Archivo de la etiqueta: iss

Crew Spends Tuesday Focused on Health Research

A full suite of human health research kept the Expedition 73 crew busy Tuesday aboard the International Space Station.

Current station commander Takuya Onishi of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) started the day powering on and setting up the Ultrasound 2 device to assist NASA Flight Engineer Jonny Kim with an eye exam that looks at optic nerve health. Following the exam, Kim donned a lightweight thigh cuff while Onishi guided a cardiovascular ultrasound scan to measure Kim’s vision and blood flow changes. This ongoing health research is helping scientists better understand if wearing a device like the thigh cuff could prevent upward blood and fluid shifts.

Onishi then moved on to collect and process water samples from the Potable Water Dispenser before continuing to unpack a SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft which arrived to the station April 22. Meanwhile, Kim photographed tomato plants for a space agricultural study before assisting NASA Flight Engineer Anne McClain with additional health research.

McClain spent her morning on Dragon cargo operations then focused the rest of her day on a collection of human health research for the CIPHER study, or the Complement of Integrated Protocols for Human Exploration Research. CIPHER takes a full-body approach to investigate how multiple systems of the body react to spaceflight, which could help prepare future crews on missions to the Moon and beyond. McClain collected biological samples for analysis by ground teams, then received an ultrasound scan guided by Kim that looks at the health of the back of her eye.

In the Columbus Laboratory Module, NASA Flight Engineer Nichole Ayers set up and donned the Bio-Monitor, a garment and headband she’ll wear for the next 48 hours to investigate the effect of microgravity on the cardiovascular system. Later on, she removed and replaced cable arm ropes on the orbital lab’s Advanced Resistive Exercise Device before moving on to Dragon cargo operations.

In the Roscosmos segment, Flight Engineer Alexey Zubritsky took inventory of storage areas then continued yesterday’s work with Flight Engineer Sergey Ryzhikov to install hardware for an experiment that will examine the station’s aerodynamic force. Their colleague, Flight Engineer Kirill Peskov, spent the day inventorying a variety of items including hygiene products, food, and more.

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

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Abby Graf

Crew Kicks off Week with Agriculture and Tech Work, Wraps Spacewalk Cleanup

The Expedition 73 crew members are kicking off a busy week aboard the International Space Station. Technology development, space botany, and clean up following last Thursday’s spacewalk topped Monday’s schedule.

The morning started with NASA astronaut Nichole Ayers and current station commander Takuya Onishi of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) teaming up to check out the petri plates housing thale cress plant in the station’s Veggie facility. The duo harvested some of the plants as part of the APEX-12 experiment, which observes how space radiation affects plant genetics.

Following space botany work, Ayers moved onto troubleshooting communications and network hardware before completing her daily two hours of exercise on the station’s treadmill and Advanced Resistive Exercise Device.

To wrap up cleanup duties following Ayers’ and NASA Astronaut Anne McClain’s 5 hour and 44-minute spacewalk last Thursday, Onishi spent the afternoon on spacesuit work, performing a cooling loop scrub. He was later joined by NASA’s Jonny Kim as the first-time space resident removed batteries from the spacesuits and the propulsive jetpack system (SAFER).

Kim also spent part of his day connecting with students from Verona, Italy, where he answered questions about living and working aboard the orbiting laboratory during a Ham Radio call and later performed routine on-orbit plumbing.

McClain set her sights to monitoring an ongoing tech demonstration that looks at capabilities for producing pharmaceutical ingredients in space that could be used to synthesize medications during future deep-space missions. She removed samples in the ADSEP cassette carriers then installed new cassettes for future analysis. Midafternoon, she photographed tomato plants for a space agricultural study to help researchers better understand if crops can be cultivated in space without photosynthesis. She later collected water samples from the Water Processing Assembly for chemical analysis and reorganized cargo racks in SpaceX’s Dragon cargo spacecraft, which arrived to the microgravity lab April 22.

The station’s three cosmonauts had a busy day of cleaning, cargo operations, and experiment prep. Flight Engineers Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky worked together auditing Roscosmos cargo that will be loaded in the Progress 90 spacecraft before its eventual departure from the station. The duo then installed photo and videography hardware for a future experiment that will examine the station’s aerodynamic force. Meanwhile, Flight Engineer Kirill Peskov conducted routine orbital cleaning in the Roscosmos segment and synced up the cameras the trio uses to photograph Earth and its landmarks.

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

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Abby Graf

Crew Cleans Up After Spacewalk, Studies Biology, Earth Science, and More

The Expedition 73 crew members are cleaning up after a spacewalk on Thursday to upgrade power systems on the International Space Station. The lab residents also continued research and maintenance activities aboard the orbital outpost.

NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers are reorganizing the Quest airlock and servicing a pair of spacesuits following their five-hour and 44-minute spacewalk on Thursday. The duo started Friday stowing spacewalking hardware inside Quest where they suited up for their spacewalk the day before. McClain and Ayers then checked their spacesuit water tanks and collected water samples from the tanks for chemical analysis. They were also joined by NASA Flight Engineer Jonny Kim and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) station Commander Takuya Onishi for a conference with engineers on the ground to review their spacewalking accomplishments.

During their spacewalk, McClain and Ayers installed a modification kit on the space station’s port side truss structure preparing it for the arrival of a new rollout solar array. Afterward, the spacewalkers relocated a communications antenna, installed a jumper cable, and removed bolts from a micrometeoroid cover completing their excursion in the vacuum of space.

Kim also spent some time on Friday photographing tomato plants growing for a space agricultural study to learn if crops can be cultivated without photosynthesis. Onishi used a specialized 3D microscope obtaining imagery of the behavior of bacteria samples in a liquid to learn how to monitor water quality, detect infectious microorganisms, and keep crews and spacecraft safe.

The three cosmonauts representing the Roscosmos portion of the crew spent time in their segment of the orbiting lab on their contingent of science and upkeep duties.

Three-time space station resident Flight Engineer Sergey Ryzhikov took an opportunity to photograph the effects of a landslide in Brazil as the station orbited above the South American nation. Flight Engineer Alexey Zubritsky downloaded data measuring the vibrations the space station experiences during spacecraft arrivals and departures, as well as other orbital operations, that may help engineers design stronger space structures. Flight Engineer Kirill Peskov checked radiation detectors that McClain and Ayers wore during their spacewalk and cleaned smoke detectors in the Nauka science module.

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

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Mark A. Garcia

NASA Astronauts McClain and Ayers Reenter Station and Complete Spacewalk

NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers concluded their spacewalk at 2:49 p.m. EDT. The total time was 5 hours and 44 minutes. It was the third spacewalk for McClain and the first for Ayers, and the 275th spacewalk in support of space station assembly, maintenance, and upgrades. 

McClain and Ayers completed their primary objectives, including relocating a space station communications antenna and the initial mounting bracket installation steps for an IROSA that will arrive on a future SpaceX commercial resupply services mission. Additionally, the astronaut pair completed a pair of get ahead tasks, including installing a jumper cable to provide power from the P6 truss to the International Space Station’s Russian segment and another to remove bolts from a micrometeoroid cover.

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

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Mark A. Garcia

NASA Astronauts Begin Spacewalk to Prep Station for Future Solar Array

NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers began a spacewalk at approximately 9:05 a.m. EDT to install a mounting bracket to prepare for the future installation of an additional set of International Space Station Rollout Solar Arrays. The astronauts also will relocate a space station communications antenna.  

NASA’s coverage continues on NASA+. Learn how to watch NASA content through a variety of platforms. 

McClain is crew member 1, wearing the suit with red stripes. Ayers is spacewalk crew member 2, wearing the unmarked suit. 

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

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Mark A. Garcia