![\"Expedition](\"https:\/\/blogs.nasa.gov\/spacestation\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/240\/2022\/12\/iss068e032486_blog.jpg\")
<\/a>Research and maintenance activities aboard the International Space Station continue into the new year while engineers and managers discuss Soyuz capabilities and potential next steps in response to the Soyuz MS-22\u2019s\u00a0external cooling loop leak<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Expedition 68 crew remains in good condition, performing a variety of maintenance and research activities and looks forward to some time off on New Year\u2019s Day. NASA astronauts\u00a0Frank Rubio<\/a>,\u00a0Josh Cassada<\/a>,<\/span> and\u00a0Nicole Mann<\/span><\/a>\u00a0continued work to service the spacesuits used by Rubio and Cassada to install a new International Space Station\u00a0Roll-out Solar Array<\/a>.<\/p>\n On Dec. 29, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut\u00a0Koichi Wakata<\/a>\u00a0monitored the deployment of eight Cubesats from JAXA\u2019s Kibo module.\u00a0Cosmonauts\u00a0Sergey Prokopyev<\/a><\/span>,\u00a0Dmitri Petelin<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Anna Kikina<\/a>\u00a0worked on a variety of maintenance and research tasks.<\/p>\n With integrated crews on each other\u2019s spacecraft, NASA and Roscosmos work jointly on any decisions related to crew safety including crew transportation. NASA and Roscosmos are continuing to conduct a variety of engineering reviews and are consulting with other international partners about methods for safely bringing the Soyuz crew home for both normal and contingency scenarios. A final decision on the path forward is expected in January.<\/p>\n As a part of the analysis, NASA also reached out to SpaceX about its capability to return additional crew members aboard Dragon if needed in an emergency, although the primary focus is on understanding the post-leak capabilities of the Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft.<\/p>\n Station teams also are preparing for the undocking and departure of the SpaceX CRS-26 cargo spacecraft on Monday, Jan. 9. The cargo Dragon is scheduled to return valuable scientific research samples through a splashdown off the Florida coast. Undocking is scheduled for 5:05 p.m. EST, with splashdown planned for Wednesday, Jan. 11. Live coverage of the undocking and departure will begin at 4:45 p.m. on NASA Television, the NASA\u00a0app<\/a>, and the agency\u2019s\u00a0website<\/a>.<\/p>\n Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog<\/a>, @space_station<\/a> and @ISS_Research<\/a> on Twitter, as well as the ISS Facebook<\/a> and ISS Instagram<\/a> accounts.<\/p>\n Get weekly video highlights at: https:\/\/roundupreads.jsc.nasa.gov\/videoupdate\/<\/a><\/p>\n Get the latest from NASA delivered every week. Subscribe here: www.nasa.gov\/subscribe<\/a><\/p>\n Get The Details…<\/a><\/p>\n Heidi Lavelle <\/p>\n Powered by WPeMatico<\/a><\/small><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Research and maintenance activities aboard the International Space Station continue into the new year while engineers and managers discuss Soyuz capabilities and potential next steps in response to the Soyuz MS-22\u2019s\u00a0external cooling loop leak. The Expedition 68 crew remains in good condition, performing a variety of maintenance and research activities and looks forward to some \u2026 Continue reading
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