![The upper portion of a rocket with a spacecraft on top are visible in this picture. Both NASA logos are visible - the \"worm\" and the \"meatball.\" A white bridge with several rectangular windows connects to the Dragon spacecraft. The Sun is rising in the background, brightening the sky slightly with an orange glow. The ground below is dark.](\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/ksc-20250311-ph-spx01-0004orig.jpg?w=2048\")
<\/a><\/figure>Expedition 72<\/a> will wait a couple of more days for the arrival of the SpaceX Crew-10<\/a> mission as support personnel work a ground issue at the launchpad. Meanwhile, the International Space Station<\/a> stayed busy with host a microgravity research exploring robotics, combustion, and adaptation to weightlessness.<\/p>\n Crew-10 is now targeted to launch to the orbital outpost no earlier than 7:03 p.m. EDT on Friday<\/a>. Engineers at Kennedy Space Center are investigating a hydraulic system issue<\/a> with a ground support clamp arm for the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at the launch pad. For an on-time launch, the Dragon crew spacecraft carrying NASA astronauts Anne McClain<\/a> and Nichole Ayers<\/a>, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov would dock to the orbital outpost\u2019s Harmony module<\/a> at 11:30 p.m. on Saturday.<\/p>\n Space science kept the crew aboard the station busy on Thursday as the astronauts and cosmonauts explored a variety of microgravity phenomena benefitting humans living on and off the Earth.<\/p>\n NASA Flight Engineer Butch Wilmore<\/a> activated an Astrobee robotic free-flyer<\/a> in the Kibo laboratory module<\/a> and outfitted the device with tentacle-like grippers<\/a>. Next, Astrobee demonstrated autonomously detecting and grappling a \u201ccapture cube.\u201d Results may enable future space systems to remove space debris and extend the life of satellites.<\/p>\n NASA Flight Engineers Suni Williams<\/a> and Don Pettit<\/a> spent their shift servicing gear for two different combustion experiments. Williams opened up the Electrostatic Levitation Furnace<\/a> and exchanged samples in the research device that safely heats materials to extreme temperatures to observe their thermophysical properties. Pettit swapped samples and installed new hardware inside the Combustion Integrated Rack<\/a> for an investigation to understand fire growth and material flammability<\/a> in space to promote spacecraft fire safety.<\/p>\n NASA Flight Engineer Nick Hague<\/a> spent his day primarily on maintenance tasks inside the orbital outpost. Hague first measured the airflow coming from the ventilation system located in Harmony\u2019s overhead crew quarters. He then spent the rest of the day inspecting and cleaning hatch seals throughout the space station\u2019s U.S. segment.<\/p>\n Roscosmos cosmonauts Aleksandr Gorbunov and Ivan Vagner once again tested the lower body negative pressure suit<\/a> that may help pull fluids from the upper body and counteract space-caused head and eye pressure. Vagner later studied how a crew member\u2019s vision, balance, and spatial orientation<\/a> adjusts to microgravity while attached to electrodes and wearing virtual reality goggles. Station Commander Alexey Ovchinin started his day servicing Roscosmos life support gear before continuing to check communications and power components on Orlan spacesuits.<\/p>\n Learn more about station activities by following the <\/em>space station blog<\/em><\/a>, <\/em>@space_station<\/em><\/a> and <\/em>@ISS_Research<\/em><\/a> on X, as well as the <\/em>ISS Facebook<\/em><\/a> and <\/em>ISS Instagram<\/em><\/a> accounts.<\/em><\/p>\n Get the latest from NASA delivered every week. Subscribe here: <\/em>https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/subscribe<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n Powered by WPeMatico<\/a><\/small><\/p>\n Get The Details…<\/a><\/p>\n Mark A. Garcia <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Expedition 72 will wait a couple of more days for the arrival of the SpaceX Crew-10 mission as support personnel work a ground issue at the launchpad. Meanwhile, the International Space Station stayed busy with host a microgravity research exploring robotics, combustion, and adaptation to weightlessness. Continue reading