NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 Astronauts Depart Houston for Florida
Members of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 from right to left, NASA astronauts Jeanette Epps, mission specialist; Matthew Dominick, commander; Michael Barratt, pilot; and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin, mission specialist; will launch to the International Space Station no earlier than 12:04 a.m. EST Friday, March 1, from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Photo credit: SpaceX
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 crew members are en route to the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to begin final launch preparations.
Crew-8 crewmates NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, commander; Michael Barratt, pilot; Jeanette Epps, mission specialist; along with Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin, mission specialist, departed by plane from Ellington Field near the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, for the short flight to the Florida spaceport. The crew is expected to arrive at Kennedy’s Launch and Landing Facility this afternoon.
Crew-8 astronauts will be greeted upon their arrival by leaders from NASA for a brief welcome ceremony targeted for approximately 2 p.m. EST. The event is scheduled to stream live, if weather permits, on Kennedy’s YouTube, X, and Facebook accounts.
Meanwhile, NASA, SpaceX, and international partner representatives have gathered at Kennedy to participate in the agency’s Flight Readiness Review, which focuses on the preparedness of SpaceX’s crew transportation system, the space station, and its international partners to support the launch of Crew-8 and return of Crew-7. A teleconference is planned for later today, approximately one hour after the conclusion of the review. Be sure to follow along on our blog; additional details will be provided as the day progresses.
SpaceX Crew-8 is targeted to launch at 12:04 a.m. EST on Friday, March 1, to the International Space Station.
Expedition 70 Relaxes as SpaceX Crew-8 Preps for Launch
The crew of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission to the International Space Station poses for a photo during their Crew Equipment Interface Test at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The seven-member Expedition 70 crew relaxed on Friday following a busy week of space research and cargo transfers beginning a three-day weekend. The orbital septet will go into the final days of February continuing its microgravity science while also preparing to welcome four new Commercial Crew members to the International Space Station.
On Sunday, Feb. 25, four SpaceX Crew-8 members will arrive at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) for a five-day quarantine period. The Falcon 9 rocket with the Dragon spacecraft atop will also roll out to its launch pad at KSC’s Launch Complex 39A the same day. NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, and Jeanette Epps and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin are in final preparations for their lift off aboard Dragon targeted for 12:04 a.m. EDT on Friday, March 1. The quartet will rendezvous with the orbital outpost just over a day later and dock to the Harmony module’s forward port on Saturday, March 2.
The four Dragon crewmates will be greeted by the station residents, call down to Earth for a welcoming ceremony with family and mission officials, then participate in a mandatory onboard safety briefing. The commercial quartet will become Expedition 70-71 crew members and remain in space until mid-summer.
During a six-month stay aboard the orbital lab, the Crew-8 foursome will research a multitude of space phenomena to improve life for humans living on and off the Earth. The quartet will explore the mechanisms behind neurological disorders, ways to prevent fluid shifts that occur in astronauts living in space, how microgravity affects plant growth, and how algae may improve spacecraft life support systems.
About a week later, four SpaceX Crew-7 crew members who have been aboard the space station since Aug. 27, 2023, will undock from the Harmony’s space-facing port aboard the SpaceX Dragon Endurance spacecraft. Astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli, Andreas Mogensen, and Satoshi Furukawa along with cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov are planned to take a day’s ride orbiting Earth inside Endurance before splashing down off the coast of Florida ending a six-and-a-half-month mission in space.
Crew Explores Heart Health and Tries On “Anti-Gravity” Suit
Expedition 70 Commander Andreas Mogensen maneuvers in the vestibule in between the space station’s Unity and Tranquility modules.
Blood tests, cardiac research, and scientific maintenance were the prime duties aboard the International Space Station on Thursday. The Expedition 70 crew also kept up its work on a variety of life support gear and exercise hardware throughout the day.
NASA astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli and Loral O’Hara kicked off the day studying accelerated aging-like symptoms seen in astronauts’ arteries after a long-duration mission. The duo collected and processed blood samples for the Vascular Aging investigation to understand these space-caused mechanisms and physiological changes. Observations from the long-running experiment may help doctors improve cardiovascular health in space, as well as on Earth.
ESA (European Space Agency) Commander Andreas Mogensen started his day exploring how virtual reality movies may improve crew morale as spaceflight missions last longer and travel farther away from Earth. Mogensen then spent the afternoon replacing components inside a carbon dioxide removal device. Meanwhile, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) Flight Engineer Satoshi Furukawa installed external science hardware inside the Kibo laboratory module’s airlock. Afterward, he joined Moghbeli and Mogensen and tried on a specialized suit that may help maintain an astronaut’s heart rate and blood pressure while adjusting to gravity shortly after returning to Earth.
The orbiting lab’s three cosmonauts from Roscosmos had a light duty day but did find time for science and exercise. Flight Engineers Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub partnered together during the morning for a cardiac study observing heart performance in weightlessness. Kononenko photographed Chub as he conducted the research while attached to sensors measuring his heart activity.
Flight Engineer Konstantin Borisov spent his morning on orbital plumbing before joining his astronaut crewmates for the “anti-gravity” suit fit check. Borisov along with Moghbeli, Mogensen, and Furukawa are due to return to Earth in March aboard the SpaceX Dragon Endurance spacecraft.
Heart Health, 3D Printing, and More Research Pack Station Schedule
The waxing gibbous Moon is pictured above the Earth’s horizon in this photograph from the space station as it orbited above a cloudy Western Europe.
Heart scans, 3D printing, and fire safety were the top research topics aboard the International Space Station on Wednesday. The Expedition 70 crew also spent its day on a variety of scientific maintenance and cargo activities.
Astronauts Loral O’Hara and Satoshi Furukawa kicked off their day continuing more experimental work for the CIPHER suite of 14 human research investigations. O’Hara from NASA led the cardiac portion of the biology study scanning the chest of Furukawa from JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) with the Ultrasound 2 device. Doctors on the ground observed the downlinked data for insights into heart health in space.
Commander Andreas Mogensen from ESA (European Space Agency) spent most of his day setting up the Metal 3D printer in the Columbus laboratory module. The device is testing the ability to print parts in space reducing the need to depend on resupply missions or pack spare parts on future exploration missions. NASA Flight Engineer Jasmin Moghbeli worked inside the Tranquility module throughout Wednesday replacing orbital plumbing components.
Two cosmonauts, Konstantin Borisov and Nikolai Chub, tested a specialized suit that may speed up a crew member’s adjustment to Earth’s gravity after living in space for several months or longer. The lower body negative pressure suit is designed to counteract the tendency of body fluids to pool in the upper body due to the lack of gravity. Chub later continued unpacking the new Progress 87 resupply ship while Borisov synched station cameras to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) then serviced an oxygen generator.
Veteran cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko worked during the morning inspecting structures inside the Zvezda service module. During the afternoon, the five-time station resident checked seat shock absorbers inside the Soyuz MS-24 crew ship then performed a systems check on the Progress 87 with the vehicle’s hatch closed.
Vessel Scans, Cognition Tests, and Cargo Work Top Tuesday’s Schedule
NASA astronauts (from left) Jasmin Moghbeli and Loral O’Hara pose together for a portrait inside the International Space Station’s Unity module.
A host of biomedical studies were underway aboard the International Space Station on Tuesday to help doctors understand the effects of microgravity on the human body. The Expedition 70 crew also continued its ongoing cargo transfers and lab maintenance activities.
Blood vessel scans took place throughout the day on the orbital lab providing researchers data revealing how astronaut’s adapt to long-term missions in microgravity. NASA Flight Engineer Jasmin Moghbeli started first attaching electrodes to herself and scanning her right leg’s femoral artery with an ultrasound device. Doctors on the ground monitored the scans as they were being downlinked in real time. Results may provide insights into space-caused accelerated aging-like symptoms seen in astronauts’ arteries.
During the afternoon, ESA (European Space Agency) Commander Andreas Mogensen scanned the neck, shoulder, and leg veins of NASA Flight Engineer Loral O’Hara. Scientists monitored the data as it was downlinked using the Ultrasound 2 device. Observations may lead to countermeasures lowering the increased risk of cardiovascular disease in space.
Astronaut Satoshi Furukawa from JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) spent his day contributing to the CIPHER experiment, a suite of 14 human research investigations. He began his day collecting a blood sample, spinning it in a centrifuge, then stowing it in a science freezer. Next, he took a cognition test and a robotics test measuring his brain function in space. At the end of his shift, Furukawa collected a urine sample and stowed it in a science freezer for later analysis. CIPHER seeks to provide a better understanding of the physiological and psychological changes crews may experience while living and working in space.
Two cosmonauts, Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub, spent Tuesday unpacking the newly arrived Progress 87 cargo craft. The Roscosmos resupply ship docked to the Zvezda service module’s rear port on Saturday morning delivering almost three tons of food, fuel and supplies to the station crew. Flight Engineer Konstantin Borisov spent his day checking ventilation equipment in the Zarya module then measured the vibrations Zvezda experiences while orbiting Earth.
