Archivo de la etiqueta: iss

Dragon Go for Earth Return as Heart Study, Spacewalk Preps Continue

NASA and SpaceX officials have given the “go” for the science- and cargo-packed Dragon cargo craft to undock from the International Space Station and return to Earth.  While the Expedition 69 crew finalizes Dragon cargo operations, preparations are still underway for a busy period of spacewalks set to begin on Tuesday.

An array of experiment hardware and research samples will return to Earth for analysis after Dragon undocks from the Harmony module’s forward port at 11:05 a.m. EDT on Saturday. Dragon will parachute to a splash down off the coast of Florida several hours later where support personnel from NASA and SpaceX will retrieve the vehicle. The 4,300 pounds of return cargo packed inside Dragon will then be extracted at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, where the completed research and station hardware will be shipped to scientists and engineers around the world for investigation and examination.

NASA Flight Engineer Frank Rubio is wrapping up one final space biology study today, preparing scientific samples for observation back on Earth so researchers can understand how the human body adjusts to living long-term in microgravity. Stephen Bowen and Woody Hoburg, both from NASA, are also stowing a variety of research samples inside portable science freezers that can be launched into space, installed on the station, then returned inside the Dragon spacecraft.

Other science experiments are still ongoing aboard the orbiting outpost, including a cardiac study exploring ways to offset microgravity’s effect on heart cells and tissues. UAE (United Arab Emirates) Flight Engineer Sultan Alneyadi spent Friday morning in the Kibo laboratory module treating samples for the Engineered Heart Tissues-2 experiment. Using Kibo’s Life Sciences Glovebox, Alneyadi conducted the research operations that may help doctors treat, as well as prevent, space-caused heart conditions and Earth-bound cardiac disorders.

The orbital residents are also gearing up for several spacewalks to move hardware outside the space station. Commander Sergey Prokopyev and Flight Engineer Dmitri Petelin, both Roscosmos cosmonauts, will work over three spacewalks, the first beginning at 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, to move a radiator and an experiment airlock from the Rassvet module to the Nauka science module. The duo spent Friday organizing their spacewalk tools and practicing their external maneuvers on a computer.

Roscosmos Flight Engineer Andrey Fedyaev began Friday attaching a sensor cap to himself then simulating piloting a spacecraft on a computer for a study exploring futuristic, piloting techniques on planetary missions. Afterward, he tested laptop computers inside the Zvezda service module then powered down Earth observation hardware in the Harmony module.

Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_station and @ISS_Research on Twitter, as well as the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.

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Mark Garcia

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Crew Prepping Cargo Dragon for Departure Ahead of Spacewalks

Biology research, cargo packing, and spacewalk preparations continue aboard the International Space Station as the Expedition 69 crew goes into a very busy April.

NASA Flight Engineers Stephen Bowen and Woody Hoburg have been working on a variety of space experiments since their delivery aboard the SpaceX Dragon cargo craft on March 16. The two astronauts, with assistance from NASA Flight Engineer Frank Rubio, are finalizing one experiment today by packing space biology samples and research hardware inside Dragon for its return to Earth this weekend. The completed study will help scientists understand how an astronaut’s body adapts to living long-term in weightlessness. They will continue more science-packing activities on Friday.

The three NASA astronauts, including UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi, will also be on duty Saturday morning completing the stowage of critical research samples and loading of used station hardware inside Dragon. Alneyadi will then activate Dragon monitoring tools and software and close the vehicle’s hatch before the U.S. cargo craft undocks at 11:05 a.m. EDT on Saturday. Dragon will parachute to a splashdown off the coast of Florida a few hours later for retrieval by SpaceX and NASA personnel. The completed research and discarded lab gear will then be sent to scientists and engineers around the world for analysis.

After Dragon completes its mission at the orbital lab, the crew’s four astronauts and three cosmonauts will relax on Sunday before turning their attention to a series spacewalks set to begin on Tuesday, April 18.

Commander Sergey Prokopyev and Flight Engineer Dmitri Petelin will exit the station’s Poisk airlock in their Russian Orlan spacesuits. From there, the duo will maneuver to the Earth-facing side of the station and start the work of moving a radiator and an experiment module from the Rassvet module to the Nauka multipurpose laboratory module. Roscosmos Flight Engineer Andrey Fedyaev will assist the spacewalkers operating the European robotic arm (ERA) from inside Nauka.

The trio from Roscosmos has spent the last few weeks gearing up for the logistics spacewalks, reviewing the procedures, and practicing the ERA robotics maneuvers. The three cosmonauts have also found time for some research and maintenance activities while readying the Orlan spacesuits, collecting spacewalking tools, and organizing Poisk’s airlock.

Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_station and @ISS_Research on Twitter, as well as the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.

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Mark Garcia

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Crew Finishing Science, Packing Cargo Before Dragon Departure

The Expedition 69 astronauts are finalizing a space biology study this week before packing it inside a cargo craft for return to Earth. The cosmonauts are also relaxing today ahead of more preparations for a series of spacewalks at the International Space Station.

Return cargo operations are under way at the orbiting lab as the astronauts finalize a variety of experiments and pack station hardware inside the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. Samples and research gear from numerous experiments that have been taking place aboard the station will parachute back to Earth inside Dragon after it undocks from the station on Saturday at 11:05 a.m. EDT. SpaceX and NASA personnel will retrieve Dragon off the coast of Florida several hours later so scientists and engineers can begin analyzing the completed space research and used station gear.

NASA Flight Engineers Stephen Bowen, Woody Hoburg, and Frank Rubio worked throughout the day on a study that will soon be completed and loaded inside Dragon. The trio serviced biological samples being observed to understand how an astronaut’s body adapts to living long-term in weightlessness. At the end of the week, the crew will wrap up the biology science operations and pack the microgravity-exposed research samples inside Dragon for analysis in laboratories on Earth.

UAE (United Arab Emirates) Flight Engineer Sultan Alneyadi worked on a pair of different technology experiments on Wednesday. He first worked on a 3D printer to demonstrate manufacturing tools, components, and even experiments on the orbital outpost. Afterward, he collected and stowed samples in a science freezer for a study exploring the biomanufacturing of pharmaceuticals in space.

Three cosmonauts from Roscosmos had the day off on Wednesday in commemoration of Cosmonautics Day following several days of spacewalk preparations. The trio consisting of Commander Sergey Prokopyev and Flight Engineers Dmitri Petelin and Andrey Fedyaev will continue on Thursday readying Orlan spacesuits, organizing spacewalking tools, and studying procedures for a series of spacewalks set to begin on April 18.

Prokopyev and Petelin will exit the Poisk module during all three spacewalks and maneuver toward the Earth-facing side of the station. From there, the duo will move a radiator and an experiment airlock from the Rassvet module to the Nauka science module. Fedyaev will be inside the station operating the European robotic arm during the excursion assisting the spacewalkers.

Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_station and @ISS_Research on Twitter, as well as the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.

Get weekly video highlights at: https://roundupreads.jsc.nasa.gov/videupdate/

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Mark Garcia

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Heart Studies Before Dragon Departs and Spacewalks Begin at Station

Cardiac research to advance human health on Earth and in space was the main research objective aboard the International Space Station on Tuesday. The Expedition 69 crew members are also packing a cargo craft for its return to Earth and preparing for a series of spacewalks.

Flight Engineers Woody Hoburg of NASA and Sultan Alneyadi of UAE (United Arab Emirates) took turns supporting the Cardinal Health 2 experiment on Tuesday. The study is taking place inside the Kibo laboratory module and aims to prevent space-caused heart conditions and Earth-bound cardiac disorders. The duo treated engineered heart tissue samples inside Kibo’s Life Sciences Glovebox to help doctors understand gravitational stresses on cardiovascular cells and tissues. Observations may lead to potential treatments advancing heart health for astronauts and Earthlings.

Samples from Cardinal Health 2 and other experiments will soon be packed inside the SpaceX Dragon cargo craft for analysis by researchers on the ground. NASA Flight Engineers Frank Rubio and Stephen Bowen partnered together on Tuesday, readying the Dragon for its departure on Saturday when it will undock from the Harmony module’s forward port at 11:05 a.m. EDT. The duo packed a variety of research gear and station hardware, securely strapping them inside Dragon. The U.S. space freighter will parachute to a splashdown off the coast of Florida several hours later for retrieval by SpaceX and NASA support personnel.

Two cosmonauts continue gearing up for a series of spacewalks set to begin on Tuesday, April 18. Commander Sergey Prokopyev and Flight Engineer Dmitri Petelin will work over three spacewalks to maneuver an experiment airlock and a radiator from the Rassvet module to the Nauka science module. The duo spent the day readying their Orlan spacesuits inside the Poisk module, checking for pressure leaks, and installing suit batteries and other components.

At the beginning of the day, Prokopyev took part in a cardiac study with assistance from Flight Engineer Andrey Fedyaev. Fedyaev attached sensors to Prokopyev and photographed the experiment activities that monitors a cosmonaut’s blood circulation in microgravity. Fedyaev then spent the rest of his day on computer maintenance, station window inspections, and a fitness test on a treadmill.

Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_station and @ISS_Research on Twitter, as well as the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.

Get weekly video highlights at: https://roundupreads.jsc.nasa.gov/videupdate/

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Mark Garcia

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Botany, Heart Research Ahead of Dragon Departure and Spacewalks

The Expedition 69 crew members began the week conducting a variety of space research and preparing for upcoming spacewalks. Cargo activities are also picking up this week aboard the International Space Station as a U.S. space freighter nears its departure and return to Earth.

The SpaceX Dragon cargo craft is nearing the end of its mission after docking to the Harmony module’s forward port on March 16. NASA Flight Engineer Stephen Bowen and Woody Hoburg partnered together throughout Monday loading finalized science experiments and used station hardware inside Dragon for analysis on Earth. Bowen spent the majority of his day with the cargo packing while Hoburg assisted him then cleaned and inspected Dragon’s docking system. Dragon is due to leave the station and splash down off the coast of Florida at the end of the week.

UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi split his day on a pair of life science experiments first studying botany then the human heart. He started his day inside the Kibo laboratory module cleaning the Advanced Plant Habitat and stowing seed samples in a science freezer for a study that explored space-caused genetic changes in plants. In the afternoon, he was in the U.S. Destiny laboratory module looking at heart tissue samples in a microscope to observe microgravity-induced changes in heart cells and learn how to prevent cardiac disorders on Earth and in space.

NASA Flight Engineer Frank Rubio spent his day primarily servicing science hardware and inspecting emergency gear. He first installed research gear inside Kibo’s airlock that will soon be exposed to the vacuum of space. Next, he spent the afternoon checking portable fire extinguishers, oxygen bottles, and breathing masks throughout the U.S. segment on the orbital outpost.

Meanwhile, preparations for a series of spacewalks from Roscosmos are ongoing this week at the space station. Commander Sergey Prokopyev and Flight Engineer Dmitri Petelin are studying the procedures they will use to move a radiator and an experiment airlock from the Rassvet module to Nauka multipurpose laboratory module over a set of spacewalks set to begin in mid-April. Flight Engineer Andrey Fedyaev will assist the duo monitoring their excursions, operating the European robotic arm, and helping them in and out of their Orlan spacesuits.

Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_station and @ISS_Research on Twitter, as well as the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.

Get weekly video highlights at: https://roundupreads.jsc.nasa.gov/videupdate/

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

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Mark Garcia

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