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<\/a><\/figure>Three Expedition 73<\/a> crewmates will end their stay aboard the International Space Station<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n NASA astronaut Jonny Kim<\/a> 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<\/a>, 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\u2019s live coverage of the crew\u2019s return \u00a0will be broadcast on\u00a0NASA+<\/a>,\u00a0Amazon Prime<\/a>, and the agency\u2019s\u00a0YouTube<\/a>\u00a0channel.<\/p>\n The homebound threesome reviewed and practiced the operations they will perform inside the Soyuz once they begin to feel the pull of Earth\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n NASA Flight Engineers Zena Cardman<\/a> and Chris Williams<\/a> scanned their veins with the Ultrasound 2<\/a> device and measured each other\u2019s blood pressure providing doctors insight into an astronaut\u2019s cardiovascular system. The duo conducted the cardiac portion of the long-running CIPHER<\/a> human research investigation inside the Columbus laboratory module<\/a> that is tracking astronaut health before, during, and after a mission.<\/p>\n Flight Engineers Mike Fincke<\/a> 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<\/a> when he and Roscosmos Flight Engineers Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev arrived on the Soyuz MS-28 crew spacecraft.<\/p>\n Kud-Sverchkov and Mikaev examined how microgravity affects blood flow in a cosmonaut\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Learn more about station activities by following the <\/em>space station blog<\/em><\/a>, <\/em>@space_station<\/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. <\/em>Subscribe here<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n Powered by WPeMatico<\/a><\/small><\/p>\n Get The Details…<\/a><\/p>\n Mark A. Garcia <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 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. Continue reading