Space Delivery Arrives at Station Aboard Progress Cargo Craft
The Progress 90 cargo craft carrying nearly three tons of food, fuel, and supplies approaches the International Space Station for a docking to the Poisk module. Credit: NASA+
The unpiloted Progress 90 spacecraft arrived at the space-facing port of the International Space Station’s Poisk module at 9:31 a.m. EST, Saturday, Nov. 23. The spacecraft launched at 7:22 a.m. (5:22 p.m. Baikonur time) Nov. 21, 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 72 crew aboard the International Space Station and 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.
Space Deilvery Arrives at Station Aboard Progress Cargo Craft
The Progress 90 cargo craft carrying nearly three tons of food, fuel, and supplies approaches the International Space Station for a docking to the Poisk module. Credit: NASA+
The unpiloted Progress 90 spacecraft arrived at the space-facing port of the International Space Station’s Poisk module at 9:31 a.m. EST, Saturday, Nov. 23. The spacecraft launched at 7:22 a.m. (5:22 p.m. Baikonur time) Nov. 21, 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 72 crew aboard the International Space Station and 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.
Progress Cargo Craft Approaching Station Live on NASA+
The Progress 90 spacecraft is pictured moments before launching on Nov. 21, 2024, from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Credit: NASA
NASA’s live coverage of rendezvous and docking is underway on NASA+ and the agency’s website. Learn how to watch NASA content through a variety of platforms, including social media.
The unpiloted Roscosmos Progress 90 spacecraft will automatically dock at 9:36 a.m. EST, to the space-facing port of the International Space Station’s Poisk module.
The spacecraft launched at 7:22 a.m. (5:22 p.m. Baikonur time) Nov. 21, on a Soyuz rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
Immunity, Botany Studies Wrap Week Before Cargo Mission Arrives Saturday
The Progress 88 cargo craft from Roscosmos approaches the International Space Station on June 1, 2024.
The Expedition 72 crew members continued studying how the human immune system responds to weightlessness while also setting up space botany and exercise hardware at the end of the week. Meanwhile, a cargo craft is on its way to resupply the International Space Station on Saturday.
Three NASA astronauts worked throughout Friday processing cell samples inside the Kibo laboratory module’s Life Science Glovebox. Flight Engineer Nick Hague kicked off the research work fixating bone marrow cell samples that produce platelets, or tiny blood cells that form clots to stop bleeding. Next, he imaged those samples in a fluorescent microscope to observe space-caused inflammation and immunity changes.
Commander Suni Williams joined in the sample processing and imaging work toward the end of her shift allowing Hague to take a break for his daily exercise sessions. Flight Engineer Butch Wilmore assisted the duo during the daylong biology research activating the microscope, handing over the cell samples to his teammates for examination, then collecting the processed samples for stowage in a science freezer. The Megakaryocyte Flying-One investigation seeks to protect astronaut health on space missions and provide insights for blood conditions on Earth.
Williams also set up the Advanced Plant Habitat in advance of research operations for the Plant Habitat-07 experiment. She added water to the facility then collected water samples for microbial analysis. The upcoming space botany study will explore how different water levels affect plant growth and the community of microorganisms that live on plants. Results may lead to improved methods for growing food on Earth and in space.
NASA Flight Engineer Don Pettit set up breathing measurement gear and exercise hardware on Friday. He attached sensors to his chest then pedaled on the Destiny laboratory module’s exercise cycle checking out the performance of the biomedical instrumentation and systems.
A new cargo craft is orbiting Earth and on its way to deliver nearly three tons of food, fuel, and supplies to the Expedition 72 crew. Roscosmos Flight Engineers Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner will be on duty monitoring the Progress 90 resupply ship when it docks to the space station‘s Poisk module at 9:36 a.m. EST on Saturday. The hatches will open to Progress about three hours after its docking and the cosmonauts will begin unloading the new supplies.
Live coverage of Progress’ rendezvous and docking begins at 8:45 a.m. Saturday on NASA+ and the agency’s website. Learn how to watch NASA content through a variety of platforms, including social media.
Ovchinin and Vagner started Friday cleaning ventilation systems in the Zvezda service and Nauka science modules. The duo then called down to mission controllers and discussed Progress’ automated approach and rendezvous procedures. Flight Engineer Aleksandr Gorbunov assisted his fellow cosmonauts with the cleaning duties, conducted a hearing test, then wrapped up his day maintaining life support equipment.
Space Delivery on its Way to Station, Crew Keeps Up Advanced Research
Astronaut Suni Williams checks out the Astrobee robotic free-flyer outfitted with tentacle-like arms containing gecko-like adhesive pads to demonstrate satellite capture techniques.
The Progress 90 cargo craft is orbiting Earth and on its way to resupply the International Space Station after its launch Thursday morning. In the meantime, the Expedition 72 crew continued exploring space immunity and a host of other research topics while servicing spacesuits on Thursday.
The Progress lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome at 7:22 a.m. on Thursday beginning its two-day journey to the space station. Packed inside Progress are nearly three tons of food, fuel, and supplies due to arrive at the orbital outpost when Progress automatically docks to the Poisk module at 9:36 a.m. EST on Saturday. Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner will be on duty Saturday monitoring the cargo ship during its automated approach and rendezvous maneuvers.
NASA Flight Engineers Don Pettit and Nick Hague were back on space biology on Thursday continuing to explore how living in space affects inflammation, or how the body responds to injury or infection. The duo imaged the biological samples using specialized luminescence hardware to visualize space-caused inflammatory changes. Insights from the biology study may help researchers protect astronaut health on long-term space missions.
NASA Flight Engineer Butch Wilmore replaced experiment samples inside the Combustion Integrated Rack for a fire safety experiment that observes how flames spread in the weightless environment. He also continued servicing a spacesuit that was recently delivered aboard the SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft. Wilmore first removed hardware that secured the spacesuit inside Dragon then installed camera and data cables on the suit with assistance from Commander Suni Williams from NASA. Afterward, Wilmore performed standard maintenance emptying and filling water tanks on a pair of spacesuits inside the Quest airlock.
Williams spent most of her day inside the Tranquility module removing components from inside the waste and hygiene compartment, the space station’s bathroom. Wilmore assisted Williams as she removed the orbital plumbing gear during a break in his science and spacesuit tasks.
Roscosmos Flight Engineer Aleksandr Gorbunov installed Earth observation hardware to obtain visible and near-infrared imagery of natural and human-made changes on the Earth’s surface. Ovchinin spent his day disinfecting the Zvezda service module and cleaning its ventilation systems. Vagner jogged on Zvezda’s treadmill for a fitness evaluation then tested a 3D printer for its ability to manufacture tools and hardware on the orbital lab.
