Archivo de la etiqueta: spacestation

Cargo Dragon is Go for Launch on Thursday

The Expedition 67 crew members are training for this weekend’s arrival of the SpaceX Dragon cargo craft to the International Space Station as it prepares for its launch on Thursday.

Mission managers have given the go for the SpaceX Dragon resupply ship as it counts down to a liftoff toward the space station at 8:44 p.m. EDT on Thursday. Dragon, attached to the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and carrying 5,800 pounds of science experiments and crew supplies, rolled out to the launch pad at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on Tuesday. The U.S. commercial cargo craft will orbit Earth for a day-and-a-half before docking to the Harmony module’s forward port at 11:20 a.m. on Saturday. NASA TV, on the agency’s app and website, will begin its live launch coverage at 8:15 p.m. on Thursday.

NASA astronauts Jessica Watkins and Bob Hines spent Wednesday afternoon reviewing procedures on a computer for Dragon’s automated rendezvous and docking to Harmony on Saturday. The two flight engineers were also joined by NASA astronaut Kjell Lindgren staging cargo that will be returned inside Dragon at the end of its monthlong mission at the orbital lab.

The three astronauts, including ESA (European Space Agency) Flight Engineer Samantha Cristoforetti, also called down to Houston today to begin planning for their return to Earth later this year. The quartet arrived at the station on April 27 aboard the Dragon Freedom as part of the SpaceX Crew-4 commercial crew mission.

Two cosmonauts, Commander Oleg Artemyev and Flight Engineer Sergey Korsakov, took turns on Wednesday participating in a long-running study that explores ways to pilot a spacecraft or operate a robotic rover on future planetary missions. Flight Engineer Denis Matveev inspected and wiped down surfaces for microbes in the Zvezda service 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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Health Checks, Space Gardening as Spacewalk Preps Ramp Up

The Expedition 67 crew members kicked off Tuesday with health checks before moving on to space agriculture and spacewalk preparations. The International Space Station’s residents also worked on a host of life support systems and cargo operations.

NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins began her day setting up the Health Maintenance System in the U.S. Destiny laboratory module. She and fellow astronauts Kjell Lindgren, Bob Hines, and Samantha Cristoforetti, took turns during the morning measuring their temperatures, blood pressures, pulses, and respiratory rates.

Afterward, Watkins replaced components on a life support device that ensures oxygen and carbon dioxide levels remain safe aboard the station. Hines restocked the Human Research Facility’s supply kit with sample tubes, gloves, and wipes. Watkins and Hines later partnered together stowing cargo inside the NanoRacks Bishop Airlock. Lindgren wrapped up work for the Intelligent Glass Optics experiment then checked radishes and mizuna greens growing for the XROOTS space gardening study that uses hydroponic and aeroponic techniques.

Cristoforetti joined Commander Oleg Artemyev and checked telemetry and communications gear on a pair of Russian Orlan spacesuits they will wear for a spacewalk planned for July 21. The duo will exit the Poisk airlock at 10 a.m. EDT and spend about seven hours configuring the European robotic arm (ERA) for operations.

Roscosmos Flight Engineer Sergey Korsakov and Denis Matveev spent Tuesday preparing the station’s Russian segment for next week’s spacewalk activities. Korsakov continued checking out the ERA and its components from inside the Nauka multipurpose laboratory module. Flight Engineer Denis Matveev readied the Poisk module’s airlock for the two spacewalkers and closed Poisk’s hatch to the ISS Progress 80 cargo craft.

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 Preps for Cargo Mission, Spacewalk Amidst Ongoing Science Ops

Preparations for a cargo mission this week and a spacewalk next week are keeping the Expedition 67 crew busy aboard the International Space Station. The seven orbital residents are also staying busy with their ongoing research into human biology, space physics, and robotics.

The SpaceX Dragon cargo craft attached to the Falcon 9 rocket is due to roll out to the launch pad soon at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It is scheduled to launch at 8:44 p.m. EDT on Thursday carrying 5,800 pounds of science experiments and crew supplies to replenish the orbiting lab. Dragon will orbit Earth for a day-and-a-half before docking to the Harmony module’s forward port at 11:20 a.m. on Saturday.

NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins spent an hour-and-a-half Monday morning studying Dragon’s approach and rendezvous maneuvers. She will be on duty Saturday morning, along with NASA astronaut Bob Hines, monitoring Dragon’s automated docking to Harmony. NASA TV, on the agency’s app and website, will begin live coverage at 10 a.m. on Saturday of Dragon’s arrival at the station for a monthlong stay.

Watkins also took turns with Hines and fellow NASA astronaut Kjell Lindgren participating in a fitness test on an exercise cycle located in the U.S. Destiny laboratory module. The trio strapped sensors to themselves and pedaled for 60 minutes for the VO2Max exercise study that monitors an astronaut’s aerobic capacity.

Watkins began her day activating the Astrobee robotic free-flyers to test their ability to autonomously navigate inside the Kibo laboratory module. Hines swapped fiber optic cable samples inside the Microgravity Science Glovebox for the Intelligent Glass Optics space manufacturing study. Lindgren finalized his day testing the new Butterfly IQ Ultrasound device for its mobile and remote medical capabilities.

A Roscosmos cosmonaut and an ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut are gearing up for the year’s sixth spacewalk planned for July 21. Commander Oleg Artemyev and Flight Engineer Samantha Cristoforetti spent all day Monday activating and inspecting a pair of Russian Orlan spacesuits. The duo will work outside in the vacuum of space for approximately seven hours configuring the European robotic arm (ERA) for operations on the station’s Russian segment.

Artemyev started his day with Flight Engineer Denis Matveev for an hourlong assessment of their cardiovascular system. Matveev then replaced smoke detectors and checked sensors inside the Zvezda service module. Flight Engineer Sergey Korsakov worked on water transfers inside the ISS Progress 80 cargo craft then prepared the ERA for next week’s spacewalk.

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Mark Garcia

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Space Manufacturing, Spacewalk Preps Wrap up Workweek

Artificial intelligence, hearing tests, and a microscope setup topped the research agenda aboard the International Space Station on Friday. The seven Expedition 67 crew members also divided their day with ongoing spacewalk preparations, training video recording, and orbital plumbing duties.

The astronauts have been exploring space manufacturing techniques to take advantage of the weightless environment that could advance the production and output of Earth and space industries. The current Intelligent Glass Optics study investigates using artificial intelligence as a way to adapt Earth-bound manufacturing processes for microgravity. NASA Flight Engineer Jessica Watkins opened up the Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG) on Friday swapping samples of fiber optic cable for the experiment. NASA Flight Engineer Kjell Lindgren of NASA then monitored an experiment run drawing fiber inside the MSG for the study potentially benefitting the communications, aerospace, medicine, and astronomy fields.

Watkins then partnered with NASA Flight Engineer Bob Hines and filmed station training videos to familiarize future astronauts with life on orbit. Hines later performed pressure checks on a U.S. spacesuit jet pack as part of regularly scheduled maintenance. The jet pack, also known as SAFER (Simplified Aid for EVA Rescue), provides a spacewalker the ability to return to the station in the unlikely event they become untethered from their worksite.

A major characteristic of life on the space station is the continuously operating gear such as thermal, electronics, and life support systems. The Acoustic Diagnostics study is exploring whether station equipment noise levels and the microgravity environment may create possible adverse effects on astronaut hearing. Samantha Cristoforetti of ESA (European Space Agency) and Lindgren both participated in that study today wearing acoustic monitors that measure station sound levels. The acoustic data will help researchers understand the station’s sound environment and may inform countermeasures to protect crew hearing.

Lindgren also continued setting up a specialized microscope that uses spatial filtering techniques to observe cellular and tissue structures inside the Kibo laboratory module. Cristoforetti wrapped up her day working on fluid transfer tasks in the Harmony and Tranquility modules.

Station Commander Oleg Artemyev continued preparing for a spacewalk that he and Cristoforetti will conduct to outfit the European robotic arm attached to the Nauka multipurpose laboratory module. He joined Flight Engineer Denis Matveev gathering Orlan spacesuit components and other spacewalking gear ahead of the excursion planned for 10 a.m. EDT on July 21. Flight Engineer Sergey Korsakov explored advanced Earth photography techniques then spent the rest of the day on plumbing tasks and ventilation maintenance.

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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Heidi Lavelle

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Nervous System Study and Spacewalk Preps Continue

The International Space Station continues hosting an array of advanced science experiments and spacewalk preparations. The seven Expedition 67 residents also ensured the ongoing operation of research gear and electronics equipment while auditing station office supplies.

The lack of an up and down reference in microgravity may affect the human nervous system potentially impacting how crew members interact with spacecraft instrumentation. NASA Flight Engineers Jessica Watkins and Bob Hines continued working on the GRIP experiment in the Columbus laboratory module on Thursday to study how weightlessness influences an astronaut’s ability to grip and manipulate objects. Watkins and Hines took turns conducting the investigation while lying flat on their backs as scientists monitored from the ground. The pair had performed research operations from a seated position earlier in the week.

Watkins then spent the rest of the day working on electronics gear and connections inside the Harmony module. Hines swapped air supply hoses ensuring the proper airflow inside the Quest airlock.

NASA Flight Engineer Kjell Lindgren began his morning in the Kibo laboratory module servicing a specialized microscope that uses spatial filtering techniques to observe cellular and tissue structures. Afterward, Lindgren moved on to a space manufacturing study observing a run of the Intelligent Glass Optics study that incorporates artificial intelligence into its methodology.

Two veteran station crew members, ESA (European Space Agency) Flight Engineer Samantha Cristoforetti and Roscosmos Commander Oleg Artemyev, resumed their preparations today for an upcoming spacewalk. The duo from Italy and Russia will exit the station Poisk airlock at 10 a.m. on June 21 and spend approximately seven hours continuing to outfit the European robotic arm attached to the Nauka multipurpose laboratory module.

Cosmonaut and Flight Engineer Denis Matveev inventoried station supplies, including printing paper, ink cartridges, and batteries, throughout the station’s Russian segment. Roscosmos Flight Engineer Sergey Korsakov configured nanosatellites that will be deployed during the June 21 spacewalk.

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: http://jscfeatures.jsc.nasa.gov/videoupdate/

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

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Mark Garcia

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