Dragon Hatch Closed; Crew Readies for Undocking From Station
Four Expedition 70 crewmates pose in the pressure suits they will wear when they return to Earth aboard the SpaceX Dragon “Endurance” spacecraft. From left are, Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mohgensen, NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa.
At 9:15 a.m. EDT, the hatch closed between the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and the International Space Station in preparation for undocking and return to Earth of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 mission with NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov.
NASA+, NASA TV, the NASA app and the agency’s website will air live coverage beginning at 11 a.m., for undocking scheduled at 11:20 a.m. Following conclusion of undocking coverage, NASA coverage of Crew-7’s return will continue with audio only, and full coverage will resume at the start of the splashdown broadcast at 4:30 a.m. EDT Tuesday. Real-time audio between Crew-7 and flight controllers at NASA’s Mission Audio stream will remain available.
Dragon Hatch Closing Soon With Crew Aboard Live on NASA TV
The four SpaceX Crew-7 members pose for a portrait in their pressure suits. From left are, Jasmin Moghbeli, Andreas Mogensen, Satoshi Furukawa, and Konstantin Borisov. Credit: SpaceX
Watch live coverage now on NASA+, NASA TV, the NASA app and the agency’s website as hatch closure and undocking preparations are underway for the return of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 mission.
NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov are in the process of boarding the SpaceX Dragon for departure from the International Space Station.
Crew-7 is targeting a return to Earth at about 5:50 a.m. EDT Tuesday, March 12, with a splashdown off the coast of Florida. The Dragon spacecraft, named Endurance, is scheduled to undock from the International Space Station at 11:20 a.m. on Monday, March 11, to begin the journey home.
Dragon will autonomously undock, depart the space station, and splash down off the coast of Florida. Dragon also will return important and time-sensitive research to Earth.
Station Goes into Final Handovers Before Next Crew Departs
The Crew-7 quartet (from left), cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen, NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa pose for a photo in their Dragon flight suits ahead of their departure from the International Space Station.
Two crews aboard the International Space Station are continuing mission handover responsibilities before four Expedition 70 crewmates return to Earth next week. In the meantime, a host of advanced space research is underway to improve life on Earth and in space.
The next crew to leave the orbital outpost is due to undock inside the SpaceX Dragon “Endurance” spacecraft from the Harmony module’s space-facing port on Monday. NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli will lead Pilot Andreas Mogensen, and Mission Specialists Satoshi Furukawa and Konstantin Borisov back to Earth inside Dragon for a splashdown off the coast of Florida. The commercial crew quartet has been aboard the space station since Aug. 27, 2023.
Moghbeli and Mogensen have spent the week readying Dragon for its return, checking spacecraft systems and hardware in coordination with mission controllers from SpaceX and NASA. They have also been working with Furukawa and Borisov packing personal items and station cargo for the ride back to Earth.
Mogensen and Furukawa managed to fit in a pair of different experiments in their busy schedule at the end of the week. Mogensen from ESA (European Space Agency) peered at cell samples through a microscope for the Project EAGLE cardiac health study. The experiment may provide therapeutic insights for space-caused and Earthbound heart conditions. Furukawa from JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) serviced samples inside the Kibo laboratory module’s Solid Combustion Experiment Module that acquires data on how oxygen-fed solid fuels burn in microgravity.
Barratt later joined his Dragon “Endeavour” crewmates Matthew Dominick and Jeanette Epps, both from NASA, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin and called down to mission controllers to discuss Dragon operations during their ride to the space station. The foursome continues getting familiarized with orbital exercise equipment, life support systems, emergency procedures, and more.
Borisov and veteran cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko wrapped up operations with the lower body negative pressure suit being tested for its potential to relieve the effects of returning to Earth’s gravity after spending several months in space. Flight Engineer Nikolai Chub worked throughout the station’s Roscosmos segment servicing ventilation systems. Chub and Kononenko will continue their mission aboard the orbital outpost and stay in space several more months.
Crews Handing Over Responsibilities and Continuing Research
From left, Expedition 70 crewmates Konstantin Borisov, Andreas Mogensen, Jasmin Moghbeli, and Satoshi Furukawa are due to return to Earth aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft.
A pair of commercial crews is preparing to switch places onboard the International Space Station next week. The orbital residents are also continuing more space health studies and cargo activities.
Flight Engineers Matthew Dominick, Mike Barratt, Jeanette Epps, and Alexander Grebenkin are in the first week of a six-month space research mission. They spent a good portion of Thursday focusing on adapting to life in microgravity. The quartet joined each other midday and familiarized themselves with the locations and operations of emergency hardware throughout the orbital lab. The foursome then split up taking time to learn how to prepare food and drinks, use the restroom, and avoid cables and gear when maneuvering through passageways.
Barratt and Epps also joined homebound astronaut Satoshi Furukawa of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) as he demonstrated station systems such as crew quarters, radiation detectors, and ventilation maintenance. Grebenkin met with cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov who is handing over responsibility for the maintenance and control of the European robotic arm.
Dominick was back on human research checking the eyes of NASA Flight Engineer Loral O’Hara on Thursday afternoon. The duo worked in the Columbus laboratory module with Dominick using medical imaging hardware to view O’Hara’s retinas, cornea, and optic nerve for the CIPHER suite of 14 human research experiments. The eye portion of the CIPHER study is exploring how weightlessness affects eye structure and function and ways to protect vision on future planetary missions.
At the end of their shift, Furukawa and Borisov joined crewmates Jasmin Moghbeli of NASA and Andreas Mogensen of ESA (European Space Agency) preparing for their return to Earth next week. The homebound foursome spent a couple of hours coordinating with mission controllers from SpaceX and NASA and simulating undocking techniques. The quartet is targeted to depart the space station on Monday aboard the SpaceX Dragon “Endurance” spacecraft and parachute to a splashdown off the coast of Florida.
The departing crew has spent the week packing Dragon with station cargo and personal items for return. The “Endurance” crewmates have also been handing over mission responsibilities to their replacements to continue space research and maintain lab systems.
Moghbeli also spent a couple of hours Thursday on cardiac research processing cell samples in the Life Science Glovebox to learn how to treat space-caused and Earthbound heart conditions. Mogensen took turns with O’Hara swapping cargo in and out of Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus resupply ship.
Cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub, who will be staying in space a few more months, worked on electronics and battery maintenance and studied the dynamic forces the space station experiences orbiting Earth. Chub also partnered with Borisov testing a specialized suit that may help crews adapt quicker when returning to Earth’s gravity environment after several months in space.
The SpaceX Crew-8 members are pictured inside the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft shortly after the hatch opened to the station. From left are, Alexander Grebenkin, Mike Barratt, Jeanette Epps, and Matthew Dominick.
Four new flight engineers are adapting to life aboard the International Space Station as a quartet of Expedition 70 crew members nears the end of its mission. Meanwhile, the expanded crew still found time for a variety of biology and physics studies while maintaining the upkeep of the orbital outpost.
First time space-flyers Matthew Dominick, Jeanette Epps, and Alexander Grebenkin along with veteran station resident Michael Barratt are in their first full day on the orbital outpost. They will spend a few hours each day for about a week familiarizing themselves with space station systems and getting up to speed with life in weightlessness. The new foursome will be conducting advanced space research and orbital lab maintenance activities for the next six months.
The Expedition 70 crew will soon return to seven residents again as another quartet that has been on the station since Aug. 27, 2023, prepares for its departure. NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli will command Pilot Andreas Mogensen, and Mission Specialists Satoshi Furukawa and Konstantin Borisov back to Earth no earlier than Monday, March 11. The foursome will undock from the Harmony module’s space-facing port inside the SpaceX Dragon “Endurance” spacecraft and parachute to a splashdown off the coast of Florida ending a six-and-a-half-month mission orbiting Earth.
The four homebound crew members on Wednesday checked the pressure suits they will wear inside “Endurance” during the ride back to Earth. At the end of the day, they joined the seven other orbital residents and reviewed everyone’s roles and responsibilities in the unlikely event of an emergency aboard the station.
There was still time for science in space as Dominick set up medical hardware including an ultrasound scanner and blood pressure measurement gear. He then conducted scans on NASA Flight Engineer Loral O’Hara and measured her blood pressure collecting data for the CIPHER suite of 14 human research experiments. CIPHER is documenting an astronaut’s health during a long-term spaceflight.
Furukawa installed science hardware in the Destiny laboratory module for a semiconductor manufacturing study that could support production in space and more efficient technologies on Earth. Epps set up a microscope to observe the growth of cell cultures for an investigation that may promote the creation of artificial organs for transplant patients on Earth. Finally, Grebenkin attached sensors to himself recording his heart activity in microgravity.
In the Roscosmos segment of the station, cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub continued installing cargo containers inside the Zarya module. The duo earlier checked out carbon dioxide monitors and cleaned fan screens inside the Progress 86 cargo craft.
