Space Science and Spacewalk Preps Keep Station Crew Busy

Astronaut Jeanette Epps smiles for a portrait after she finished conducting a HAM radio session with Italian students.
Astronaut Jeanette Epps smiles for a portrait after she finished conducting a HAM radio session with Italian students.

The Expedition 71 crew members continued ongoing biology and physics research, as well as spacewalk preparations on Tuesday. The seven International Space Station residents also kept up more CubeSat work, cargo operations, and lab maintenance throughout their shifts.

Eye checks were on the schedule Tuesday as NASA Flight Engineers Tracy C. Dyson and Mike Barratt contributed to the CIPHER human research study. The duo participated in a pair of eye exams looking at the retina and optic nerve for one portion of the investigation that examines ocular structure and function in microgravity. Results may inform countermeasures that protect an astronaut’s vision on long-term space missions farther away from Earth.

Dyson earlier replaced cardiac cell samples inside the Advanced Space Experiment Processor, a research incubator, that were printed using the BioFabrication Facility. Barratt installed a small satellite orbital deployer into the Kibo laboratory module’s airlock. The Japanese robotic arm will grapple the deployer and point it away from the station where it will release a series of CubeSats into Earth orbit for scientific and technology research.

NASA Flight Engineers Jeanette Epps and Matthew Dominick joined each other during the afternoon finalizing hardware swaps inside the Cold Atom Lab. During the installation work the duo also cleaned filters and checked power readings on the research device that observes the quantum behavior of atoms chilled to near absolute zero.

Dominick began his day processing blood samples with Dyson spinning them in a centrifuge for later analysis. The duo later took turns transferring cargo in and out of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft.

Cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub continue preparing for an April 25 spacewalk that will see the Roscosmos duo work outside in the vacuum of space for about seven hours. The two crewmates spent the afternoon gathering spacewalking tools and preparing their Orlan spacesuit components for upcoming operations. During the morning, the pair took turns studying spacecraft and robotic piloting techniques that may be used on future planetary missions.

Roscosmos Flight Engineer Alexander Grebenkin spent the majority of his day servicing life support components inside the Zvezda service module. At the end of the day, Grebenkin moved to the Tranquility module and worked out on the advanced resistive exercise device for an exercise evaluation.

Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_station and @ISS_Research on X, as well as the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.

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NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test Begins Stacking Operations

Photo of Boeing's Starliner that will take NASA astronauts to the International Space Station In May 2024.
Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, set to carry NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams on the agency’s Boeing Crew Flight Test to the International Space Station, passes in front of the iconic Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Tuesday, April 16, 2024. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, set to carry NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams on the agency’s Boeing Crew Flight Test to the International Space Station, is lifted and stacked on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket
https://blogs.nasa.gov/boeing-crew-flight-test/

NASA teams joined Boeing on April 16 to move the Starliner spacecraft out of the company’s Commercial Crew and Cargo Processing Facility at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to the launch site.

Technicians lifted and connected the spacecraft to the top of a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket at the Vertical Integration Facility at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station ahead of NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test mission.

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are the first to launch aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft to the International Space Station. Liftoff is scheduled for no earlier than 10:34 p.m. EDT Monday, May 6, from Cape Canaveral’s Space Launch Complex-41. The astronauts will spend about a week at the orbiting laboratory before the crew capsule makes a parachute and airbag-assisted landing in the southwestern United States.

After successful completion of the mission, NASA will begin the final process of certifying Starliner and its systems for crewed rotation missions to the space station.

Wilmore and Williams will wrap up flight preparations in Houston and arrive at NASA Kennedy no earlier than Thursday, April 25.

Learn more about the NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test by following the mission  blog, the commercial crew blog, @commercial_crew on X, and commercial crew on Facebook.

NASA Completes Analysis of Recovered Space Object

In March 2021, NASA ground controllers used the International Space Station’s robotic arm to release a cargo pallet containing aging nickel hydride batteries from the space station following the delivery and installation of new lithium-ion batteries as part of power upgrades on the orbital outpost. The total mass of the hardware released from space station was about 5,800 pounds.

The hardware was expected to fully burn up during entry through Earth’s atmosphere on March 8, 2024. However, a piece of hardware survived re-entry and impacted a home in Naples, Florida. NASA collected the item in cooperation with the homeowner and analyzed the object at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Recovered stanchion from the NASA flight support equipment used to mount International Space Station batteries on a cargo pallet. The stanchion survived re-entry through Earth’s atmosphere on March 8, 2024, and impacted a home in Naples, Florida
Recovered stanchion from the NASA flight support equipment used to mount International Space Station batteries on a cargo pallet. The stanchion survived re-entry through Earth’s atmosphere on March 8, 2024, and impacted a home in Naples, Florida

As part of the analysis, NASA completed an assessment of the object’s dimensions and features compared to the released hardware and performed a materials analysis. Based on the examination, the agency determined the debris to be a stanchion from the NASA flight support equipment used to mount the batteries on the cargo pallet. The object is made of the metal alloy Inconel, weighs 1.6 pounds, is 4 inches in height and 1.6 inches in diameter.

The International Space Station will perform a detailed investigation of the jettison and re-entry analysis to determine the cause of the debris survival and to update modeling and analysis, as needed. NASA specialists use engineering models to estimate how objects heat up and break apart during atmospheric re-entry. These models require detailed input parameters and are regularly updated when debris is found to have survived atmospheric re-entry to the ground.

NASA remains committed to responsibly operating in low Earth orbit, and mitigating as much risk as possible to protect people on Earth when space hardware must be released.

Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_station and @ISS_Research on X, as well as the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.

Get weekly updates from NASA Johnson Space Center at: https://roundupreads.jsc.nasa.gov/

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Crew Begins Week with Spacesuits, Space Physics, and Human Research

The official Expedition 71 crew portrait with (bottom row from left) Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin and NASA astronauts Mike Barratt, Matthew Dominick, and Jeanette Epps. In the back row (from left) are, NASA astronaut Tracy C. Dyson and Roscosmos cosmonauts Nikolai Chub and Oleg Kononenko.
The official Expedition 71 crew portrait with (bottom row from left) Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin and NASA astronauts Mike Barratt, Matthew Dominick, and Jeanette Epps. In the back row (from left) are, NASA astronaut Tracy C. Dyson and Roscosmos cosmonauts Nikolai Chub and Oleg Kononenko.

Spacesuits and space physics kicked off the work week for the Expedition 71 crew. The International Space Station residents also continued their ongoing human research activities and cargo operations.

NASA astronauts Mike Barratt and Matthew Dominick took turns on Monday servicing a pair of U.S. spacesuits. Barratt spent the morning inside the Quest airlock dumping and filling the suits’ water tanks then filtering their cooling loops. In the afternoon, Dominick wrapped up the maintenance work and deconfigured and powered down the spacesuits.

Barratt earlier joined NASA Flight Engineer Tracy C. Dyson in the Columbus laboratory module as she checked his eye function. After Barratt’s spacesuit work, NASA Flight Engineer Jeanette Epps checked his blood pressure and scanned his veins with the Ultrasound 2 device. The biomedical work is part of the CIPHER investigation to gain a broad view of the physiological and psychological changes astronauts experience during long-term space missions.

Dyson moved on and removed a small satellite orbital deployer from the Kibo laboratory module’s airlock after it deployed three CubeSats into Earth for communications and technology studies. At the end of her shift, Dyson tested her vision by reading characters off a standard eye chart.

Epps and Barratt also alternated their schedules continuing to swap cargo in and out of the SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft. Epps then began replacing hardware inside the Cold Atom Lab, a quantum research device for observing the behavior of atoms chilled to lower than the average temperature of the universe.

Cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub are gearing up for the next spacewalk set for 10:55 a.m. EDT on April 25. The duo spent Monday reviewing their spacewalk tasks, measuring their arm strength, and replacing components on their Orlan spacesuits. Kononenko and Chub are expected to spend about seven hours in the vacuum of space removing and installing hardware on the orbital outpost’s Roscosmos segment.

Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin worked throughout the day primarily on life support maintenance tasks. The first-time space flyer also photographed electrical components inside the Zarya module then updated the station’s inventory management system.

NASA, Boeing Prep Starliner to Join Rocket Ahead of Crew Flight Test

The Boeing CST-100 Starliner spacecraft is lifted at the Vertical Integration Facility at Space Launch Complex-41 at Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on May 4, 2022. Photo credit: NASA/Frank Michaux

The spacecraft set to carry two NASA astronauts on the agency’s Boeing Crew Flight Test to the International Space Station is ready to move from its production facility to the launch site. Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft will roll out of the Commercial Crew and Cargo Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida Tuesday, April 16, to the Vertical Integration Facility at nearby Cape Canaveral Space Force Station to connect to the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket.

The crewed flight test is targeting launch no earlier than 10:34 p.m. Monday, May 6 from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral. NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will fly aboard Starliner and will dock at the space station’s forward port of the Harmony module. The duo will spend about a week at the orbiting laboratory before Starliner makes a parachute and airbag-assisted landing in the southwestern United States.

After successful completion of the mission, NASA will begin the final process of certifying Starliner and its systems for crewed rotation missions to the space station. The Starliner capsule, with a diameter of 15 feet (4.56m) and the capability to steer automatically or manually, will carry four astronauts, or a mix of crew and cargo, for NASA missions to low Earth orbit.

Learn more about NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test by following the mission blog, the commercial crew blog, @commercial_crew on X, and commercial crew on Facebook.

Eye, Brain Research and Cardiac Cell Printing Wrap Up Station Week

NASA astronaut Tracy C. Dyson works in the BioFabrication Facility's portable glovebag located in the International Space Station's Columbus laboratory module.
NASA astronaut Tracy C. Dyson works in the BioFabrication Facility’s portable glovebag located in the International Space Station’s Columbus laboratory module.

Advanced space biology continued on Friday aboard the International Space Station to develop and test therapies for a range of space-caused and Earthbound health conditions. The Expedition 71 crew members also fit in light maintenance duties and their daily exercise sessions during their busy research schedule.

Eye health has been a main research focus this week as the crew conducted standard eye exams and investigated spaceflight-induced vision issues. Mice on the station are being treated with a gene therapy that may prevent retinal conditions and reduced vision associated with living in space. The mice will be returned aboard the SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft for analysis on Earth.

NASA Flight Engineers Matthew Dominick and Jeanette Epps split their shift on Friday and took turns feeding the mice and cleaning the rodent habitats located in the Destiny laboratory module. During the rest of their day, the two astronauts serviced a variety of life support and science hardware and worked out on a treadmill, exercise cycle, and the advanced resistive device.

NASA astronaut Mike Barratt spent most of his day in the Kibo laboratory module servicing brain organoid samples and injecting a test drug into the specimens. Working in Kibo’s Life Science Glovebox, Barratt spent his shift treating the samples and placing them in the Space Automated Bioproduct Laboratory, a research incubator, for later analysis. Results from the study may lead to insights into microgravity’s effect on the central nervous system and potential treatments for neurological diseases on Earth.

3D bioprinting continued onboard the orbital outpost on Friday as NASA Flight Engineer Tracy C. Dyson worked in the Columbus laboratory module operating the BioFabrication Facility. She swapped sample cassettes in and out of the device then stowed printed cardiac cell samples inside the Advanced Space Experiment Processor for a two-month incubation period. The samples will be returned to Earth for future analysis. The biotechnology study may enable future space crews to print on-demand meals and medicines and doctors on Earth to engineer replacement organs and tissues for patients.

The space station’s three cosmonauts had an off-duty day and observed Cosmonautics Day which celebrates cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin’s first spaceflight on April 12, 1961. Station Commander Oleg Kononenko and Flight Engineers Nikolai Chub and Alexander Grebenkin downlinked a video message commemorating Gagarin’s first mission. The trio from Roscosmos then deactivated and disconnected sensors that were monitoring and recording their body functions.

Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_station and @ISS_Research on X, as well as the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.

Get weekly updates from NASA Johnson Space Center at: https://roundupreads.jsc.nasa.gov/

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Advanced Tech and Life Science on Station Today Promoting Health

The Soyuz MS-25 crew ship is pictured docked to the Prichal docking module as the space station soared into an orbital sunset above the Indian Ocean.
The Soyuz MS-25 crew ship is pictured docked to the Prichal docking module as the space station soared into an orbital sunset above the Indian Ocean.

Nanomaterials manufacturing, 3D bioprinting, and astronaut eye health were the main research topics aboard the International Space Station on Friday. The Expedition 71 crew members also continued servicing spacesuits and conducted an emergency drill.

The SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft recently delivered to the orbital outpost a biotechnology study to demonstrate the in-space production of nanomaterials that mimic DNA. NASA Flight Engineers Jeanette Epps and Mike Barratt worked on the second portion of that experiment on Thursday mixing then treating the research samples for analysis. Epps began her day mixing solutions in the Life Science Glovebox to create specialized nanomaterials. During the afternoon, Barratt applied sound and light treatments to the samples then stowed them aboard Dragon for analysis back on Earth. Results may lead to advanced therapies for space-caused and Earthbound health conditions.

The duo partnered back together at the end of the day for eye scans using standard medical imaging gear found in an optometrist’s on Earth. Barratt operated the hardware with guidance from doctors on the ground peering into Epp’s eyes and examining her retina and optic nerve for the B Complex eye health investigation.

Cardiac cell printing was back on the schedule on Thursday as NASA Flight Engineer Matthew Dominick operated the BioFabrication Facility located inside the Columbus laboratory module. He swapped sample cassettes inside the bioprinter then processed the printed cell samples for incubation. Results may enable future space crews to print meals and medicines or doctors to manufacture organs and tissues for patients on Earth.

NASA astronaut Tracy C. Dyson joined Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub and practiced a simulated emergency return to Earth. The trio trained on a computer on the steps necessary to quickly enter the Soyuz crew ship and undock from the station for a controlled descent back to Earth.

Next, Dyson spent the rest of her day analyzing microbe samples, conducting a health checkup, and replacing orbital plumbing components. Kononenko and Chub activated a pair of Orlan spacesuits, installed components on the suits, then performed leak checks ahead of a Roscosmos spacewalk planned for April 25.

Flight Engineer Alexander Grebenkin started his day with blood tests then attached electrodes to himself that will monitor his heart activity for 24 hours. Afterward, he worked on Roscosmos life support maintenance before installing imagery hardware to study Earth’s upper atmosphere.

Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_station and @ISS_Research on X, as well as the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.

Get weekly video highlights at: https://roundupreads.jsc.nasa.gov/videoupdate/

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Crew Checks Eyes and Ears, Works on Bioprinting and Spacesuits

Astronaut Jeanette Epps works in the BioFabrication Facility portable glovebag to print cardiac cell samples for the Redwire Cardiac Bioprinting Investigation.
Astronaut Jeanette Epps works in the BioFabrication Facility portable glovebag to print cardiac cell samples for the Redwire Cardiac Bioprinting Investigation.

Biomedical research and space physics consumed the Expedition 71 crew’s science schedule aboard the International Space Station on Wednesday. The seven orbital residents also worked on spacesuits and cargo operations throughout their workday.

Three NASA astronauts participated in eye checks giving doctors insights on microgravity’s effect on the human body. Flight Engineers Matthew Dominick, Mike Barratt, and Jeanette Epps took turns scanning each other’s eyes with the Ultrasound 2 device. Doctors on the ground monitored the scans in real-time viewing the crewmembers’ cornea, lens, and optic nerve. Afterward, Epps operated standard medical imaging hardware and viewed Dominick’s retina and optic nerve for the B Complex eye health investigation.

Dominick and Barratt also worked throughout the day transferring cargo inside the SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft. Additionally, Barratt installed new gear inside the Combustion Integrated Rack for a study to improve fire safety in space.

Epps earlier split her day between a 3D bioprinting study and physics hardware swaps. First, she operated the BioFabrication Facility and printed cardiac cell samples for an experiment that may see future crews print meals and medicines on demand or doctors create replacement organs and tissues for patients on Earth. Next, she replaced components in the Fluids Integrated Rack for an experiment that could improve thermal systems for both spacecraft and Earth systems.

NASA Flight Engineer Tracy C. Dyson wrapped up the bioprinting work that Epps began on Wednesday processing the printed cardiac cell samples for incubation. Dyson began her day setting up a wearable acoustic monitor that measures the station’s sound levels that crews experience. She later swapped hardware supporting a semiconductor manufacturing experiment.

Cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko, Nikolai Chub, and Alexander Grebenkin each spent about an hour on Wednesday participating in a regularly scheduled hearing assessment. The trio from Roscosmos took turns wearing a headset and listening to tones in a quiet area of the orbital lab while specialized software documented the results.

Kononenko and Chub started the day together reviewing software that simulates descending back to Earth inside the Soyuz spacecraft. Afterward, the Roscosmos duo collected Orlan spacesuit components and tested the suits for pressure leaks. The Expedition 71 crew is preparing for its first spacewalk planned for April 25.

Grebenkin continued scanning surfaces inside the Zvezda service module with an ultrasound device during the first half of his day. In the afternoon, he jogged on a treadmill while attached to sensors and electrodes measuring his health parameters for a periodic fitness test.

Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_station and @ISS_Research on X, as well as the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.

Get weekly video highlights at: https://roundupreads.jsc.nasa.gov/videoupdate/

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3D Bioprinting and CubeSats Top Tuesday’s Science Schedule

The Moon's shadow, or umbra, is pictured from the space station as it orbited into the path of the solar eclipse on April 8, 2024.
The Moon’s shadow, or umbra, is pictured from the space station as it orbited into the path of the solar eclipse on April 8, 2024.

Advanced space biology and CubeSat work topped the research schedule aboard the International Space Station on Tuesday. The Expedition 71 crew also continued its cargo work and lab maintenance to keep the orbital outpost in tip-top shape.

Scientists are taking advantage of the weightless environment to learn how to print 3D cardiac tissue samples. NASA Flight Engineers Tracy C. Dyson and Matthew Dominick took turns operating the BioFabrication Facility, swapping cassettes containing the bio-printed samples inside the device, then processing the samples for incubation. The tissue-engineering study that takes place inside the Columbus laboratory module may offer the ability to print food and medicines for future space crews. Results may also enable the bioprinting of replacement organs and tissues potentially alleviating the shortage of donor organs on Earth.

NASA Flight Engineer Jeanette Epps was on her second day of installing a small satellite orbital deployer inside the Kibo laboratory module’s airlock. Three CubeSats are packed into the device and will soon be deployed into Earth orbit for a variety of communications and technology studies. Afterward, Epps partnered with Dyson and NASA astronaut Mike Barratt transferring cargo in and out of the SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft.

Barratt began his day transferring spacewalking tools to the station’s Roscosmos segment before working on orbital plumbing duties. During the afternoon, the three-time station resident refilled the water supply inside the rodent research habitat located in the Destiny laboratory module. The mice living inside the biology device are being observed for a study testing a gene therapy to improve eye health in space.

Cosmonaut Nikolai Chub collected and stowed the spacewalking tools from Barratt. Those tools are being readied for a Roscosmos spacewalk planned for April 25. Afterward, he worked on life support tasks inside the Progress 86 resupply ship and the Zarya and Zvezda modules.

Fellow cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin inspected video gear and an oxygen generator then scanned surfaces inside Zvezda with an ultrasound device. Station Commander Oleg Kononenko continued inspection activities inside Zvezda and the Progress 87 resupply ship. He also attached sensors and electrodes to himself and jogged on a treadmill for a periodic fitness test.

Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_station and @ISS_Research on X, as well as the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.

Get weekly video highlights at: https://roundupreads.jsc.nasa.gov/videoupdate/

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Station Orbits into Eclipse, Crew Works Research and Spacesuits

The Moon's shadow, or umbra, on Earth was visible from the space station as it orbited into the path of the solar eclipse over southeastern Canada.
The Moon’s shadow, or umbra, on Earth was visible from the space station as it orbited into the path of the solar eclipse over southeastern Canada.

The International Space Station soared into the Moon’s shadow during the solar eclipse on Monday afternoon. The Expedition 71 crew members had an opportunity to view the shadow at the end of their workday filled with cargo transfers, spacesuit maintenance, and microgravity research.

The windows on the cupola, the orbital outpost’s “window to the world,” were open and NASA Flight Engineers Matthew Dominick and Jeanette Epps were inside photographing and videotaping the Moon’s shadow on Earth, or umbra, beneath them. They were orbiting 260 miles above southeastern Canada as the Moon’s umbra was moving from New York state into Newfoundland.

The space station experienced a totality of about 90% during its flyover period. Views of the solar eclipse itself, the Moon orbiting directly between the sun and the Earth, were only accessible through a pair of windows in the space station’s Roscosmos segment which may not have been accessible due to cargo constraints.

Before the eclipse activities began on Monday, Dominick worked on orbital plumbing, serviced a pair of science freezers and swapped cargo in and out of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. Dominick then joined NASA astronaut Mike Barratt inspecting spacesuit tethers and organizing spacewalking tools.

Epps installed a small satellite orbital deployer inside the Kibo laboratory module’s airlock and also participated in the Dragon cargo work. NASA Flight Engineer Tracy C. Dyson assisted Epps with the small satellite installations and cargo transfers. Dyson also reviewed operations with the BioFabrication Facility and prepared research hardware for an upcoming session to print cardiac tissue cell samples.

Station Commander Oleg Kononenko spent Monday on inspection tasks in the aft end of the Zvezda service module and Progress 87 resupply ship. Flight Engineer Nikolai Chub focused his attention on electronics and ventilation maintenance. Chub also spent a few moments assisting Flight Engineer Alexander Grebenkin as he attached sensors to himself measuring his heart activity for a long-running Roscosmos space cardiac investigation. He later turned on an ultrasound device and scanned surfaces inside Zvezda.