Archivo de la etiqueta: spacestation

Live on NASA+: Three Crewmates Say Farewell, Set to Depart Station

NASA’s live departure coverage is underway on NASA+, Amazon Prime, and the agency’s YouTube channel. Learn how to stream NASA content through a variety of online platforms, including social media.

NASA astronaut Jonny Kim and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky will close the hatch between the Soyuz MS-27 spacecraft and the International Space Station at 5:10 p.m. EST.

The spacecraft will undock from the station’s Prichal module at approximately 8:41 p.m., headed for a parachute-assisted landing at 12:04 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 9 (10:04 a.m. local time in Kazakhstan), on the steppe of Kazakhstan, southeast of the city of Dzhezkazgan.

Watch NASA’s live undocking coverage at 8:15 p.m. on NASA+, Amazon Prime, and YouTube.

Kim and his crewmates are completing a 245-day stay aboard the station. At the conclusion of their mission, they will have orbited Earth 3,920 times and traveled nearly 104 million miles. The Soyuz MS-27 spacecraft launched and docked with the station on April 8.

This was the first flight for Kim and Zubritsky to the orbiting laboratory, while Ryzhikov is ending his third trip to space. Ryzhikov will have logged a total of 603 days in space, ranking him 13th all time.

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

Crew Swaps Commanders on Sunday as Trio Packs for Departure

Expedition 73 will swap commanders this weekend before three crew members return to Earth on Monday. Expedition 74 officially begins once the home bound trio undocks from the Rassvet module inside the Soyuz MS-27 spacecraft the following day.

Veteran Roscosmos cosmonaut and station Commander Sergey Ryzhikov will hand over a symbolic key representing command of the orbital outpost to four-time space flyer NASA astronaut Mike Fincke at 10:30 a.m. EDT on Sunday, Dec. 7. Fincke will formally take responsibility of station operations  and lead the new Expedition 74 crew at the moment Ryzhikov and Flight Engineers Alexey Zubritsky of Roscosmos and Jonny Kim of NASA back away from the orbital outpost inside their Soyuz at 8:41 p.m. on Monday. Ryzhikov and Zubritsky spent Friday packing cargo and personal items inside the Soyuz MS-27 and making final preparations for their Monday night departure with Kim.

The trio aboard the Soyuz descent module will parachute to landing in Kazakhstan less than three-and-a-half hours later at 12:04 a.m. on Tuesday completing an eight-month space research journey orbiting over 250 miles above Earth. NASA’s live coverage of the crew’s return will be broadcast on NASA+, Amazon Prime, and the agency’s YouTube channel beginning at 4:45 p.m. on Monday with farewell and hatch closure.

NASA Flight Engineer Chris Williams, who arrived at the station with Flight Engineers Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev on Nov. 27,  has stepped into his new role as a first-time station astronaut and assisted Kim inside the Quest airlock on Friday installing lights, cameras, and straps on a pair of spacesuit helmets. Williams then wore electrodes around his eyes as computerized medical gear operated by NASA Flight Engineer Zena Cardman sent light signals to test his retinal response in microgravity.

Kim also cleaned his crew quarters and took airflow measurements as he prepares to end his stay in space. Cardman later checked out wireless high-definition camera hardware to be used inside the station when photographing future spacewalks.

Flight Engineers Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev took turns measuring their blood pressure then getting up to speed with life on orbit during the first half of Friday. Next, Kud-Sverchkov and Mikaev collected a variety of station microbial and personal biological samples for stowage and analysis as part of ongoing research to keep crews healthy in space.

Flight Engineer Kimiya Yui of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency uninstalled the NanoRacks CubeSat deployer after it deployed several tiny satellites into Earth orbit for government, educational, and commercial research. Fincke spent his shift replacing orbital plumbing components and inspecting fire extinguishers and breathing masks. Roscosmos Flight Engineer Oleg Platonov completed the end of the week transferring fluids into a Progress cargo craft then assisted Kud-Sverchkov processing microbe samples swabbed from surfaces in the station’s Roscosmos segment.

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

Station Trio Nears Departure During Busy Day of Blood Research

Three Expedition 73 crewmates will end their stay aboard the International Space Station when they undock Dec. 8 and return to Earth a few hours later. In the meantime, blood research took precedence on Thursday ensuring astronauts stay healthy while living long-term in weightlessness.

NASA astronaut Jonny Kim and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky are poised to complete a 245-day space research mission when they undock at 8:41 p.m. EDT on Monday, Dec. 8, from the Prichal module inside the Soyuz MS-27 crew spacecraft. The trio will parachute back to Earth inside the Soyuz descent module for a landing in Kazakhstan at 12:04 a.m. on Tuesday, less than three-and-a-half hours later. NASA’s live coverage of the crew’s return  will be broadcast on NASA+, Amazon Prime, and the agency’s YouTube channel.

The homebound threesome reviewed and practiced the operations they will perform inside the Soyuz once they begin to feel the pull of Earth’s gravity as they reenter the atmosphere. Ryzhikov and Zubritsky also tested a unique suit that reverses space-caused fluid shifts toward the upper body by pulling blood toward the feet. Results may prevent head and eye pressure in space and ease the adjustment to gravity after a multi-month-long spaceflight.

NASA Flight Engineers Zena Cardman and Chris Williams scanned their veins with the Ultrasound 2 device and measured each other’s blood pressure providing doctors insight into an astronaut’s cardiovascular system. The duo conducted the cardiac portion of the long-running CIPHER human research investigation inside the Columbus laboratory module that is tracking astronaut health before, during, and after a mission.

Flight Engineers Mike Fincke of NASA and Kimiya Yui of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) took turns bringing Williams up-to-speed with life on orbit. The veteran astronauts familiarized Williams with station hardware, operations, and systems. Williams has been on the orbital outpost since Nov. 27 when he and Roscosmos Flight Engineers Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev arrived on the Soyuz MS-28 crew spacecraft.

Kud-Sverchkov and Mikaev examined how microgravity affects blood flow in a cosmonaut’s fingers and toes. A variety of advanced medical gear observed the behavior of their microcirculatory system as they wore a set of electrodes and cuffs on their head, hands, and feet.

Roscosmos Flight Engineer Oleg Platonov spent the first part of his shift documenting the location and amount of clothing and towels available in the Roscosmos segment of the station. After lunchtime, Platonov spent the rest his shift on life support maintenance duties.

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

Biology, Physics Research Progress as Crews Hand Over Responsibilities

Space biology and physics topped the research schedule aboard the International Space Station on Wednesday to improve human health and the space industry. The Expedition 73 residents also helped three new crewmates adapt to orbital life as another trio turns its attention to returning to Earth next week.

NASA Flight Engineer Zena Cardman spent her day processing blood samples, testing her cognition, and exercising for research. She first performed a blood draw with assistance from NASA Flight Engineer Jonny Kim. Afterward, she spun the samples in a centrifuge then stowed them inside a science freezer for future analysis. Next, she took a computerized test measuring how she understands and navigates the microgravity environment, also called spatial cognition. Both activities were for the CIPHER human research study tracking astronaut health before, during, and after a spaceflight. Finally, she worked out on the advanced resistive exercise device (ARED) and pedaled on the exercise cycle while wearing the sensor-packed Bio-Monitor headband and vest measuring her aerobic and cardiovascular health.

Kim configured the Astrobee robotic free-flying assistants for ground controlled remote operations. Scientists are studying Astrobee’s ability to operate both autonomously and remotely freeing astronauts to conduct more research. He then trained Roscosmos Flight Engineer Sergey Kud-Sverchkov, who just began his second space station mission, on how to operate and exercise on the ARED. Kim also continued packing his personal items as he gets ready to return to Earth inside the Soyuz MS-27 crew spacecraft on Dec. 8 with Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky.

Ryzhikov helped Kud-Sverchkov and new Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergei Mikaev get up to speed with life on orbit showing the duo tools, operations, and procedures in the station’s Roscosmos segment. Ryzhikov was also back inside the Soyuz MS-27 stowing cargo, while Zubritsky continued packing his gear inside the spacecraft and cleaning his crew quarters.

NASA Flight Engineer Mike Fincke swapped cameras inside the Microgravity Science Glovebox to photograph how cryogenic fluids behave in microgravity to improve the design of spacecraft fuel tanks. Later, he helped new NASA Flight Engineer Chris Williams familiarize himself with station hardware, operations, and systems. At the end of his shift, Fincke inspected the condition of thermal insulation throughout the Tranquility module.

JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Kimiya Yui started his shift inside the Kibo laboratory module troubleshooting an experimental carbon dioxide removal device that is informing the development of Artemis spacecraft life support systems. Afterward, he continued cargo operations inside the Cygnus XL space freighter unpacking and stowing new science experiments and crew supplies.

Roscosmos Flight Engineer Oleg Platonov began his shift downloading Earth imagery captured automatically while the crew was asleep. Afterward, he wore acoustic sensors that measured his airflow and lung function as he exhaled rapidly for a Roscosmos breathing in space investigation. Finally, he collected station radiation exposure data then analyzed station air samples for ammonia and carbon dioxide.

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

New Trio Gets Up to Speed With Station Life as Space Biology Continues

The International Space Station’s three newest crewmembers are getting used to living and working in microgravity. The rest of the Expedition 73 crew assisted the new trio while continuing an array of space biology research and orbital maintenance on Tuesday.

New Flight Engineer Chris Williams from NASA spent his shift on a variety of cargo and maintenance activities as he gets up to speed with life in weightlessness. The first-time space flyer joined veteran NASA astronaut Mike Fincke inside the Cygnus XL space freighter unpacking new science experiments and crew supplies and learning where to stow and how to organize the cargo throughout the station. He also joined NASA Flight Engineer Jonny Kim and inspected and cleaned the Enhanced European Exploration Exercise Device (E4D) located in the Columbus laboratory module. The E4D is being tested on the orbital outpost for its ability to provide bicycling, rowing, and resistance exercises to protect a crewmember’s muscles, bones, and heart health in microgravity.

Roscosmos Flight Engineers Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev, who launched to space with Williams on Nov. 27 aboard the Soyuz MS-28 crew spacecraft, took turns wearing sensors and cuffs measuring how their microcirculatory system is adapting to low Earth orbit. The cosmonauts also collected their blood and saliva samples for processing, stowage, and analysis. Kud-Sverchkov, whose first spaceflight was on Oct. 14, 2021, also recorded his breathing rate and familiarized himself with station systems. Mikaev learned how to operate the advanced resistive exercise device (ARED), located in the Tranquility module, with assistance from veteran JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Kimiya Yui.

Fincke also checked out hardware that analyzes oxygen and carbon dioxide in the station’s environment and compared it to readings from other analytical devices. Kim photographed CubeSats that were deployed into Earth orbit from the NanoRacks CubeSat deployer for space technology research. Yui photographed and inspected biomedical hardware including ultrasound gear that uses augmented reality software and a muscle measurement device.

NASA Flight Engineer Zena Cardman started her shift working out on the ARED and exercise cycle while wearing the Bio-Monitor outfit consisting of a sensor-packed vest and headband that tracked her aerobic and cardiovascular activity. Next, she processed and stowed scientific samples in a science freezer for the CIPHER human research study that tracks an astronaut’s health before, during, and after a space mission.

The next crew to return to Earth — Kim and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky — is due to undock from the Rassvet module inside the Soyuz MS-27 crew spacecraft on Dec. 8. The trio will parachute to a landing inside the Soyuz descent module in Kazakhstan about three-and-a-half hours later ending an eight-month-long space research mission. Kim spent about an hour on Tuesday packing his personal items for return inside the Soyuz while Ryzhikov and Zubritsky practiced Soyuz descent maneuvers ahead of their departure. The two cosmonauts also tested the lower body negative pressure suit that may help their bodies adjust quicker to Earth’s gravity.

Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov assisted his two crewmates with the lower body negative pressure suit operations. He also spent some time photographing other crew activities going on aboard the station before configuring a camera to automatically photograph Earth landmarks during the crew’s sleep period.

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