![\"UAE](\"https:\/\/blogs.nasa.gov\/spacestation\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/240\/2023\/03\/blog_iss068e076362.jpg\")
<\/a>The Expedition 69<\/a> crew members continue unpacking the SpaceX Dragon resupply ship in the midst of human research and pharmaceutical studies aboard the International Space Station<\/a>. NASA and its commercial crew partners have also announced upcoming missions to the station.<\/p>\n Flight Engineers Frank Rubio<\/a> of NASA and Sultan Alneyadi of UAE (United Arab Emirates) took turns working inside the SpaceX Dragon cargo craft on Thursday. The duo has been offloading some of the 6,200 pounds<\/a> new research gear and crew supplies packed inside the Cargo Dragon. The U.S. commercial space freighter will remain docked to the Harmony module<\/a>\u2019s forward port until mid-April when it will return to Earth filled with completed science experiments and other cargo for retrieval and analysis.<\/p>\n Rubio started his day pedaling on the station\u2019s exercise bike<\/a> while attached to sensors to measure his aerobic capacity in microgravity. Afterward, he performed research work in the Columbus laboratory module<\/a> to understand how the different gravity levels of the Moon, Mars, and beyond may affect the biomanufacturing of pharmaceuticals<\/a>.<\/p>\n Alneyadi\u2019s first task of the day was to install an incubator in the Kibo laboratory module<\/a> and later activate it in the afternoon. He also collected surface samples throughout the space station for microbial analysis back on Earth.<\/p>\n Station Commander Sergey Prokopyev<\/a> was joined by Rubio and Roscosmos Flight Engineer Dmitri Petelin<\/a> during the morning checking their Soyuz launch and entry suits for leaks. Prokopyev and Petelin then tested communications with the ISS Progress 83<\/a> cargo craft docked to the Zvezda service module<\/a>\u2019s rear port. Flight Engineer Andrey Fedyaev<\/a> worked throughout Thursday on computer maintenance and orbital plumbing tasks.<\/p>\n NASA and Boeing now are targeting no earlier than Friday, July 21<\/a>, for the agency\u2019s Boeing Crew Flight Test (CFT) to the International Space Station, pending coordination for the U.S Eastern Range availability. The new target date provides NASA and Boeing the necessary time to complete subsystem verification testing and close out test flight certification products and aligns with the space station manifest and range launch opportunities.<\/p>\n NASA and SpaceX are targeting mid-August for the launch of Crew-7, the next rotational mission to the International Space Station.<\/p>\n Northrop Grumman\u2019s Cygnus space freighter<\/a> attached to the Unity module<\/a>\u2019s Earth-facing port fired its engines today for over 15 minutes today boosting the station\u2019s orbit. The orbital reboost is the first of three that is positioning the orbiting lab for the upcoming launch and docking of the ISS Progress 84 cargo craft planned for late May. The maneuver also continues the certification process for using the Cygnus vehicle as an additional reboost capability.<\/p>\n Learn more about station activities by following the\u00a0space station blog<\/a>,\u00a0@space_station<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0@ISS_Research<\/a>\u00a0on Twitter, as well as the\u00a0ISS Facebook<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0ISS Instagram<\/a>\u00a0accounts.<\/p>\n Get weekly video highlights at:\u00a0https:\/\/roundupreads.jsc.nasa.gov\/videupdate\/<\/a><\/p>\n Get the latest from NASA delivered every week. Subscribe here:\u00a0www.nasa.gov\/subscribe<\/a><\/p>\n Get The Details…<\/a><\/p>\n Mark Garcia <\/p>\n Powered by WPeMatico<\/a><\/small><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Expedition 69 crew members continue unpacking the SpaceX Dragon resupply ship in the midst of human research and pharmaceutical studies aboard the International Space Station. NASA and its commercial crew partners have also announced upcoming missions to the station. Flight Engineers Frank Rubio of NASA and Sultan Alneyadi of UAE (United Arab Emirates) took \u2026 Continue reading
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