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Expedition 74 Ready for Thursday Spacewalk and Continuing Research

Expedition 74 is making final preparations for the first spacewalk of 2026 that will see two NASA astronauts exit the International Space Station for power upgrade work on Thursday. Science also continued aboard the orbital outpost with Wednesday’s research focusing on physics, microbiology, artificial intelligence, and Earth observations.

Station Commander Mike Fincke and Flight Engineer Zena Cardman are on track to conduct their mission’s first spacewalk set to begin at 8 a.m. EST on Thursday. The duo’s primary task during the six-and-a-half-hour spacewalk will be installing a modification kit and routing cables for a future roll-out solar array. Secondary tasks include installing jumper cables, taking hardware photos, and collecting microorganism samples. NASA will begin its live spacewalk coverage at 6:30 a.m. on NASA+, Amazon Prime, and the agency’s YouTube channel.

Fincke and Cardman began Wednesday organizing their spacewalking tools and supplies inside the Quest airlock where they will exit the orbital outpost on the following day. Next, they finished configuring their spacesuits and the associated life support and emergency components. At the end of their shift, they were joined by Flight Engineers Chris Williams of NASA and Kimiya Yui of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) for a final spacewalk procedures review and a readiness conference with mission controllers on the ground. Williams and Yui will assist the astronauts in and out of their spacesuits, pressurize and depressurize the Quest airlock, and monitor the spacewalkers as they work outside the orbiting lab.

Before wrapping up Wednesday’s spacewalk preparations, Williams and Yui worked on physics and microbiology research. Williams worked in the Destiny laboratory module’s Microgravity Science Glovebox testing ways to preserve cryogenic fluids and maintain tank pressure—research that could lead to improved spacecraft designs and advanced storage systems on Earth. Yui serviced microbe samples in the Kibo laboratory module’s Life Science Glovebox, exploring the use of ultraviolet light to disinfect spacecraft surfaces and protect crew health and hardware.

Roscosmos Flight Engineers Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Oleg Platonov investigated using artificial intelligence to transcribe audio files documenting daily crew activities and improve crew operations aboard spacecraft. Roscosmos Flight Engineer Sergei Mikaev concluded an overnight Earth observation session by uninstalling a camera that photographed landmarks from Australia to South America during the crew’s sleep shift and downlinking the imagery to researchers on the ground. The cosmonaut trio will continue normal research and maintenance operations in the station’s Roscosmos segment during Thursday’s spacewalk.

The three flight engineers will set up another automated overnight Earth observation session photographing islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, inspect and audit tools, emergency gear, and cargo, and maintain life support systems.

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

Life Science Fills Day as Expedition 74 Nears Thursday Spacewalk

Exercise research and biomedical science promoting healthy humans on and off Earth topped the schedule aboard the International Space Station on Tuesday. Meanwhile, two NASA astronauts are preparing for the year’s first spacewalk, scheduled to begin Thursday.

Expedition 74 Commander Mike Fincke of NASA spent Tuesday exploring how exercising in weightlessness affects a crew member’s musculoskeletal system. Fincke first set up specialized video gear and calibrated the hardware to monitor how his body responds to working out on the Tranquility module’s advanced resistive exercise device (ARED). Next, he performed a series of squats on the ARED—a device that mimics free weights on Earth—as researchers on the ground monitored. Insights from this study will allow doctors to adjust and improve spaceflight workouts, ensuring astronauts maximize muscle and bone health. Potential Earth benefits include improving athletic training and advancing recovery and rehabilitation techniques.

NASA Flight Engineers Zena Cardman and Chris Williams partnered in the Columbus laboratory module for a pair of eye checks for human research. Cardman led both checks, first operating hardware that sent light signals to electrodes attached around Williams’ eyes. Biomedical software then recorded how his retinas and the cells in the back of his eyes responded to the flashes of light. For the second eye exam, Cardman operated medical imaging gear that Williams peered into for a different look at his retina, cornea, and lens. The downlinked data will help researchers understand and treat potential space-caused changes to eye anatomy and function.

Fincke and Cardman are scheduled to begin a six-and-a-half-hour spacewalk at 8 a.m. EST on Thursday, with live NASA+ coverage starting at 6:30 a.m. The duo will finalize their preparations on Wednesday by organizing tools, checking spacesuits, and reviewing spacewalk procedures with assistance from Williams and Flight Engineer Kimiya Yui of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency). During the spacewalk, they will install a modification kit and route cables to set up the station’s port-side truss structure for a future roll-out solar array. NASA managers previewed on X Thursday’s spacewalk and a second spacewalk planned for Jan. 15.

Yui began his day Tuesday practicing robotic maneuvers planned for the Jan. 15 spacewalk, which will involve installing and relocating hardware on the orbital outpost. Afterward, Yui collected water samples from an oxygen generator for ground analysis, then cleaned a filter and screen on the life support device.

Roscosmos Flight Engineers Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev studied how living and working in microgravity affects the respiratory system. The cosmonauts took turns wearing an acoustic sensor around their tracheas to record sounds as they forcefully exhaled. Results will help doctors and crews monitor the respiratory system and provide early signs of possible space-caused breathing disorders.

Roscosmos Flight Engineer Oleg Platonov started his shift photographing his cosmonaut crewmates as they conducted lung research activities. Next, he cleaned, inspected, and photographed fans and ventilation system components in the Nauka science module.

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

Expedition 74 Gears Up for First Spacewalk of 2026

The Expedition 74 crew is gearing up for the first spacewalk of 2026 this week that will see two astronauts prepare the International Space Station for a new set of roll-out solar arrays. The orbital residents also had time on Monday to conduct microgravity research, pack a U.S. cargo craft, and maintain communications and life support systems.

NASA astronauts Mike Fincke and Zena Cardman are scheduled to exit the orbital outpost’s Quest airlock at 8 a.m. EST on Thursday for a six-and-a-half-hour spacewalk. The duo will install a modification kit and route cables setting up the station’s port side truss structure for a new roll-out solar array that will be delivered on an upcoming cargo mission. Other tasks include installing jumper cables, photographing station hardware, and swabbing external station surfaces to collect potential microorganism samples. Managers will preview Thursday’s spacewalk and a second spacewalk scheduled for Jan. 15 on NASA’s YouTube channel beginning at 2 p.m. on Tuesday.

Fincke and Cardman were joined by Chris Williams of NASA and Kimiya Yui of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) on Monday reviewing Thursday’s spacewalk procedures and confirming their readiness with mission controllers on the ground. Williams and Yui will assist the duo in and out of their spacesuits, pressurize and depressurize the Quest airlock, and monitor the spacewalkers as they work on their tasks in the external environment of space. Fincke and Cardman also checked out their spacesuit emergency jetpacks that enable a spacewalker to safely maneuver back to the orbital outpost in the unlikely event they become untethered.

Yui and Williams also partnered together at the end of the day on Monday installing cassettes containing protein crystal samples inside the Advanced Sample Experiment Processor-4 and photographing the research activities. The science work took place in the Destiny laboratory module and was done in support of the Pharmaceutical In-Space Laboratory set of experiments that is exploring developing and manufacturing medicines in space.

Earlier, Yui worked inside SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft transferring items as it nears its departure planned for later this month. Williams had begun his day with Cardman inside the Tranquility module packing hardware for stowage inside the NanoRacks Bishop airlock.

Roscosmos Flight Engineer Oleg Platonov started his day wearing an acoustic monitor around his neck that recorded him as he exhaled forcefully for a study researching lung function in weightlessness. Afterward, he inventoried medical kits ensuring pharmaceuticals and hardware were up to date. Cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev familiarized themselves with the same lung function study Platonov participated in and learned about the acoustic characteristics of the trachea, monitoring the respiratory system, and early diagnosis of potential space-caused breathing disorders.

Earlier, Mikaev worked inside the Zarya module searching for and documenting the location of a variety of hardware. Kud-Sverchkov also worked inside Zarya inventorying video hardware before replacing filters and cleaning life support gear in the Rassvet module.

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 CRS-33 Dragon Boost Space Station

On Dec. 29, SpaceX’s Dragon fired its thrusters for more than 19 minutes, boosting the International Space Station’s orbit.

The two Draco engines, which are located in the spacecraft’s trunk and use an independent propellant system, increased the station’s altitude by 1.6 miles at apogee, or highest point of station’s orbit, and 1.9 miles at perigee, or low point of station’s orbit, placing the station in an orbit of 263.5 x 257.8 miles.  

This Dragon spacecraft, which is supporting SpaceX’s 33rd commercial resupply mission for NASA, arrived at the orbital complex on Aug. 25 and previously performed four reboosts of the station on Sept. 3, Sept. 26, and Oct. 14, and Nov. 7. One additional reboost is planned in mid-January before Dragon returns to Earth with critical research and cargo and splashes 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

Brain Research, Heart Health Wrap Up Work Week Aboard Station

The Expedition 74 crew explored how living in space affects the brain and blood circulation on Friday to ensure crews stay healthy and ensure long-term mission  success. The International Space Station residents also focused on spacewalking tools and science hardware maintenance wrapping up the week.

NASA Flight Engineer Chris Williams began his shift on Friday collecting his blood and urine samples for analysis then stowing them in a science freezer. Afterward, Williams participated in a pair of tests to document potential space-caused changes to brain structure and performance for the long-running CIPHER investigation.  The first test measured his spatial cognition, or ability to orient himself in weightlessness, while the second test recorded his reactions as he practiced Canadarm2 robotic arm maneuvers during a computer simulation to capture a cargo spacecraft. Doctors will use the results to evaluate cognitive performance and develop tools to monitor and protect the brain in microgravity.

Station Commander Mike Fincke of NASA and Flight Engineer Kimiya Yui of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) took turns studying how blood flows from the brain to the heart to understand cerebral and cardiac efficiency in space. The duo wore electrodes and sensors on their neck, collarbone, and ribs measuring blood flow and volume changes that may lead to space-related cardiac issues such as blood clots or arterial stiffness.

Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev also explored vascular health wearing chest electrodes and blood pressure cuffs on the arms, wrists, and fingers for their space agency’s Endothelium human research experiment. They were studying how the inner lining of blood vessels works to keep blood flowing smoothly, regulate pressure, and prevent clots in crew members. Doctors are monitoring how weightlessness and space radiation affect a cosmonaut’s arteries, blood pressure, and heart during a spaceflight.

NASA Flight Engineer Zena Cardman was back inside the Quest airlock on Friday organizing spacewalking tools and wearing virtual reality goggles training how to operate a spacesuit emergency jetpack. The jet pack, officially called Simplified Aid For EVA Rescue, or SAFER, enables a spacewalker to maneuver safely back to the orbital outpost in the unlikely event they become untethered.

Roscosmos Flight Engineer Oleg Platonov finalized an overnight photography session that automatically photographed Earth landmarks in near-ultraviolet wavelengths during the crew’s sleep shift. Next, Platonov replaced a vacuum pump and transferred liquids during standard orbital plumbing maintenance. Finally, the first-time space flyer checked video recording gear and formatted video memory cards wrapping up his work week aboard the orbiting lab. The Expedition 74 crew members will call down to family members, share gifts and meals, and celebrate Christmas and New Year’s Eve in orbit.

Pending further mission updates in December this will be the last International Space Station blog post of 2025. The next regular blog update is planned for Monday, Jan. 5, 2026. You can also visit nasa.gov/station on the web or @space_station on X, ISS Facebook, and ISS Instagram on social media for the latest mission information.

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Mark A. Garcia