Archivo de la etiqueta: iss

Japanese Spacecraft Ready for Departure, Crew Studies Biology and Advanced Tech

Expedition 74 is ready to send off a Japanese cargo spacecraft on Friday after four months attached to the International Space Station. The orbital residents also spent Wednesday conducting a wide array of biology investigations to keep humans healthy on and off the Earth and tested advanced technology to benefit crew operations.

NASA flight engineers Chris Williams and Jessica Meir finalized operations with the HTV-X1 cargo spacecraft readying it for its departure on Friday. The duo disconnected power supply systems to the HTV-X1, installed electronic control units that will command components to detach from the spacecraft, and then closed the vehicle and station hatches.

At 2:25 p.m. EST on Thursday, robotics controllers will remotely command the Canadarm2 robotic arm to uninstall HTV-X1 from the Harmony module’s Earth-facing port then maneuver it to a parking position for an overnight laser ranging sensor demonstration test. Finally, at 12 p.m. on Friday, robotics controllers will command the Canadarm2 to release HTV-X1 into Earth orbit where it will stay for three months at a safe distance from the orbital outpost to conduct remotely-controlled science experiments. NASA will broadcast the release of HTV-X1 with coverage beginning at 11:45 a.m. Friday  on NASA+, Amazon Prime, and the agency’s YouTube channel.

Before completing the HTV-X1 work on Wednesday, Williams configured experimental robotics hardware in the Kibo laboratory module designed to automate tasks and reduce crew workload. Next, he took a cognition test to measure any space-caused changes to his brain structure and function for the CIPHER suite of 14 human research investigations. Meir filmed stuffed toys floating in weightlessness inside Kibo to promote the commercialization of space and excite youngsters about space exploration.

Flight engineers Jack Hathaway of NASA and Sophie Adenot of ESA (European Space Agency) kicked off their shift testing the EchoFinder-2 biomedical device inside the Columbus laboratory module. Each took turns scanning the other’s abdomen and vascular system with the EchoFinder-2 that uses augmented reality for ultrasound scanning guidance and artificial intelligence for organ detection. The objective of the human research study is to reduce reliance on ground support for medical procedures as a crew flies farther away from Earth.

Working in the Roscosmos segment of the orbiting lab, flight engineer Andrey Fedyaev wore a variety of arm, wrist, and finger cuffs measuring his blood pressure to help researchers understand how living in microgravity affects vascular health. Afterward, Fedyaev wrapped up his shift inside the Nauka science module cleaning ventilation system fans and photographing his work.

Flight engineer Sergei Mikaev wrapped up an automated overnight Earth photography session that imaged South American and African landmarks in different wavelengths. Next, Mikaev configured data and communications hardware or stowage in the Zvezda service module. He later pointed a camera out a window on Zvezda and photographed South America’s Patagonia region and the South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands near Antarctica.

Station commander Sergey Kud-Sverchkov continued a space physics experiment pointing a molecular beam, or a stream of atoms and molecules, at semiconductor materials to observe how they react and learn how to create advanced device structures with ultra-clean surfaces. At the end of his shift, Kud-Sverchkov set up hardware he and Mikaev will use the following day to scan their stomachs after breakfast to understand how weightlessness affects the digestion system.

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

Japan’s Cargo Spacecraft Nears Departure as Crew Works Spacewalk Preps, Science

Mission managers have given the go for a Japanese cargo spacecraft to depart the International Space Station at the end of the week. Meanwhile, the Expedition 74 crew is reviewing upcoming spacewalk procedures, packing a second cargo spacecraft for its departure, studying artificial intelligence tools, and conducting Earth observations.

JAXA’s (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) HTV-X1 cargo spacecraft is packed with disposable cargo and ready to complete its mission at the orbital outpost in two steps. First, at 1:25 p.m. on Thursday, March 5, the Canadarm2 robotic arm will uninstall the HTV-X1 from the Harmony module’s Earth-facing port and place it in a temporary parking position. Japanese mission controllers will then conduct sensor demonstration tests on the HTV-X1 while it is still in the grips of the Canadarm2. Finally, at 12 p.m. EST on Friday, Feb. 6, Canadarm2 will release it into Earth orbit where it will conduct three more months of science activities at a safe distance from the orbiting lab. Live release coverage begins at 11:45 a.m. EST on NASA+, Amazon Prime, and the agency’s YouTube channel.

Spacewalk preparations are underway as the astronauts gear up to ready the space station for a new roll-out solar array later this month. NASA will soon announce the date and name the two spacewalkers who will install a modification kit and route cables on the port side of the orbital lab where the roll-out solar array will be attached on a future spacewalk. This will be the seventh roll-out solar array on the station augmenting the main solar arrays’ power generation capabilities.

Flight engineers Jack Hathaway of NASA and Sophie Adenot of ESA (European Space Agency) joined each other in the first half of their Tuesday shift and reviewed procedures for the upcoming spacewalk. The duo, both first-time space flyers, printed out checklists, familiarized themselves with tools and the Quest airlock where spacewalks are staged, and studied emergency procedures. Hathaway also configured a spacesuit installing its components, checking a helmet, and cleaning suit seals.

NASA flight engineers Jessica Meir and Chris Williams began their shift partnering together and transferring standard emergency hardware from the space station to a docked SpaceX Dragon spacecraft that launched the Crew-12 mission. Meir then moved on and assisted Adenot loading trash and obsolete gear inside the Cygnus XL cargo craft that is due to end its mission next week when the Canadarm2 grapples it and releases it for an atmospheric reentry above the south Pacific Ocean.

In the Roscosmos segment of the orbiting laboratory, station commander Sergey Kud-Sverchkov worked throughout the day using molecular beams to study the growth of high purity semiconductor materials in microgravity. Flight engineers Sergei Mikaev and Andrey Fedyaev took turns installing and operating a pair of Earth observation experiments. Fedyaev first configured photography equipment then captured imagery of landmarks across South America. Afterward, Mikaev installed automated multi-wavelength photography gear and programmed it to capture more South American landmarks as well as African landmarks during the crew’s sleep shift. Mikaev also continued studying using artificial intelligence tools as a way to improve crew operations and communications with mission controllers.

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.

Get the latest from NASA delivered every week. Subscribe here.

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Mark A. Garcia

Japan’s Cargo Spacecraft Nears Departure as Crew Works Spacewalk Preps, Science

Mission managers have given the go for a Japanese cargo spacecraft to depart the International Space Station at the end of the week. Meanwhile, the Expedition 74 crew is reviewing upcoming spacewalk procedures, packing a second cargo spacecraft for its departure, studying artificial intelligence tools, and conducting Earth observations.

JAXA’s (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) HTV-X1 cargo spacecraft is packed with disposable cargo and ready to complete its mission at the orbital outpost in two steps. First, at 1:25 p.m. on Thursday, March 5, the Canadarm2 robotic arm will uninstall the HTV-X1 from the Harmony module’s Earth-facing port and place it in a temporary parking position. Japanese mission controllers will then conduct sensor demonstration tests on the HTV-X1 while it is still in the grips of the Canadarm2. Finally, at 12 p.m. EST on Friday, Feb. 6, Canadarm2 will release it into Earth orbit where it will conduct three more months of science activities at a safe distance from the orbiting lab. Live release coverage begins at 11:45 a.m. EST on NASA+, Amazon Prime, and the agency’s YouTube channel.

Spacewalk preparations are underway as the astronauts gear up to ready the space station for a new roll-out solar array later this month. NASA will soon announce the date and name the two spacewalkers who will install a modification kit and route cables on the port side of the orbital lab where the roll-out solar array will be attached on a future spacewalk. This will be the seventh roll-out solar array on the station augmenting the main solar arrays’ power generation capabilities.

Flight engineers Jack Hathaway of NASA and Sophie Adenot of ESA (European Space Agency) joined each other in the first half of their Tuesday shift and reviewed procedures for the upcoming spacewalk. The duo, both first-time space flyers, printed out checklists, familiarized themselves with tools and the Quest airlock where spacewalks are staged, and studied emergency procedures. Hathaway also configured a spacesuit installing its components, checking a helmet, and cleaning suit seals.

NASA flight engineers Jessica Meir and Chris Williams began their shift partnering together and transferring standard emergency hardware from the space station to a docked SpaceX Dragon spacecraft that launched the Crew-12 mission. Meir then moved on and assisted Adenot loading trash and obsolete gear inside the Cygnus XL cargo craft that is due to end its mission next week when the Canadarm2 grapples it and releases it for an atmospheric reentry above the south Pacific Ocean.

In the Roscosmos segment of the orbiting laboratory, station commander Sergey Kud-Sverchkov worked throughout the day using molecular beams to study the growth of high purity semiconductor materials in microgravity. Flight engineers Sergei Mikaev and Andrey Fedyaev took turns installing and operating a pair of Earth observation experiments. Fedyaev first configured photography equipment then captured imagery of landmarks across South America. Afterward, Mikaev installed automated multi-wavelength photography gear and programmed it to capture more South American landmarks as well as African landmarks during the crew’s sleep shift. Mikaev also continued studying using artificial intelligence tools as a way to improve crew operations and communications with mission controllers.

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

Spacewalk and Japanese Cargo Craft Departure Preps Kick Off Week

The Expedition 74 crew kicked off the work week readying a spacesuit and studying procedures for an upcoming spacewalk later this month. The International Space Station residents are also packing a Japanese cargo craft and preparing it for departure from the International Space Station at the end of the week.

NASA flight engineers Chris Williams and Jack Hathaway partnered with each other before lunchtime on Monday and unstowed spacesuit components and staged them inside the Quest airlock. Afterward, NASA flight engineer Jessica Meir worked inside Quest and installed leg and arm components on a single spacesuit then swapped components from one spacesuit to another.

Hathaway later joined ESA (European Space Agency) Flight Engineer Sophie Adenot and reviewed how to suit up an astronaut, guide a spacewalker in and out of the airlock, communicate with mission controllers during a spacewalk, and more. The astronauts are gearing up for a spacewalk that was postponed in January to install a modification kit and route cables for a future roll-out solar array on the port side of the orbital outpost.

Williams also trained for the departure of JAXA’s (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) HTV-X1 cargo craft that launched to the space station in October from Tanegashima Space Center. He reviewed the procedures he will use when the Canadarm2 robotic arm releases the HTV-X1 into Earth orbit and when monitoring the Japanese cargo craft’s departure. Meir, after her spacesuit work, continued packing the HTV-X1 with trash and discarded gear.

The HTV-X1 will first be robotically detached from the Harmony module’s space-facing port on Thursday and parked overnight for a sensor demonstration test. Next, the Canadarm2 will release HTV-X1 at 12 p.m. EST on Friday for three months of remote science activities before its fiery, but safe reentry above the south Pacific Ocean. Live coverage begins at 11:45 a.m. EST on NASA+, Amazon Prime, and the agency’s YouTube channel.

Amid the spacesuit and cargo-packed schedule, the astronauts also worked on advanced technology and human research. Williams finished installing and configuring a pair of small robotic arms in the Kibo laboratory module that will test precision mobility and experiment automation in microgravity. Adenot took a cognition test to understand how living in microgravity affects orientation, reasoning, decision-making, and more. Meanwhile, Hathaway and Meir took turns pedaling on the Destiny laboratory module’s exercise cycle as a heart rate monitor measured their cardiac activity providing insights into microgravity’s effect on the human body.

In the Roscosmos segment of the orbital lab, flight engineers Sergei Mikaev and Andrey Fedyaev explored using artificial intelligence tools to log a crew member’s activities improving communications and crew effectiveness. Station commander Sergey Kud-Sverchkov performed a photographic inspection of the Zvezda service module’s windows then explored using molecular beams to grow semiconductor structures in an ultra-high vacuum.

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 Returns to Earth, More Cargo Preps, Advanced Research Underway

A SpaceX Dragon spacecraft has returned to Earth filled with several thousand pounds of science experiments and lab hardware for retrieval and analysis completing a six-month stay at the International Space Station. The Expedition 74 crew now turns its attention toward March when two more cargo spaceships depart the orbital outpost and complete their resupply missions. Meanwhile, advanced space biology and technology research wrapped up the week in space.

Dragon parachuted to a splash down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California at 11:44 p.m. PST on Thursday where NASA and SpaceX support personnel awaited the science and cargo-packed spacecraft. Dragon had undocked from the station’s forward port on the Harmony module at 12:05 p.m. on Thursday where it had been moored since August 25, 2025.

The next cargo craft to end its station mission is slated to be uninstalled from Harmony’s Earth-facing port with the Canadarm2 robotic arm in early March. JAXA’s (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) HTV-X1 will then be released by the Canadarm2 a day later into Earth orbit where it will complete several weeks of scientific experiments. HTV-X1 launched on Oct. 25, 2025, from Tanegashima Space Center in southern Japan and was captured with Canadarm2 and installed to Harmony Oct. 29.

Flight Engineers Chris Williams, Jessica Meir, and Jack Hathaway, from NASA, and Sophie Adenot from ESA (European Space Agency) began packing the HTV-X1 on Friday with disposable cargo since JAXA’s spacecraft will reenter Earth’s atmosphere above the south Pacific Ocean for a destructive, but safe reentry. However, HTV-X1 will stay in orbit for a few more weeks after its release to test new antenna and solar cell technologies and deploy CubeSats for independent missions.

A few days after HTV-X1 leaves, Canadarm2 will once again remove another cargo craft and release it into Earth orbit. This time, Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus XL trash-filled cargo craft will be uninstalled from the Unity module’s Earth-facing port and released shortly afterward for an atmospheric reentry and fiery disposal above the south Pacific. Cygnus XL launched from Florida on Sept. 14 and arrived at the station on Sept. 18 for a robotic capture and installation.

The cosmonauts focused much of their time on Roscosmos research activities at the end of the week. Commander Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Flight Engineer Sergei Mikaev began their shift attaching electrodes to their chests and measuring their cardiac activity. Next, Kud-Sverchkov pointed molecular beams at semiconductor crystals to test and observe how they grow in weightlessness. Mikaev jogged on a treadmill for a regularly scheduled microgravity fitness evaluation.

Flight Engineer Andrey Mikaev dismantled Earth observation hardware at the beginning of his shift after an automated overnight photography session. Next, Fedyaev wore virtual reality goggles and responded to computer-controlled visual and audio stimuli to test his sense of balance and orientation in space. Finally, the two-time station resident explored using artificial intelligence-assisted tools to convert speech-to-text to improve documentation for data and communications with ground controllers.

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