![\"NASA](\"https:\/\/images-assets.nasa.gov\/image\/iss075e0252441\/iss075e0252441~large.jpg?w=1920&h=1280&fit=clip&crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint\")
<\/a><\/figure>Expedition 75<\/a> had a busy shift on Thursday primarily focusing on packing a U.S. cargo craft for its upcoming departure and cleaning a pair of spacesuits. Thursday\u2019s research topics aboard the\u00a0International Space Station<\/a> included space agriculture and super intelligence.<\/p>\n A SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft is nearing the end of its stay at the orbital outpost after delivering\u00a0over 6,300 pounds of science, supplies, and hardware<\/a> on\u00a0Oct. 15<\/a>. A series of experiments that Dragon delivered is concluding and samples such as\u00a0bacterial DNA<\/a> and\u00a03D-printed blood vessels<\/a> are being readied for return and analysis back on Earth. Specialized lighting hardware designed to\u00a0recreate natural daylight patterns<\/a> and help regulate crew sleep patterns aboard the station is also being returned following over three years of testing.<\/p>\n Flight engineers\u00a0Anil Menon<\/a> and\u00a0Jessica Watkins<\/a> of NASA joined each other on Thursday and began loading a variety of payloads inside the SpaceX Dragon. The packing will be finalized the day before Dragon leaves when the crew completes the transfer of critical research samples preserved inside portable freezers and incubators for the ride back to Earth.<\/p>\n Menon also partnered with flight engineer Joshua Kutryk of CSA (Canadian Space Agency) later in the day rearranging and securing cargo inside Dragon. The duo carefully placed the return cargo inside Dragon to ensure its even distribution of mass and balance its center of gravity for a safe Earth reentry and splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.\u00a0<\/p>\n NASA flight engineer\u00a0Luke Delaney<\/a> began his shift inside the\u00a0Kibo laboratory module<\/a> and set up the\u00a0Life Science Glovebox<\/a> for an upcoming space botany investigation. The\u00a0MVP-Plant-02<\/a> study will explore how plants respond to disease in microgravity to learn how to sustain crews on future exploration missions. Afterward, Delaney moved to the\u00a0Quest airlock<\/a> and cleaned cooling and ventilation systems inside a pair of spacesuits Menon and Kutryk wore during spacewalks on\u00a0Oct. 29<\/a> and\u00a0Nov. 5<\/a>.<\/p>\n Working in the space station\u2019s Roscosmos segment, station commander Pyotr Dubrov studied how to manufacture high-purity semiconductor crystals in microgravity. Next, he joined flight engineer Anna Kikina and practiced using super intelligence tools to transcribe crew audio reports for review by mission controllers on the ground. Flight engineer Sergey Teteryatnikov began his shift on orbital plumbing before documenting the availability of stowage area and updating the inventory management system.<\/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":" Expedition 75 had a busy shift on Thursday primarily focusing on packing a U.S. cargo craft for its upcoming departure and cleaning a pair of spacesuits. Thursday\u2019s research topics aboard the\u00a0International Space Station included space agriculture and super intelligence. Continue reading