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Crew Unpacks Dragon and Begins Activating New Science Experiments

Five spacecraft are docked at the International Space Station following the arrival of a cargo-packed SpaceX Dragon on Thursday. The Expedition 75 crew members have begun unloading Dragon and are activating new science experiments to benefit life on and off the Earth.

Dragon completed its automated docking to the orbital outpost’s space-facing port on the Harmony module at 10:27 a.m. EDT on Thursday. The uncrewed spacecraft began its mission with a launch atop a Falcon 9 rocket at 6:33 a.m. on Wednesday from Florida carrying over 6,300 pounds of new science, supplies, and roll-out solar arrays.

Shortly after Dragon’s arrival on Thursday, NASA flight engineer Anil Menon conducted pressure and leak checks then equalized pressure between the cargo spacecraft and the space station. Afterward, Menon opened the hatch and entered Dragon followed by flight engineers Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney of NASA and Joshua Kutryk of CSA (Canadian Space Agency).

The quartet quickly got to work transferring a variety of critical scientific samples from portable science freezers and incubators into station science freezers and research racks for upcoming study and analysis. Some of the new experiments will soon explore creating artificial retinas and growing heart tissues in weightlessness. Other investigations being activated on Friday and over the weekend include growing protein crystals to develop more precise cancer treatments and observing the genetic response of plants growing in microgravity to advance spacecraft life support systems.

A pair of roll-out solar arrays are installed inside Dragon’s unpressurized trunk where they will soon be retrieved by the Canadarm2 robotic arm. Engineers on the ground will remotely command Canadarm2 to remove the roll-out solar arrays from Dragon and temporarily stow them on logistics platforms on the station’s truss structure. Menon and Kutryk will finalize the installation of the roll-out solar arrays during a pair of spacewalks scheduled for Oct. 29 and Nov. 5. The solar arrays will be activated on the truss structure augmenting the space station’s power generation system.

Station commander Pyotr Dubrov and flight engineer Anna Kikina of Roscosmos wrapped up a weeklong study exploring the use of an exoskeleton suit to remotely control robots. The duo investigated wearing the specialized Teledroid suit while using virtual reality goggles and operating hand controls to manipulate tools in a simulated space environment. Results may help crew members prepare for remote robotics operations on future long-term space exploration missions.

Roscosmos flight engineer Sergey Teteryatnikov participated in a different virtual reality study wearing a headset and responding to computerized stimuli testing how his sense of balance and orientation are adapting to weightlessness. Teteryatnikov wrapped up his shift at the end of the week inspecting hydraulics components and servicing the Elektron oxygen generator.

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

SpaceX Dragon Docks with Science, Supplies, and Roll-Out Solar Arrays

At 10:27 a.m. EDT, the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft docked to the space-facing port of the International Space Station’s Harmony module, delivering more than 6,300 pounds of food, supplies, and equipment for the Expedition 75 crew. This is SpaceX’s 35th commercial resupply services mission to the space station for NASA.

Aboard the Dragon spacecraft is the final set of International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Arrays, or IROSAs, which will be installed later this fall. The spacecraft also is delivering hardware to manufacture artificial retinas in microgravity to help restore vision on Earth and 3D heart tissue models to advance large‑scale drug testing on future missions. The spacecraft will carry materials to study how a new type of glass forms in microgravity and brain organoids that could reveal treatment targets for neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and multiple sclerosis.

The spacecraft is scheduled to remain at the space station until mid-November when it will depart and return to Earth with time-critical research and cargo, splashing down off the coast of California.

The mission launched at 6:33 a.m. EDT Oct. 13 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

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

SpaceX Dragon Cargo Mission Approaching Station

NASA is streaming live coverage as it prepares for the docking of SpaceX’s 35th commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station for the agency. Watch online at:  

https://www.nasa.gov/live

At approximately 10:30 a.m. EDT, the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft will dock autonomously to the space-facing port of the station’s Harmony module. The spacecraft is carrying more than 6,300 pounds of cargo, including the final pair of International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Arrays to the orbiting laboratory.

The mission launched at 6:33 a.m. Oct. 13 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

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

Crew Preps for Dragon’s Arrival During Vision and Robotics Research

A SpaceX Dragon spacecraft is orbiting Earth on its way to the International Space Station for a docking on Thursday. The Expedition 75 crew members are preparing for Dragon’s arrival while also conducting eye checks, maintaining spacesuit gear, and practicing innovative robotics solutions aboard the orbital outpost.

Flight engineers Anil Menon of NASA and Joshua Kutryk of CSA (Canadian Space Agency) will be on duty monitoring Dragon during its automated approach and rendezvous on Thursday. The duo joined NASA flight engineers Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney on Wednesday afternoon and called down to mission controllers to discuss cargo operations after Dragon arrives. NASA+ begins its live coverage at 9:15 a.m. EDT broadcasting Dragon’s arrival and docking to the Harmony module’s space-facing port scheduled for 11 a.m.

Dragon is carrying over 6,300 pounds of science, supplies, and roll-out solar arrays including research hardware to support creating artificial retinas and growing heart tissues in weightlessness. The roll-out solar arrays are stowed in Dragon’s unpressurized trunk and will be installed and activated on the space station’s truss structure for power generation during upcoming spacewalks.

All four astronauts also participated in eye exams inside Harmony peering into medical imaging gear while doctors on the ground observed their retina, lens, and cornea in real time. Insights may lead to a better understanding of how a long duration spaceflight affects vision and the shape of the eye to ensure mission success.

Menon earlier transferred student-controlled Earth observation hardware from the Destiny laboratory module into the Columbus laboratory module. Kutryk cleaned the inside of an EXPRESS rack installed in Columbus. Delaney and Watkins also partnered together inside the Quest airlock preparing a spacesuit and its sensitive components for return to Earth and stowing recharged lithium-ion batteries that power the spacesuits.

Roscosmos cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina were back inside the Nauka science module testing an exoskeleton suit to remotely control robots. The Teledroid experiment investigates wearing a specialized suit, using virtual reality goggles, and operating hand controls to manipulate tools in a simulated space environment. Results may help crew members prepare for remote robotics operations on future long-term space exploration missions.

Roscosmos flight engineer Sergey Teteryatnikov worked inside the Zvezda service module updating software on a laptop computer that controls the European robotic arm (ERA). The ERA was launched to the station on July 21, 2021, and was configured for activation during a spacewalk on April 28, 2022.

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

Dragon Launches New Cargo as Crew Works Biomedicine, Advanced Space Tech

The seven-member Expedition 75 crew awaits the arrival of an uncrewed SpaceX Dragon that launched on Tuesday carrying new cargo for delivery on Thursday. When Dragon reached orbit the lab residents were midway through their day filled with biomedical research and advanced space innovations.

A cargo-packed Dragon spacecraft lifted off atop a Falcon 9 rocket from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 6:33 a.m. EDT on Tuesday. Loaded inside Dragon are over 6,300 pounds of science, supplies and roll-out solar arrays due to arrive at 11 a.m. on Thursday. Some of the new science will explore creating artificial retinas and growing heart tissues in weightlessness. Dragon is also carrying the final pair of roll-out solar arrays that will be installed on upcoming spacewalks to augment the orbital outpost’s power generation system.

While they wait for Dragon’s arrival, flight engineers Anil Menon of NASA and Joshu Kutryk of CSA (Canadian Space Agency) inspected and cleaned a science freezer in the Kibo laboratory module during the first half of their shift on Tuesday. Menon later joined fellow NASA astronauts Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney and used a medical imaging device for eye checks to help doctors understand how microgravity affects the retina, cornea, and lens. Kutryk wore the Bio-Monitor vest and headband that comfortably tracks a crew member’s health data while living and working in space.

Watkins began her shift servicing 3D cell printing hardware in the Destiny laboratory module then swapped batteries on an Astrobee free-flying robotic assistant. Delaney set up the Echo tele-operated ultrasound scanner system for remote maintenance by ground engineers then removed a battery adapter from inside a spacesuit emergency jetpack.

Station commander Pyotr Dubrov and flight engineer Anna Kikina of Roscosmos tested an exoskeleton suit for its ability to remotely control robots. One cosmonaut wore the suit while wearing virtual reality goggles, simulating picking up and using tools, and plugging and unplugging connectors. The other cosmonaut monitored the activities on a computer while providing verbal guidance. The next-generation Teledroid experiment may help crew members prepare for future long-term space exploration missions.

Cosmonaut and flight engineer Sergey Teteryatnikov, on his first spaceflight, spent most of his shift in the Nauka science module cleaning smoke detectors. He spent the last portion of his shift on Tuesday continuing to familiarize himself with space station systems and procedures.

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