Archivo de la etiqueta: spacestation

NASA, Partners Adjust Next Cygnus Resupply Launch

NASA, Northrop Grumman, and SpaceX are accelerating the next commercial resupply flight to the International Space Station to maximize launch opportunities following an assessment of mission readiness. NASA now is targeting no earlier than 6:11 p.m. EDT, Sunday, Sept. 14, for the launch of a Northrop Grumman Cygnus XL on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

The Cygnus XL spacecraft will deliver more than 11,000 pounds of science, research, and supplies* to the orbital complex, including materials to produce semiconductor crystals in space and equipment to develop improvements for cryogenic fuel tanks. The spacecraft also will deliver a specialized UV light system to prevent biofilm growth and supplies to produce pharmaceutical crystals that could treat cancer and other diseases.NASA is targeting arrival of the Cygnus XL spacecraft and its installation aboard the space station on Wednesday, Sept. 17.

The International Space Station is a convergence of science, technology, and human innovation that enables research not possible on Earth. For almost 25 years, people have continuously lived and worked aboard the International Space Station, advancing scientific knowledge and demonstrating new technologies that enable us to prepare for human exploration of the Moon and Mars.

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 Exercise and Physics Research Advancing Earth and Space Health

Exercise research and space physics took precedence aboard the International Space Station while a pair of Expedition 73 crew members enjoyed an off-duty day. Meanwhile, the rest of the crew also focused on maintaining science hardware and inventorying lab gear.

The main purpose of research on the orbital outpost is discovering new phenomena impossible to achieve in Earth’s gravity environment. The new unique insights help provide advanced treatments for both Earthbound and space-caused ailments and may lead to commercial and industrial innovations benefitting households and promoting business and space communities.

The lack of gravity aboard a spacecraft affects an astronaut’s body leading to accelerated muscle and bone loss among other symptoms. One way to counteract the microgravity-influenced effects is through daily two-hour workouts on specialized equipment which also benefit a crew member’s cardiovascular and respiratory systems.

Beginning his day with the Cardiobreath exercise study, NASA Flight Engineer Mike Fincke wore a sensor-packed headband and vest measuring his health data while he pedaled on the Destiny laboratory module’s exercise cycle. The data will be downlinked to Earth helping doctors plan fitness programs to protect astronaut health on long-term missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. After his lunch period, Fincke turned his attention to a physics study investigating pharmaceutical manufacturing and 3D printing techniques in space. He set up the Colloidal Solids research hardware inside Destiny’s Microgravity Science Glovebox that may advance human health on and off the Earth.

Flight Engineer Kimiya Yui of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) focused on servicing an array of experimental hardware throughout the orbital lab on Thursday. He first replaced moisture-absorbing cassettes inside an artificial gravity-generating biology research device. Next, he analyzed station water samples for hazardous chemicals then tested a new device that measures the quality of the station’s atmosphere to protect crew health. Yui also inspected the European Enhanced Exploration Exercise Device that is testing smaller, more advanced workout gear for future spaceflights beyond low Earth orbit.

NASA Flight Engineers Jonny Kim and Zena Cardman took a well-deserved break on Thursday following several days of unpacking the SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft and installing new science experiments aboard the station. One new experiment they activated and began working on is looking at how microgravity affects bone stem cell samples to learn how to protect an astronaut’s skeletal system in space and treat aging conditions and bone diseases on Earth.

Roscosmos Flight Engineer Oleg Platonov kicked off a 24-hour session wearing sensors for an experiment measuring how microgravity affects his heart rate and blood pressure during his daily activities and through his sleep shift. Station Commander Sergey Ryzhikov and Flight Engineer Alexey Zubritsky partnered together throughout the day inventorying a variety of Roscosmos lab gear including safety equipment, spacesuit components, and interior lighting systems.

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

Bone Cell Research Advances as Dragon Adjusts Station’s Orbit

Expedition 73 continued observing bone stem cells on Wednesday to learn how to protect the skeletal system in microgravity and ensure crew health on long duration space missions. The International Space Station residents also installed advanced computer hardware and practiced an emergency drill as a SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft boosted the orbital outpost’s altitude.

NASA Flight Engineer Jonny Kim was back inside the Kibo laboratory module processing bone stem cell samples to help doctors understand the molecular changes crew member’s bones experience during a spaceflight. The human-provided samples were delivered recently aboard a SpaceX Dragon cargo craft and are being treated with a therapeutic agent for a closer look and a better understanding of space-caused bone loss. After a period of incubation during the research activities, the specimens are stowed in a science freezer to be returned back to Earth aboard Dragon for retrieval and analysis.

Before the start of the bone study, Flight Engineer Kimiya Yui of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) activated the Life Science Glovebox for Kim to begin his experimental work. Yui then moved on and set up an artificial gravity-generating incubator to study the fermentation and brewing process of sake yeast. At the end of his shift, the two-time station visitor installed the Axiom Data Center Unit-1 in the Destiny laboratory module to test processing and data storage and advanced manufacturing applications on orbit.

Flight Engineers Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke continued unpacking some of the science, supplies, and hardware packed inside Dragon on Wednesday. As the crew worked during the second half of its shift, the external reboost kit installed inside Dragon’s trunk, an independent propellant system, powered the spacecraft’s two Draco engines for several minutes in a demonstration of its ability to maintain the station’s altitude.

Cardman and Fincke also partnered together clearing up space and organizing cargo inside the Permanent Multipurpose Module. Cardman later replaced and repaired hardware on the cupola’s robotics workstation. Fincke reviewed procedures and gathered hardware for an upcoming physics study to develop and design new materials, such as pharmaceuticals, in space.

Station Commander Sergey Ryzhikov and Flight Engineer Alexey Zubritsky, both from Roscosmos, started their shift practicing an emergency evacuation drill with Kim. The three crewmates, who launched to the orbital outpost aboard the Soyuz MS-27 spacecraft, trained on a computer the procedures they would use to quickly board their Soyuz and undock from the station in the unlikely event of an emergency.

Afterward, Ryzhikov and Zubritsky joined fellow Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov and photographed crew activities documenting research work, exercise, maintenance duties, and more. Platonov spent the majority of his shift inside the Nauka science module cleaning components on its ventilation system.

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

NASA, SpaceX Complete Dragon Space Station Reboost

On Wednesday, Sept. 3, SpaceX’s Dragon completed an initial burn to test the spacecraft’s new capability to help maintain the altitude of the International Space Station. Two Draco engines located in the trunk of Dragon, which contains an independent propellant system, were used to adjust the space station’s orbit through a maneuver lasting five minutes, three seconds. The initial test burn increased the station’s altitude by around one mile at perigee, or low point of station’s orbit, leaving the station in an orbit of 260.9 x 256.3 miles. The new boost kit in Dragon will help sustain the orbiting lab’s altitude through a series of longer burns planned periodically throughout the fall of 2025.

This Dragon spacecraft, which is supporting NASA’s SpaceX 33rd commercial resupply mission, arrived at the orbital complex on Aug. 25. Dragon is scheduled to remain at the space station until late December or early January before returning to Earth with research and cargo, splashing down off the coast of California.

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

Bone Loss, Transistor Tech Top Tuesday Science as Cygnus Launch Announced

Bones and transistors were the main research topics aboard the International Space Station on Tuesday to explore how microgravity affects the human body and advanced technology. Also, the next cargo mission packed with new science, supplies, and hardware for the Expedition 73 crew is targeted to lift off in mid-September.

NASA Flight Engineers Zena Cardman and Jonny Kim were back on space biology duties processing bone stem cell samples inside the Kibo laboratory module’s Life Science Glovebox throughout the day. The duo took turns helping researchers explore how microgravity affects bone tissue to safeguard a crew member’s skeletal system and possibly treat aging conditions and bone diseases on Earth. The samples will be stowed in science freezers and returned to Earth aboard the SpaceX Dragon cargo craft for retrieval and analysis. Later, Cardman peered into standard medical imaging gear operated by Kim as doctors on the ground remotely examined her retinas in real-time looking for any space-caused issues.

NASA Flight Engineer Mike Fincke, on his fourth spaceflight, kicked off his shift unpacking more hardware from inside Dragon including stowage components for a station EXPRESS rack that supports a variety of microgravity experiments. He also brushed up on his Canadarm2 robotic arm skills practicing maneuvers on a computer, documented his meals for the day, then processed his biological samples for stowage and future analysis.

Flight Engineer Kimiya Yui of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) also worked on Dragon cargo transfers assisting Fincke with the science stowage hardware removals. Yui also began deconfiguring fiber manufacturing hardware from inside the Destiny laboratory module’s Microgravity Science Glovebox. Next, the two-time space station resident began installing new experiment gear in an EXPRESS rack to observe how space radiation affects advanced transistor technology.

Station Commander Sergey Ryzhikov of Roscosmos began his inventorying parts that support the Zvezda service module’s treadmill. He also joined Flight Engineer Alexey Zubritsky and tested communications gear inside the Progress 91 that will soon depart the orbiting lab after six-and-a-half months docked to Zvezda’s rear port. Zubritsky also replaced protective shielding on research hardware designed to measure the internal and external neutron radiation environment the space station is exposed to. Roscosmos Flight Engineer Oleg Platonov photographed Platonov during the radiation experiment operations then spent time inside the Nauka science module on servicing life support gear.

NASA, Northrop Grumman, and SpaceX are targeting the launch of the 23^rd Cygnus cargo mission to resupply the orbital outpost for 5:49 p.m. EDT on Sept. 15. Cygnus will launch atop a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida to deliver over 10,000 pounds of new science investigations, spacesuit hardware, crew supplies, and more to replenish the Expedition 73 crew.

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