Archivo de la etiqueta: spacestation

Crew Swap Preps Underway as Health and Robotics Research Wrap Week

The Expedition 73 crew is turning its attention to the arrival of a new crew next week then getting ready to split up shortly afterward. In the meantime, human research, robotics, and lab maintenance wrapped up the week aboard the International Space Station.

Flight Engineers Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers from NASA and station Commander Takuya Onishi from JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) and Kirill Peskov from Roscosmos talked to reporters on Friday about their upcoming departure. NASA’s Commercial Crew quartet arrived at the station aboard the SpaceX Dragon crew spacecraft on March 14 as NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 mission joining Expedition 73. Now, they are packing Dragon with personal items and other cargo and preparing for a return to Earth in early August.

McClain, Crew-10 commander, during the news conference talked about the effort from mission controllers around the world who ensure the orbital outpost and its crew operate safely. “There’s always a massive team on the ground, somewhere around the world, that is having to work really hard to keep the train on the tracks,” said McClain on her second spaceflight.

Before Crew-10 leaves, the orbiting lab residents will welcome NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission a day-and-a-half after it launches aboard a Dragon spacecraft from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center no earlier than 12:09 p.m. EDT on Thursday, July 31. Crew-11 Commander Zena Cardman and Pilot Mike Fincke, both from NASA, and Mission Specialists Kimiya Yui of JAXA and Oleg Platonov of Roscosmos will join the Expedition 73 crew and begin a long-duration space research mission.

Back on the orbital outpost, the crew continued exploring how the human body adapts to weightlessness to keep astronauts fit and healthy on long term missions. Ayers kicked off her shift pedaling on the Destiny laboratory module’s exercise cycle while wearing electrodes and breathing gear measuring her heart and breathing rate. Doctors monitor the astronauts’ aerobic and cardiovascular health to ensure they are ready for strenuous tasks such as an hours long spacewalk or the return to Earth’s gravity after several months, or even years, in space.

Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky kept up their gastroenterology studies on Friday with two ultrasound scans of their bellies. The first scan occurred on an empty stomach shortly after they woke up. They conducted their second stomach scan after breakfast and a weekly conference with mission controllers on the ground. Doctors are studying how microgravity affects the digestion system that may lead to space-caused biochemical changes.

Onishi set up the CIMON artificial intelligence-powered robotic assistant in the Kibo laboratory module enabling engineers on the ground to monitor it for JAXA’s ICHIBAN technology demonstration. NASA Flight Engineer Jonny Kim spent his shift in Destiny setting up and refilling the fluid servicer system used to maintain and repair rack water lines and systems throughout the space station.

Peskov resumed updating computer software to enable remote control functionality of the European robotic arm. He also once again tried on and tested the experimental lower body negative pressure suit that may help crews adjust quicker to the return to Earth’s gravity. Zubritskiy assisted Peskov with the specialized suit that draws fluids pooling in the upper body toward he feet potentially counteracting space-caused head and eye pressure.

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’s SpaceX Crew-11 Flight Readiness Review Underway 

NASA and SpaceX managers, along with international partners, are meeting at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida today for the Crew-11 mission’s Flight Readiness Review, as teams finalize preparations for the 11th crew rotation mission with SpaceX to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. 

During the next several hours, the review will focus on the preparedness of SpaceX’s crew transportation system, the space station, and its international partners to support the flight, culminating in the certification of flight readiness. 

The Crew-11 mission will carry NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Kimiya Yui, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov to the International Space Station for a long-duration mission.   

Stay up-to-date on Crew-11 mission details by following along on the mission blog, @NASAKennedy on X, or NASA Kennedy on Facebook. 

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Jason Costa

Robotics, Exercise Studies Improving Space Missions as Crew Swap Nears

Thursday’s research aboard the International Space Station explored ways to control robots on a planetary surface and how microgravity affects exercise and digestion. The Expedition 73 crew is also in the middle of its preparations to welcome a new crew then split up.

Human exploration of the solar system may include commanding robots on asteroids, the lunar surface, and Mars from an orbiting spacecraft. NASA Flight Engineer Jonny Kim tested space-to-ground robotic controlling methods on a laptop computer such as consoles, touchscreens, haptics, and virtual reality goggles in coordination with engineers in Earth. Results may provide safer methods of planetary exploration besides labor-intensive spacewalks and inform operations in disaster zones or inhospitable areas on Earth.

Living and working in weightlessness long-term requires daily workouts to maintain muscle and bone health ensuring crews stay fit and healthy. Aerobic and cardiovascular conditioning in microgravity are also important especially for more strenuous tasks such as spacewalks and the return to Earth’s gravity after months or even years.

Station Commander Takuya Onishi of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) and NASA Flight Engineer Nichole Ayers took turns pedaling on the Destiny laboratory module’s exercise cycle for just one of many exercise investigations on the orbital outpost. They wore electrodes and breathing gear measuring their heart and breathing rate as researchers on the ground monitored in real time. Results will help doctors track an astronaut’s health and develop improved space workout programs.

NASA Flight Engineer Anne McClain worked out on the advanced resistive exercise device, that mimics free weights on Earth and is in the Tranquility module, while wearing the sensor-packed Bio-Monitor headband and vest. The biomedical device is designed to comfortably monitor and collect a crew member’s heath data as they go about their daily activities. Afterward, she removed the wearable devices and downloaded her blood pressure data for review by specialists on the ground.

At the end of their shift, McClain, Ayers, and Onishi joined Roscosmos Flight Engineer Kirill Peskov and called down to flight controllers at SpaceX’s headquarters in Hawthorne, California, for a conference. The quartet coordinated with controllers from both SpaceX and NASA preparing to end a five-month stay in space and return to Earth next month inside the SpaceX Dragon crew spacecraft. The four NASA SpaceX Crew-10 crewmates also practiced Earth reentry techniques on computer tablets and have already begun packing personal items and cargo inside Dragon for the ride home. They will gather at 10:40 a.m. EDT on Friday for a news conference and discuss their upcoming departure live on YouTube.

Waiting on Earth to replace Crew-10 is NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission with Commander Zena Cardman and Pilot Mike Fincke, both from NASA, and Mission Specialists Kimiya Yui of JAXA and Oleg Platonov of Roscosmos. The Commercial Crew quartet is due to depart NASA’s Johnson Space Center on Saturday and arrive at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center to begin their countdown to a launch inside Dragon atop the Falcon 9 rocket no earlier than 12:09 p.m. EDT on Thursday, July 31.

Flight Engineers Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky joined each other for stomach scans with an ultrasound device after their breakfast on Thursday. The cosmonauts were exploring how microgravity affects the digestion system to understand potential space-caused biochemical changes. The duo then split up as Ryzhikov tested electrical cables in the Nauka science module and Zubritsky photographed Earth landmarks in multiple wavelengths. Peskov prepared computer hardware for a software update to add remote control functionality to the European robotic arm.

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 Preps for Crew Swap and Continues Space Health Studies

The Expedition 73 crew is preparing to split up in early August while another crew on the ground is beginning final preparations for a launch to the International Space Station next week. Meanwhile, the orbital residents continue their human research activities, space exercise studies, and lab maintenance duties on Wednesday.

NASA Flight Engineer Anne McClain kicked off her shift packing personal items and cargo inside the SpaceX Dragon crew spacecraft she will ride back to Earth with Nichole Ayers of NASA, Takuya Onishi of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), and Kirill Peskov of Roscosmos. The four crewmates representing NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 mission have been gathering crew provisions for a couple of weeks for loading aboard Dragon preparing to end a space research mission that began on March 14. They will gather at 10:40 a.m. EDT on Friday for a news conference and discuss their upcoming departure live on YouTube.

Waiting on Earth to replace Crew-10 is NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission with Commander Zena Cardman and Pilot Mike Fincke, both from NASA, and Mission Specialists Kimiya Yui of JAXA and Oleg Platonov of Roscosmos. The Commercial Crew quartet is due to depart NASA’s Johnson Space Center on Saturday and arrive at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center to begin their countdown to a launch inside Dragon atop the Falcon 9 rocket no earlier than 12:09 p.m. EDT on Thursday, July 31.

NASA Flight Engineer Jonny Kim, on Wednesday, practiced on a computer the procedures he will use while monitoring Dragon’s rendezvous and approach with Crew-11 onboard. Dragon will automatically dock to the Harmony module’s space-facing port about a day-and-a-half after launch, the crew will enter the orbital outpost, and begin a seven-month research mission in low Earth orbit.

After her packing job, McClain focused on human research measuring her blood pressure, attaching electrodes to herself, and swapping out a sensor-packed headband and vest to comfortably measure her health data. Ayers continued packing items for return home, relocated genetic research gear, and serviced hardware that measures the vibrations caused by crew activities and orbital maneuvers that affect experiments on the station.

Station Commander Onishi began his shift on Wednesday activating and calibrating specialized video hardware that would track his movements later as he worked out on the advanced resistive exercise device (ARED). The data collected from the ARED Kinematics study helps researchers understand how exercising in microgravity affects the human body, protect muscles and bones from exercise loads on the equipment, and adjust workout plans for individual crew members to maintain maximum fitness.

Peskov continued testing the experimental lower body negative pressure suit that may help crews adjust quicker to the return to Earth’s gravity. Flight Engineer Alexey Zubritsky assisted Peskov as he tried on the suit that pulls fluids from the upper body potentially counteracting space-caused head and eye pressure.

Zubritsky later joined veteran cosmonaut and Flight Engineer Sergey Ryzhikov and set up biomedical hardware they will use to monitor how microgravity affects the digestion process after eating their breakfast on Thursday. Earlier, Ryzhikov set up hardware to image in Earth multiple wavelengths then serviced a pair of oxygen generators in the Zvezda and Nauka modules.

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

Brain, Muscles, and Robotics Research to Assist Healthy Crew Tops Schedule

Brain research, electrical muscle stimulation, and robotics topped the research schedule on Tuesday helping researchers keep the crew healthy and assist them on long-term missions. The Expedition 73 crew members also worked on spacesuit maintenance, radiation checks, and more aboard the International Space Station.

The ongoing human research in space provides scientists continuous physiological data they need to review to understand how astronauts’ bodies adapt to weightlessness over long periods of time. From analyzing blood and saliva samples, cognition tests, fitness tests, and a wide variety of other studies, the insights inform ways to ensure crews maintain their wellness off the Earth.

Astronauts Anne McClain of NASA and Takuya Onishi from JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) began their day drawing their blood samples, spinning them in a centrifuge, and preserving the specimens in a science freezer for later analysis. Next, McClain took a set of tests measuring her cognitive performance to identify potential space-caused changes to her brain structure and function. At the end of her shift, McClain jogged on the COLBERT treadmill while strapped to a heart rate monitor then she wore a sensor-packed headband and vest for overnight health monitoring.

Onishi tested the artificial intelligence-powered CIMON robot assistant and its ability to command a free-flying robotic camera for JAXA’s ICHIBAN technology demonstration inside the Kibo laboratory module. In the middle of the robotics activities, Onishi also serviced a variety of science hardware including a wrist-worn sleep-wake monitor and a research incubator.

NASA Flight Engineers Jonny Kim and Nichole Ayers teamed up inside the Columbus laboratory module and explored a method to supplement space exercise and maintain muscle health. Kim helped Ayers attach electrodes to her legs and operated biomedical gear that applied small electrical signals stimulating the muscles. Results may improve muscle function, reduce workout times, and enable lighter exercise equipment on spacecraft. Kim also worked in the Quest airlock cleaning cooling loops and inspecting components on a pair of spacesuits.

Roscosmos Flight Engineers Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky joined each other in the Zvezda service module and took turns wearing electrodes and blood pressure cuffs that measured how blood circulates to the arms and fingers in microgravity. Ryzhikov later photographed landmarks in the Indian and Pacific Oceans while Zubritsky transferred water into the station from tanks inside the Progress 92 cargo craft.

Roscosmos Flight Engineer Kirill Peskov checked radiation detectors for a monthly reading of the data then serviced orbital plumbing hardware. He also gathered with his NASA SpaceX Crew-10 crewmates McClain, Ayers, and Onishi and reviewed emergency breathing equipment inside the Dragon spacecraft they will ride back to Earth next month.

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Mark A. Garcia