![\"Expedition](\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/blog-exp74-congrats-artemisiii-060926.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>Microbiology and human research were the main scientific focus aboard the International Space Station<\/a> on Tuesday to protect health on and off the Earth. The <\/a>Expedition 74<\/a> crew members also worked on advanced research hardware and sent down a congratulatory message to the Artemis III crew, who were named during an announcement from the Johnson Space Center in Houston.<\/p>\n Some common bacteria have shown an increased resistance to antibiotics in the space environment potentially affecting an astronaut\u2019s ability to fight an infection. Flight engineers Jack Hathway<\/a> of NASA and Sophie Adenot of ESA (European Space Agency) explored the antibiotic-resistant organisms<\/a> inside the Kibo laboratory module<\/a>\u2019s Life Science Glovebox<\/a> and the Harmony module<\/a>\u2019s maintenance work area by processing the microbial samples and preparing them for DNA extraction and analysis. Doctors will use the data to understand how microbes adapt to microgravity possibly informing countermeasures to reduce the risk to astronaut health and protect patients on Earth.<\/p>\n NASA flight engineers Jessica Meir<\/a> and Chris Williams<\/a> partnered together loading a CubeSat-packed small satellite orbital deployer<\/a> into Kibo\u2019s airlock that will soon be placed into the vacuum of space. The Japanese robotic arm will grapple the deployer and point it away from the orbital outpost where it will safely deploy the shoebox-sized satellites into Earth orbit. A series of tiny satellites will be released for public and private research, including the Hokushin-1 CubeSat<\/a> that will test space technologies such as radio frequency, propulsion, and solar arrays.<\/p>\n Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Andrey Fedyaev worked on a pair of different investigations on Tuesday to continuously monitor how weightlessness affects the human body. Kud-Sverchkov, the orbital outpost\u2019s commander, strapped an acoustic sensor around his neck that recorded his rapid exhalation to learn how living in space affects the respiratory system. Fedyaev wore a set of cuffs attached to his arms, wrist, and fingers measuring his blood pressure for a microgravity cardiac experiment. Roscosmos flight engineer Sergei Mikaev was back on artificial intelligence research studying new tools to boost crew efficiency and communications aboard a spacecraft.<\/p>\n Four of the station\u2019s astronauts also sent down a message congratulating the four new Artemis III crew members<\/a> commander Randy Bresnik<\/a> of NASA, pilot Luca Parmitano<\/a> of ESA, and NASA mission specialists Frank Rubio<\/a> and Andre Douglas<\/a>. The four flight engineers each spoke a few inspiring words with Meir stating, \u201cCongratulations, Artemis III and godspeed on the journey ahead.\u201d Watch the crew message on @Space_Station X<\/a>.<\/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":" Microbiology and human research were the main scientific focus aboard the International Space Station on Tuesday to protect health on and off the Earth. The Expedition 74 crew members also worked on advanced research hardware and sent down a congratulatory message to the Artemis III crew, who were named during an announcement from the Johnson Space Center in Houston. Continue reading