras recently delivered aboard the Progress 92 resupply ship. Cosmonaut Alexey Zubritskiy spent his day continuing to unload some of the nearly three tons of cargo still packed inside the Progress 92. Cosmonaut Kirill Peskov worked throughout the day on life support maintenance and orbital plumbing in the station’s Roscosmos segment.

Four members of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission are targeting their launch aboard the SpaceX Dragon to the space station for no earlier than 12:09 p.m. on July 31. Commander Zena Cardman of NASA, Pilot Mike Fincke of NASA, and Mission Specialists Kimiya Yui from JAXA and Oleg Platonov are preparing for a research mission on the orbiting lab. Watch the Crew-11 Mission Overview and Crew News Conference that were broadcast on YouTube today for more information.

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

Light Duty Day Amid Space Research and Crew Swap Preps

A portion of the Expedition 73 crew as well as the Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) quartet had a light duty day on Wednesday. There was still time aboard the International Space Station for a variety of research activities and preparations for an upcoming crew swap.

NASA Flight Engineers Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers relaxed for half-a-day on Wednesday following a week-and-a-half of supporting their Ax-4 visitors. McClain began her shift collecting her saliva samples for analysis while Ayers recorded her cardiovascular and respiratory data. Next, McClain deactivated a Kubik incubator following several days of blood and saliva processing. Ayers documented her reactions on a computer to an experimental lighting system that helps astronauts maintain their circadian rhythms in space.

NASA Flight Engineer Jonny Kim had a mostly off-duty day taking timeout for his daily exercise routine working out on the Tranquility module’s advanced resistive exercise device and pedaling on the Destiny laboratory module’s exercise cycle.

Kim, at the end of his shift joined McClain, Ayers, and station Commander Takuya Onishi of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) and called down to Earth and talked to the four SpaceX Crew-11 members as they count down to their mission to the orbital outpost. NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke along with JAXA astronaut Kimiya Yui and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov are preparing to launch aboard the SpaceX Dragon crew spacecraft at the end of July to begin a seven-month space research mission. Program managers and the Crew-11 quartet will discuss the upcoming mission during a pair of news conferences set to begin a 12 p.m. EDT Thursday on YouTube.

Onishi stayed busy on Wednesday spending the first part of his shift setting up communications gear in the Kibo laboratory module preparing for an upcoming conference with Japanese high school students. After lunch, Onishi completed several days of blood and saliva sample work removing the specimens from incubation, spinning them in a centrifuge, then stowing them in a science freezer for preservation and later analysis. Scientists will analyze the biological samples to learn how space affects cellular immunity and potentially treat space-caused immunity symptoms.

The four Ax-4 private astronauts cleared their schedule on Wednesday for a break after several days of continuous research duties since they arrived on June 26 aboard the SpaceX Dragon. However, there was time for processing cyanobacteria samples to test recycling carbon dioxide and nitrogen on spacecraft. The astronauts also exercised using specialized bands of different tensions for a variety of upper and lower body exercises to stretch, activate muscles, and minimize back pain in the space environment.

The three flight engineers from Roscosmos had a full day on Wednesday staying busy with human research, life support maintenance, and cargo transfers. Veteran cosmonaut Sergey Ryzhikov on his third spaceflight kicked off his day checking out the Zarya module’s thermal control system. He then joined cosmonaut Alexey Zubritskiy for a blood pressure study then swapped out a lens on a student-controlled Earth observation camera. Zubritskiy tested new tablet computers delivered recently aboard the Progress 92 cargo craft. Cosmonaut Kirill Peskov began his shift downloading recently captured Earth imagery then spent the rest of his day collecting carbon dioxide measurements and on orbital plumbing tasks.

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

Tuesday’s Station Research Advancing Crew Health as Crew Unpacks Cargo

Biomedical research topped the science schedule aboard the International Space Station on Tuesday as the Expedition 73 and Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) crews explored cellular immunity and electrical muscle stimulation. Cargo transfers and exercise gear maintenance rounded out the day for the orbital residents.

Station Commander Takuya Onishi from JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) began his shift continuing his space biology studies and collecting his blood and saliva samples for processing and stowage. He spun the specimens in a centrifuge then placed the blood samples in a science freezer. Next, he stowed the saliva samples in the Kubik incubator. The samples will be analyzed to understand microgravity’s effect on cellular immunity, monitor stress-related immune reactions in space, and learn how to treat space-caused immunity symptoms.

NASA Flight Engineers Jonny Kim, Nichole Ayers, and Anne McClain spent their day on a variety of orbital lab maintenance and crew support activities. Kim focused primarily on orbital plumbing as he drained and replaced tanks in the Tranquility module. Ayers checked power components and cables inside the Destiny laboratory module then deactivated and stowed a microscope. McClain took a cognition test on a laptop computer and continued supporting the Ax-4 crew during their busy research schedule.

Veteran astronaut Peggy Whitson and her Ax-4 crewmates Shubhanshu Shukla, Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski, and Tibor Kapu kept up their numerous space investigations throughout the orbital lab. The private astronauts in their second full week on the station explored electrical muscle stimulation to enhance space workouts and counter muscle atrophy in microgravity. Other Ax-4 experiments on Tuesday looked at suit fabrics that promote thermal comfort when exercising in weightlessness, crew behavioral health, and space agriculture.

Roscosmos Flight Engineers Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritskiy spent their Tuesday shift working together in the Zvezda service module repairing and placing components on a treadmill, one of two inside the space station including the COLBERT treadmill located in Tranquility. Flight Engineer Kirill Peskov started his day analyzing biological samples from his cosmonaut crewmates then serviced video recording gear. He wrapped up his shift transferring water from the newly arrived Progress 92 cargo craft and unloading some of its three tons of crew supplies and hardware.

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

Week Starts with Muscle Stimulation and Cellular Research During Cargo Transfers

The Expedition 73 crew kicked off the week studying electrical muscle stimulation and cellular immunity to protect crew health in microgravity. The orbital residents are also unpacking a new cargo craft and continuing to support the Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) crew aboard the International Space Station.

NASA Flight Engineers Nichole Ayers and Anne McClain joined each other in the Columbus laboratory module on Monday and explored stimulating muscles with small electrical signals to help prevent space-caused muscle atrophy. Ayers wore electrodes as McClain operated biomedical gear sending electrical impulses to her legs simulating load forces on the ground. Researchers are exploring electrical muscle stimulation to supplement daily space workouts and keep astronauts fit in weightlessness.

Ayers then partnered with NASA Flight Engineer Jonny Kim assisting him as he inspected hatches in the Quest airlock and the Harmony module and downlinked photographs for further analysis by engineers on the ground. Kim began his day in the Tranquility module replacing orbital plumbing components then switched over to the Destiny laboratory module and swapped out research hardware.

Station Commander Takuya Onishi from JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration) began his shift with a standard cognition test then documented his meals and medication for the day. Afterward, Onishi set up computer hardware that supports the advanced resistive exercise device then collected his saliva samples for stowage in the Kubik incubator and later analysis to study cellular changes in microgravity.

Before she assisted Ayers, McClain serviced spacesuit life support gear then checked cable connections on a computer that supports the MUSES commercial Earth observation hardware. McClain also worked throughout the day supporting the Ax-4 crew members as they conducted their private research.

Veteran astronaut and Ax-4 Commander Peggy Whitson spent Monday assisting her Ax-4 crewmates Shubhanshu Shukla, Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski, and Tibor Kapu during their busy day of space experiments. The quartet explored a wide array of subjects including space agriculture to provide fresh food for crews, how blood circulates in space, a human-computer interface, and more on Monday.

The new Progress 92 cargo craft is being unloaded today after its docking to the Poisk module on Saturday, July 5. Roscosmos Flight Engineers Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritskiy opened Progress’ hatch on Sunday and continued working into Monday transferring some of its three tons of food, fuel, and supplies into the orbital outpost. Ryzhikov later activated a camera pointed at Earth that students will remotely control for a weeklong observation session. Flight Engineer Kirill Peskov assisted his cosmonaut crewmates with the cargo work, worked on computer electronics gear, and photographed the external condition of Poisk with the Progress 92 docked to it.

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

Progress Cargo Craft Docks to Station Resupplying Expedition 73

The unpiloted Progress 92 spacecraft arrived at the space-facing port of the orbiting laboratory’s Poisk module at 5:25 p.m. EDT, Saturday, July 5. The spacecraft launched at 3:32 p.m. EDT on July 3 (12:32 a.m. Baikonur time, July 4) on a Soyuz rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. 

The Roscosmos spacecraft is delivering about three tons of food, fuel, and supplies for the Expedition 73 crew aboard the International Space Station. It will remain docked for approximately six months before departing for a re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere to dispose of trash loaded by the 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