![\"NASA](\"https:\/\/blogs.nasa.gov\/spacestation\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/240\/2023\/03\/iss068e017257_900x506.jpg\")
<\/a>The\u00a0Expedition 68<\/a>\u00a0crew members conducted space health experiments and prepared for the final plant harvest aboard the International Space Station<\/a> while inspiring the next generation of explorers in\u00a0a virtual robotics competition.<\/p>\n NASA Flight Engineer\u00a0Woody Hoburg<\/a>\u00a0spent most of his day installing tissue cassettes\u00a0for the BFF-Meniscus-2<\/a>, an investigation to print and culture a meniscus using the BioFabrication facility<\/a> aboard the space station. Crew members who experience musculoskeletal injuries on future deep space missions may benefit from the capability to bioprint tissue to promote recovery. The research could lead to the ability to print complex tissues and organs that may be used to treat patients\u00a0on Earth.<\/p>\n NASA Flight Engineer\u00a0Frank Rubio<\/a>\u00a0conducted the Astrobee-Zero Robotics<\/a> operations, a programming competition where students earn the opportunity\u00a0to control an autonomous flying robot and observe its performance aboard the space station. Finalists have their code downloaded by NASA to the Astrobee platform and observe its performance. Rubio also continued to transfer the 6,200 pounds of research hardware and supplies between the\u00a0orbital outpost and the uncrewed SpaceX CRS-27, which arrived at the space station on March 16.<\/p>\n Afterward, Rubio spent the rest of his day preparing for the final harvest of the\u00a0Veg-05<\/a>\u00a0plants by collecting plant swabs and water samples to be stored in cold stowage for later use in research. The plant botany study is the next step in addressing the need for a food production system in space. The\u00a0Vegetable Production System<\/a>\u00a0supplies crew members with a continuous source of fresh food and a tool for relaxation and recreation.<\/p>\n NASA Flight Engineer Stephen Bowen<\/a> installed\u00a0Materials International Space Station Experiment-17-Commercial<\/a>\u00a0hardware onto the Japanese Experiment Module airlock slide table. The investigation tests how the space environment affects the durability of\u00a0materials and components, including 3D-printed polymers, thermal protection systems, spacecraft materials, biopellets made from dried microbes, paraffin wax thermal protection, and thin solar cells.<\/p>\n Flight Engineer Sultan Alneyadi from UAE (United Arab Emirates) removed the\u00a0Dry-EEG Headband<\/a> and synchronized the\u00a0unit to\u00a0the\u00a0European Physiology Module laptop\u00a0for data transfer. The sleep monitoring technology investigates astronauts\u2019 sleep quality\u00a0by measuring duration, sleep stages, heart rate, and the number of awakenings. Alneyadi then positioned the Astrobee free flyer in the Japanese Experiment Module and conducted software test runs.<\/p>\n Flight Engineer\u00a0Andrey Fedyaev<\/a>\u00a0of Roscosmos continued to replace the condensate evacuation lines that carry away excess moisture from the cabin atmosphere. Meanwhile, Roscosmos cosmonauts\u00a0Sergey Prokopyev<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Dmitri Petelin<\/a>\u00a0prepared cargo to return in the Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft, slated to undock<\/a> from the station\u2019s Rassvet module on March 28.<\/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":" The\u00a0Expedition 68\u00a0crew members conducted space health experiments and prepared for the final plant harvest aboard the International Space Station while inspiring the next generation of explorers in\u00a0a virtual robotics competition. NASA Flight Engineer\u00a0Woody Hoburg\u00a0spent most of his day installing tissue cassettes\u00a0for the BFF-Meniscus-2, an investigation to print and culture a meniscus using the BioFabrication facility \u2026 Continue reading
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