Archivo de la etiqueta: International Space Station

New Station Crew Counting Down to Launch Live on NASA+

NASA’s live launch coverage is underway on NASA+ as teams prepare for launch of the Soyuz MS-27 spacecraft to the International Space Station, scheduled for 1:47 a.m. EDT (10:47 a.m. Baikonur time) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

The spacecraft will carry NASA astronaut Jonny Kim and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky to the orbiting laboratory, where the crew will spend approximately eight months conducting science before returning to Earth in December.

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After a two-orbit, three-hour trajectory to the orbital laboratory, the spacecraft will dock automatically to the station’s Prichal module at approximately 5:03 a.m. Shortly after, hatches will open between Soyuz and the space station. NASA’s live coverage of rendezvous and docking will begin at 4:15 a.m. on NASA+.

Once aboard, the trio will join Expedition 72, including NASA astronauts Nichole Ayers, Anne McClain, and Don Pettit, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi, as well as Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin, Kirill Peskov, and Ivan Vagner.

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

Week Ends With Robotics, Exercise Research; New Crew Launches Tuesday

Robotics and exercise research wrapped up the week for the Expedition 72 crew aboard the International Space Station. The orbital residents also tested a thigh cuff that may reverse space-caused fluid shifts in astronauts and explored ways to prevent microbes from spreading on spacecraft.

Removing space debris and servicing satellites in orbit are key objectives to promote the commercialization of space. NASA is studying using robots as a way to perform these important tasks and protect space-based infrastructure. Flight Engineers Don Pettit of NASA and Takuya Onishi of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) joined each other on Friday testing an Astrobee robotic free-flyer outfitted with tentacle-like grippers. They monitored the cube shaped Astrobee as it autonomously detected and maneuvered toward a “capture cube.” The grippers, with gecko-like adhesive pads, then extended toward the test object and grappled it. Engineers are demonstrating the robotic technology’s capability to capture objects made of different materials and textures.

Without Earth’s gravity impacting the human body, muscles and bones begin to atrophy since astronauts aren’t attached to the ground and spend less energy moving around a spacecraft. To offset those space-caused symptoms, as well as condition the cardiopulmonary system, crews exercise two hours a day every day on a variety of machines. Scientists monitor those workouts to understand how the body adapts to physical activity in microgravity and ensure crews stay healthy during long duration missions. NASA Flight Engineer Nichole Ayers pedaled on an exercise cycle while attached to sensors and breathing gear measuring how her heart and lungs respond to working out in weightlessness. Doctors will use the data to learn how space affects aerobic capacity, improve space workouts, and prepare astronauts for strenuous tasks such as spacewalks.

Ayers also joined Onishi as he wore a specialized thigh cuff that may change how fluids flow in a crew member’s body preventing head and eye pressure during spaceflight. Onishi wore electrodes on his chest while Ayers scanned his legs with the Ultrasound 2 device measuring his blood flow to determine the effectiveness of the thigh cuffs. At the end of the experiment, Onishi discussed the comfort, fit, and usability of the biomedical gear with a researcher on the ground.

Ayers and Pettit also took turns with NASA Flight Engineer Anne McClain and worked on spacesuit maintenance in the Quest airlock. The trio checked for suit oxygen leaks, replaced electronics components, and serviced life support gear. At the beginning of McClain’s day, she swabbed her body collecting biological samples and placed them in a science freezer for preservation and later analysis.

Roscosmos Flight Engineer Ivan Vagner collected samples of microbes growing inside the station to understand how they survive in space and learn how to keep the spacecraft environment biologically safe. Flight Engineer Kirill Peskov measured the amount of carbon dioxide in the station’s atmosphere then inspected and cleaned Roscosmos networking equipment. Station Commander Alexey Ovchinin continued readying the Soyuz MS-26 crew ship and its cargo for the return to Earth on April 19 with him, Vagner, and Pettit.

NASA astronaut Jonny Kim and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexander Zubritsky are counting down to their launch aboard the Soyuz MS-27 spacecraft at 1:47 a.m. on April 8 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan to the orbital outpost. They will orbit Earth for just over three hours before docking to the Prichal docking module, joining the Expedition 72 crew, and beginning an eight-month research mission.

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 Advanced Tech, Space Biology Before Next Crew Departs

3D printing, space navigation, and human research filled the science schedule aboard the International Space Station on Thursday. The Expedition 72 crew members are helping researchers plan missions farther away from Earth with less support from mission controllers.

Flight Engineers Don Pettit of NASA and Takuya Onishi of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) kicked off their day supporting operations for the Metal 3D Printer investigation to learn how to print spare parts in space. Pettit opened the 3D printer’s sealed box and removed a printed specimen for analysis. Onishi assisted Pettit with the sample removal tasks before the duo returned the space manufacturing hardware back into the Columbus laboratory module’s European Drawer Rack-2.

Onishi later tested new space navigation technology that could provide a more accurate alternative to satellite systems for lunar navigation. Pettit spent the rest of his day repressurizing the station’s air and servicing orbital plumbing gear.

NASA Flight Engineer Anne McClain continued her exercise research to understand how the heart and lungs respond to strenuous activity in microgravity. She pedaled on an exercise cycle while wearing breathing gear and electrodes measuring her aerobic capacity, or the bodies’ ability to deliver and use oxygen while working out. The data collected from the experiment will help scientists understand the energy needs required by astronauts for intense physical activities such as spacewalks.

NASA Flight Engineer Nichole Ayers spent her day on lab maintenance ensuring the upkeep of the orbital outpost. She began her day inspecting and cleaning avionics hardware in the Destiny laboratory module that cools space station racks. Pettit and McClain assisted with the life support work installing airflow sensors on a carbon dioxide removal system in Destiny. Ayers later brushed up on her robotics proficiency skills practicing Canadarm2 robotic arm maneuvers on a computer.

Station Commander Alexey Ovchinin of Roscosmos continued collecting cargo for packing inside the Soyuz MS-26 crew ship that he, Pettit, and Flight Engineer Ivan Vagner will ride in when they return to Earth on April 19. Vagner joined Flight Engineer Kirill Peskov and set up hardware to image a variety of landmarks on Earth in the visible and near-infrared wavelengths for analysis. Vagner later worked on cargo transfers inside the Progress 90P cargo craft. Peskov wrapped up his shift with more Earth observations imaging the nighttime atmosphere in ultraviolet wavelengths.

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

Station Orbiting Higher to Welcome Next Crew Mission

The International Space Station is orbiting higher today after the Progress 91 cargo craft fired its thrusters for over 17 minutes while docked to the Zvezda service module. The reboost places the orbital outpost at the correct altitude for the arrival of the Soyuz MS-27 spacecraft and its three crew members next week.

NASA astronaut Jonny Kim and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexander Zubritsky will lift off aboard the Soyuz MS-27 at 1:47 a.m. on April 8 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. They will orbit Earth twice before docking to the Pirs docking compartment just over three hours later. The trio will stay in space for an eight-month research mission.

Less than two weeks after the new crew’s arrival, NASA Flight Engineer Don Pettit will return to Earth with Expedition 72 Commander Alexey Ovchinin and Flight Engineer Ivan Vagner, both Roscosmos cosmonauts. The veteran crewmates will board the Soyuz MS-26 crew ship, undock from the Rassvet module, and parachute to a landing in the steppe of Kazakhstan less than three-and-a-half hours later ending a seven-month mission.

JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi will take over command of the space station from Ovchinin the day before he leaves with Pettit and Vagner. Expedition 72 will end and Expedition 73 will officially begin the moment the Soyuz MS-26 undocks from Rassvet.

Onishi stayed focused on lab upkeep on Wednesday first installing an air quality monitor in the Zarya module, with assistance from Pettit, then organizing food packs stowed in the station’s U.S. segment. Pettit cleaned crew quarters and installed airflow sensors in the Harmony module.

Ovchinin worked throughout Wednesday gathering items for return to Earth aboard the Soyuz MS-26 that he will command during the ride back to Earth. Vagner spent his day with fellow cosmonaut Kirill Peskov checking electronic systems in the Nauka science module. Peskov also conducted a hearing test then installed hardware to image Earth’s nighttime atmosphere in ultraviolet wavelengths.

NASA Flight Engineer Anne McClain spent part of her day servicing life support gear and collecting water samples from an oxygen generator in the Unity and Destiny modules. She also tested streaming and downlinking ultra-high-definition video from a camera aboard the Kibo laboratory module.

NASA Flight Engineer Nichole Ayers also spent her day on lab maintenance first inspecting and cleaning the ventilation system in the Destiny lab module. Next, she recorded the acoustic environment and measured the temperature and humidity of life support equipment in the Destiny and Harmony modules.

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

Exercise Research Main Focus Aboard Station on Tuesday

Exercise research was back on the science schedule for the Expedition 72 crew on Tuesday ensuring astronauts stay healthy and in shape while living and working in weightlessness. The International Space Station residents also continued a host of other microgravity research exploring robotics, combustion, and more.

Space-caused muscle and bone loss are key concerns for NASA and its international partners planning long-duration crew missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. Scientists know that exercising two hours a day, seven days a week aboard the orbital outpost helps offset the effects of long-term weightlessness. However, continuous research is underway to learn how muscles and bones, including the heart and lungs, respond to a variety of space workouts to maximize the benefits of exercising in microgravity as crews spend more time off the Earth.

Flight Engineers Don Pettit and Takuya Onishi, during the first half of their shift, took turns pedaling on an exercise cycle while wearing breathing gear and electrodes attached to their chest inside the Destiny laboratory module. The data collected from the hardware measures the astronauts’ heart and breathing rate to evaluate aerobic capacity, or the bodies’ ability to deliver and use oxygen during strenuous physical activity, in space.

Afterward, Pettit from NASA activated an Astrobee robotic free-flyer and tested its abilities to recognize and respond to hand gestures ahead of a student competition to control the device using computer code. Onishi from JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) opened up Destiny’s Combustion Integrated Rack, adjusted fire safety research gear, and photographed the final configuration for analysis.

NASA Flight Engineer Anne McClain worked out on the advanced resistive exercise device (ARED), located in the Tranquility module, for the CIPHER suite of 14 human research investigations. She performed squats on the ARED that mimics free weights on Earth for the portion of the study assessing any changes to her cardiorespiratory fitness, muscle strength, and endurance due to living in weightlessness.

Next, McClain put on an experimental wearable dosimeter that measures radiation dosages crews are exposed to in real time. Finally, McClain joined NASA Flight Engineer Nichole Ayers and replaced power distribution hardware inside Tranquility at the end of their shift.

Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner tested the lower body negative pressure suit for its ability to reverse the space-caused flow of body fluids toward a crew member’s head. Results may prevent microgravity-induced head and eye pressure and help crews adjust quicker to the return to Earth’s gravity. Roscosmos Flight Engineer Kirill Peskov spent his shift cleaning ventilation systems, checking radiation detectors, and adjusting oxygen sensors on gas analyzers.

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.

Get the latest from NASA delivered every week. Subscribe here: https://www.nasa.gov/subscribe

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Mark A. Garcia