Archivo de la etiqueta: iss

Ongoing Spacewalk Preps, Emergency Training Keep Crew Busy on Wednesday

Spacewalk preparations are ongoing aboard the International Space Station as two astronauts gear up to replace a high-speed antenna next week. The Expedition 75 crew members also practiced their emergency response skills in coordination with mission controllers on Earth.

Spacesuit maintenance and procedure reviews filled the schedule on Wednesday to support a spacewalk scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 18. Flight engineers Anil Menon of NASA and Sophie Adenot of ESA (European Space Agency) will work outside the orbital outpost for about six-and-a-half hours to replace a high-speed data and communications antenna.

Menon and Adenot joined NASA flight engineer Jack Hathaway and studied the steps necessary to remove a failed space-to-ground antenna, stow it on an external platform, then install a spare antenna on the space station’s Z1 truss segment. Hathaway, along with NASA commander Jessica Meir, will assist the spacewalkers next week both in and out of their spacesuits and operate the Canadarm2 robotic arm during the excursion.

Meir was on spacesuit duty throughout Wednesday, first swapping out a safety filter that prevents unwanted gas and moisture from entering a suit’s breathing and cooling systems. Afterward, she bundled the spacesuits using straps and a storage bag for temporary stowage inside the Quest airlock. Menon also worked on the spacesuit that he will wear next week adjusting its arm, leg, and waist components.

Roscosmos flight engineers Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina took turns during their shift conducting a photographic inspection of windows inside the Zvezda service module, the Nauka science module, and the Poisk mini-research module. Dubrov later activated Earth observation hardware for an automated photography session of Asia-Pacific landmarks during the crew’s sleep shift. Kikina transferred water between tanks to support the operation of Zvezda’s Elektron oxygen generator. Roscosmos flight engineer Andrey Fedyaev assisted Kikina with the oxygen generator maintenance then checked power connections and took inventory of electronics gear stowed in Nauka.

All seven Expedition 75 crew members began Wednesday together and called down to mission controllers on Earth to practice their emergency roles and responsibilities. The crewmates used computer tablets and reviewed procedures for emergency scenarios such as a pressure leak, a chemical leak, or a fire. They also coordinated with ground personnel and mimicked the actions necessary to protect themselves and the space station.

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 Works Vein Scans For Health and Suit Checks for Spacewalk

Vein scans and spacesuit checks were the top duties for the Expediton75 crew aboard the International Space Station on Tuesday. The orbital residents also continued their Earth photography sessions, cargo operations, and life support maintenance.

Station commander Jessica Meir kicked off her shift collecting blood samples inside the Columbus laboratory module for the Venous Flow investigation that is exploring how microgravity affects the circulatory system. Afterward, she spun the samples in a centrifuge, analyzed the samples for signs of space-caused blood issues, then stowed the samples in a science freezer for preservation.

NASA flight engineer Jack Hathaway took charge of Tuesday’s first set of vein scans operating the Ultrasound 3 biomedical device to observe Meir’s internal jugular veins then measured her blood pressure. Meir and Hathaway also took part in the second set of vein scans after lunchtime taking turns using the Ultrasound 3 with flight engineers Anil Menon of NASA, Sophie Adenot of ESA (European Space Agency) and Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina, both from Roscosmos. Doctors on the ground monitored the ultrasound scans in real-time to understand the risk of blood flow anomalies and blood clots during a spaceflight.

Hathaway, Menon, and Adenot also worked together throughout Tuesday servicing spacesuit gear ahead of a spacewalk planned for Tuesday, Aug. 18. The trio took turns swapping spacesuit components inside the Quest airlock where Menon and Adenot will exit the orbital outpost next week. The spacewalking duo will spend about six-and-a-half hours swapping out a high-speed data and communications antenna on the station’s Z1 truss segment.

Roscosmos flight engineer Andrey Fedyaev had a busy Tuesday, first starting his shift photographing landmarks throughout Africa and Eastern Europe. Next, Fedyaev spent the rest of his day inside the Zarya module troubleshooting electronics gear and laptop computers. Pyotr Dubrov began his day cleaning smoke detectors in the Poisk module then wrapped up his shift loading obsolete hardware inside the Progress 94 cargo spacecraft for disposal when it departs in September. Kikina worked primarily inside the Zvezda service module maintaining the ventilation system and cleaning areas behind the panels inside Zarya.

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

Station Crew Gears Up for Next Spacewalk, Keeps Up Microgravity Research

The next spacewalk outside the International Space Station is set to take place on Tuesday, Aug. 18. Two Expedition 75 astronauts will work in the vacuum of space to replace a space-to-ground antenna to maintain high-speed data and communication transmissions between the orbital outpost and mission controllers.

Flight engineers Anil Menon of NASA and Sophie Adenot of ESA (European Space Agency) are gearing up for next week’s spacewalk that will see the duo spend about six-and-a-half hours swapping an antenna on the orbital outpost’s Z1 truss segment. Menon and Adenot worked together on Monday inside the Quest airlock and organized the tools they will carry outside of the space station for the replacement job. Station commander Jessica Meir and flight engineer Jack Hathaway, both from NASA. studied the Canadarm2 robotic arm maneuvers they will use to assist next week’s spacewalkers. Hathaway and Adenot also took turns cleaning the cooling systems in a pair of spacesuits. The quartet wrapped up Monday’s shift reviewing procedures for the upcoming spacewalk.

The most recent spacewalk took place on Aug. 6 to augment the space station’s power system. Meir and Menon spent six hours and 27 minutes building a modification kit on the station’s Starboard 6 truss segment where a roll out solar array is slated to be installed later this year.

The astronauts still had time for science on Monday and explored microgravity’s effect on physics, the human body, and more. Meir worked in the Destiny laboratory module and swapped physics research hardware for an investigation studying ways to manufacture semiconductor crystals and process metal alloys in weightlessness. Menon checked the Kibo laboratory module’s solid combustion experiment module for leaks. Adenot jogged on the COLBERT treadmill while wearing the EasyMotion-2 suit that sent electrical impulses and triggered muscle contractions to supplement her workout session

Roscosmos cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina kicked off their shift testing communication systems in the Zvezda service module. Dubrov then continued studying artificial intelligence tools to improve crew operations. Kikina cleaned the ventilation systems inside the Rassvet and Poisk moules.

Roscosmos flight engineer Andrey Fedyaev worked on a pair of different experiments on Monday. He first pointed a camera out a station window and photographed rivers and glaciers across Eastern Europe and Asia. Next, he wore virtual reality goggles and responded to computerized visual stimuli testing how his sense of balance and direction adapts to microgravity.

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

Space Station Crew Wraps Busy Week, Plans New Date for US Spacewalk 97

On Aug. 6, NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Anil Menon concluded a 6-hour, 27-minute spacewalk outside the International Space Station. Meir and Menon successfully completed their primary objective of preparing the 3B power channel for the future installation of a roll out solar array. Toward the end of the spacewalk, a carbon dioxide sensor on Menon’s spacesuit indicated an unexpected data reading. Menon reported no other issues during the spacewalk.

Although the sensor returned to normal readings following removal of the suit, engineers on the ground will continue to evaluate over the coming days whether to change suits for the next spacewalk. As a result, NASA will move the next spacewalk to replace a Space-to-Ground antenna on the space station to Tuesday, Aug. 18. As of now, the third planned spacewalk this month remains scheduled on Tuesday, Aug. 25. The agency will provide additional spacewalk details early next week.

Afterward, the NASA astronauts joined flight engineers Jack Hathaway of NASA and Sophie Adenot of ESA (European Space Agency) for a post-spacewalk briefing with mission controllers on the ground. The quartet discussed their experiences with the engineers to ensure readiness for future spacewalks. Hathaway and Adenot helped the astronauts in and out of their spacesuits and monitored their spacewalking tasks on Thursday.

On Friday, NASA astronaut Jack Hathaway of studied Canadarm2 robotic arm operations planned to support the next spacewalk. NASA will soon name the spacewalkers who will replace a space-to-ground antenna to maintain high-speed data and communication transmissions between Mission Control Center and the space station.

ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Sophie Adenot was back on exercise research working out with new and advanced gear to inform countermeasures that may improve muscle and bone health in microgravity. She first wore the EasyMotion-2 suit that sent electrical impulses and triggered muscle contractions to supplement her workout session on the advanced resistive exercise device in the Tranquility module. Afterward, she moved into the Columbus laboratory module and performed rope pull exercises on the European Enhanced Exploration Exercise Device (E4D). Researchers are evaluating the E4D’s effectiveness for use on missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.

Numerous science investigations and lab maintenance tasks also kept the three Expedition 75 cosmonauts busy at the end of the week. Roscosmos flight engineer Andrey Fedyaev started his shift measuring his blood pressure while wearing a series of cuffs on his arm, wrist, and fingers for a circulation system study. He wrapped up his day inspecting and cleaning smoke detectors in the Rassvet module. Flight engineer Pyotr Dubrov set up an automated Earth photography session to capture European and Asian landmarks then tested artificial intelligence tools to improve crew operations. Flight engineer Anna Kikina worked in the Zarya module photographing areas to identify optimal stowage locations and locate 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

Astronauts Complete Spacewalk for Solar Array Modifications

NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Anil Menon concluded their spacewalk outside the International Space Station at 3 p.m. EDT. It was Menon’s first spacewalk and Meir’s sixth.

During the 6-hour, 27-minute spacewalk, Meir and Menon completed their primary objectives, which included preparing the 3B power channel. This work will enable the future installation of roll-out solar arrays, called IROSA, to provide additional power for the orbiting laboratory, supporting critical systems and the safe, controlled deorbit of the space station.

This was the 281st spacewalk in support of space station assembly, maintenance, and upgrades.

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