NASA Space Station Blog

Crew Works Dragon, Biotech, and Spacewalk Cleanups

Astronauts Tracy C. Dyson and Matthew Dominick collect research samples preserved inside science freezers for transferring inside the SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft.

The Expedition 71 crew members continue packing the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and preparing for its return to Earth this weekend. Meanwhile, the cosmonauts cleaned up following a successful spacewalk at the International Space Station on Thursday.

Mission managers are monitoring weather conditions off the coast of Florida and are now targeting no earlier than 12:05 p.m. EDT on Sunday for the undocking of the SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft. The NASA astronauts have spent the week packing Dragon with completed science experiments and research samples that will be analyzed in laboratories on Earth. On Friday, Flight Engineers Tracy C. Dyson and Matthew Dominick securely transferred into Dragon mice treated with a genetic therapy that may prevent space-caused vision issues. Scientists on the ground will evaluate the space rodents and compare them to a control group on the ground.

NASA Flight Engineer Jeanette Epps swabbed placards the crew had been touching at regular intervals and collected microbe samples for the Antimicrobial Coatings experiment. The samples were placed in transfer tubes for stowage on Dragon and analysis on Earth. Special coatings on surfaces are being tested for their ability to inhibit microbial growth and prevent bacteria contamination in space and Earth systems protecting astronauts and Earthlings.

NASA Flight Engineer Mike Barratt spent Friday on a pair of biotechnology experiments to boost health on and off the Earth. He started his day preparing bacteria samples for DNA sequencing. Researchers seek to identify antibiotic resistant organisms, how microgravity affects their evolution, and protect space crews. Barratt then spent the afternoon processing cardiac tissue samples printed in the BioFabrication Facility, a 3D bioprinter. Results may allow crews to print meals and medicines and doctors on Earth to manufacture organs for patient surgeries.

The orbital lab’s three cosmonauts slept in on Friday following a four-hour and 36-minute spacewalk to install hardware and science experiments on the station’s Roscosmos segment. This was the second spacewalk that Commander Oleg Kononenko and Flight Engineer Nikolai Chub had conducted together. The duo woke up late on Friday and began cleaning and removing components from their Orlan spacesuits. Flight Engineer Alexander Grebenkin, who assisted the spacewalkers on Thursday, retrieved radiation sensors from the spacesuits and documented the recorded data.

The space station is orbiting higher today after the Progress 87 resupply ship, docked to the Zvezda service module’s aft port, fired its engines for nearly seven minutes on Thursday night. The orbital reboost puts the orbital outpost at the correct altitude for the arrival of the next cargo craft from Roscosmos, the Progress 88, due in late May.

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 Astronauts Complete Key Rehearsal Before Boeing Crew Flight Test

From left to right, NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore pose for photos at the Launch and Landing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida following their arrival for the agency’s Boeing Crew Flight Test. Photo credit: Frank Michaux

Launch preparations are moving full steam ahead to send two NASA astronauts aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft for the first time to the International Space Station. NASA, Boeing, and ULA (United Launch Alliance) recently completed a start-to-finish mission dress rehearsal on April 26, for the upcoming Crew Flight Test.

The mission will launch NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore, commander, and Suni Williams, pilot, on Boeing’s Starliner on a ULA Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Liftoff is scheduled for 10:34 p.m. EDT, Monday, May 6.

During the dress rehearsal, Wilmore and Williams completed a series of launch day milestones including suiting up, working in a flight deck simulator, and operating the same software that will be used during the launch. After loading out Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida and convoyed to the Vertical Integration Facility at nearby Cape Canaveral to run through countdown procedures with the integrated Atlas V rocket and Starliner stack.

The crew will spend about a week at the orbiting laboratory before the crew capsule returns to Earth, making 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 crew 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.

NASA Flight Test Readiness Review Concludes, Teleconference to Follow

Mission managers with NASA, Boeing, and United Launch Alliance gather on Thursday, April 25, 2024, at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to complete a Flight Test Readiness Review for NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test. Photo credit: NASA/Mike Chambers

NASA concluded its Flight Test Readiness Review for the agency’s Boeing Crew Flight Test and teams are proceeding toward a planned launch at 10:34 p.m. EDT on Monday, May 6, to the International Space Station. The mission will transport NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to and from the space station of the first flight with crew to certify the Starliner and its system for regular crew rotation missions.

At 4:30 p.m., NASA will host a media teleconference (no less than one hour following completion of the readiness review) with the following participants:

Jim Free, NASA associate administrator
Ken Bowersox, associate administrator, NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate
Steve Stich, manager, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program
Dana Weigel, manager, NASA’s International Space Station Program
Mark Nappi, vice president and manager, Boeing Commercial Crew Program
Emily Nelson, NASA chief flight director

The media teleconference will air live on the agency’s website.

Next up is a mission dress rehearsal on Friday, April 26, for NASA, Boeing, and ULA (United Launch Alliance). Wilmore and Williams, commander and pilot, will mimic launch day operations. The astronauts load in their spacesuits, walk out of the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building, and get into Boeing’s Astrovan to travel to the spacecraft. Teams will practice countdown scenarios, prep Starliner’s crew module for flight, close the hatch, and conduct readiness polls of managers and engineers.

Wilmore and Williams are the first to launch aboard Boeing’s Starliner on an Atlas V rocket. 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. 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.

Cosmonauts Complete Spacewalk to Install Hardware, Science

Spacewalkers Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai are pictured shortly after their spacewalk began on Thursday, April 25, 2024, for hardware and science installation work. Credit: NASA TV

Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub concluded their spacewalk April 25 at 3:33 p.m. EDT after four hours and 36 minutes.

Kononenko and Chub completed their major objectives, which included completing the deployment of one panel on a synthetic radar communications system on the Russian segment of the complex and installing equipment and experiments to analyze the level of corrosion on station surfaces and modules.

This was the seventh spacewalk in Kononenko’s career, and the second for Chub. It is the 270th spacewalk for space station assembly, maintenance, and upgrades.

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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Dreams Become Reality for NASA’s Boeing Flight Test Crew

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams hug after arriving at the Launch and Landing Facility at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Thursday, April 25, 2024. Photo credit: NASA/Chris Stevens

Momentum is building for NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test launch, scheduled for Monday, May 6, 2024.

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams arrived in a T-38 jet April 25 at the Launch and Landing Facility at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida after a short flight from Ellington Field near NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

NASA leaders welcomed Wilmore and Williams and held a short news conference.

“Our hearts and souls are in this spacecraft and a little part of us will be lifting off with Butch and Suni,” said NASA’s Commercial Crew Program Deputy Manager Dana Hutcherson, who has been with the program for 13 years.

Wilmore and Williams are targeting 10:34 p.m. EDT Monday, May 6, for launch aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft and ULA’s (United Launch Alliance) Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex-41 at nearby Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. This will be the first crewed flight of Starliner for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.

Click below to watch the earlier broadcast of the welcome ceremony.

NASA, Boeing Crew Lands in Florida for Starliner Mission

NASA, Boeing Crew Flight Test Crew Butch Wilmore (left), and Suni Williams (right) arrive in Florida on Thursday, April 25, 2024. Photo credit: NASA

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams landed April 25, at the Launch and Landing Facility at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida after a short flight from Ellington Field near NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. Paying homage to their piloting days as retired U.S. Navy captains, they flew to Kennedy in a T-38 jet.

As part of NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test, Wilmore and Williams are the first to launch aboard the company’s Starliner spacecraft on a ULA (United Launch Alliance) Atlas V rocket to the International Space Station.

Shortly after 1 p.m. EDT, NASA leaders will hold a brief welcome ceremony with the following participants:

Jennifer Kunz, associate director, NASA Kennedy
Dana Hutcherson, deputy manager, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program
NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore
NASA astronaut Suni Williams

The welcome ceremony will air live on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website. Learn how to stream NASA TV through a variety of platforms including social media.

Meanwhile, NASA, Boeing, and ULA representatives are participating in the agency’s Flight Test Readiness Review at NASA Kennedy. The two-day event, which is scheduled to conclude April 25, verifies the mission readiness, including all systems, facilities, and teams that will support the launch.

Liftoff is scheduled for 10:34 p.m. Monday, May 6, from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. 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.

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.

Dragon Undocking Targeted for No Earlier Than Sunday

The SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft docked to the International Space Station's Harmony module at 7:19 a.m. EDT Saturday, March 23, 2024. Credit: NASA TV — The SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft docked to the International Space Station’s Harmony module at 7:19 a.m. EDT Saturday, March 23, 2024. Credit: NASA TV

Due to unfavorable weather conditions in the splashdown zones off the coast of Florida, NASA and SpaceX now are targeting no earlier than Sunday, April 28, for the undocking of the Dragon spacecraft from the space-facing port of the International Space Station as part of company’s 30th commercial resupply services mission for the agency.

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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Cosmonauts Begin Spacewalk for Hardware, Science Work

Cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko (left) and Nikolai Chub (right) are pictured during a spacewalk on Oct.25, 2023, working on the Nauka science module.

Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub began a spacewalk at 10:57 a.m. EDT to complete the deployment of one panel on a synthetic radar communications system on the Russian segment of the complex and install equipment and experiments to analyze the level of corrosion on station surfaces and modules.

NASA’s coverage will continue on NASA+, NASA Television, YouTube, the NASA app, and the agency’s website. Learn how to stream NASA TV through a variety of platforms including social media.

Kononenko is wearing an Orlan spacesuit with red stripes, while Chub is wearing the suit with blue stripes. This is the seventh spacewalk in Kononenko’s career, and the second for Chub. It is the 270th spacewalk for space station assembly, maintenance, and upgrades.

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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Roscosmos Spacewalkers Exiting Station Soon Live on NASA TV

Cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko (left) and Nikolai Chub (right) are pictured during a spacewalk on Oct.25, 2023, to install and inspect hardware.

NASA Television coverage is underway for today’s spacewalk with Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub. The duo will venture outside the station’s Poisk airlock to complete the deployment of one panel on a synthetic radar system on the Nauka module and install equipment and experiments on the Poisk module to analyze the level of corrosion on station surfaces and modules.

NASA’s coverage is on NASA+, NASA Television, YouTube, the NASA app, and the agency’s website. Learn how to stream NASA TV through a variety of platforms including social media.

Kononenko and Chub will exit at about 10:55 a.m. EDT. Kononenko is wearing the Orlan spacesuit with red stripes, while Chub is wearing the suit with blue stripes. This is the seventh spacewalk in Kononenko’s career, and the second for Chub. It is the 270th spacewalk for space station assembly, maintenance, and upgrades.

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/

Get the latest from NASA delivered every week. Subscribe here: www.nasa.gov/subscribe

NASA, Boeing Crew Fly Jet to Florida for Starliner Launch

Photo of NASA, Boeing Crew Test astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams — Boeing Crew Flight Test astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams in T-38 pre-flight activities at Ellington Field on Tuesday, August 16, 2022. Photo credit: NASA/Robert Markowitz

The two NASA astronauts that will fly aboard a new spacecraft for the first time to the International Space Station are on their way on Thursday to the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to begin final launch preparations.

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are targeting 10:34 p.m. EDT Monday, May 6, for launch of the agency’s Boeing Crew Flight Test from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

As retired U.S. Navy captains, Wilmore and Williams are flying on a T-38 jet from Ellington Field near NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston for the short flight to Kennedy’s Launch and Landing Facility.

At 1 p.m., NASA will host a crew arrival event at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, with the following participants:

Jennifer Kunz, associate director, NASA Kennedy
Dana Hutcherson, deputy manager, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program
NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore
NASA astronaut Suni Williams

The arrival will air live on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website. Learn how to stream NASA TV through a variety of platforms including social media.

Following launch, 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.

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.