Archivo de la etiqueta: International Space Station

Crew Works Advanced Physics, Biology Ahead of Cargo Missions

Ultra-cold space physics and immunity research were the top science objectives aboard the International Space Station on Monday. The seven-member Expedition 70 crew is also stepping up its cargo operations this week while continuing to maintain lab systems.

The coldest place in the universe may just be the orbital outpost’s Cold Atom Lab, a quantum research device that chills atoms to near absolute zero, lower than the average temperature of space. NASA Flight Engineer Jasmin Moghbeli configured components and installed hardware for a controller test of the facility that provides unique observations of atomic wave functions seen at extremely low temperatures not possible on Earth.

Moghbeli also assisted Commander Andreas Mogensen inside the Columbus laboratory module setting up the Kubik incubator first thing Monday morning. Next, Mogensen from ESA (European Space Agency) collected and processed his blood and saliva samples for the Immunity Assay biology study that is exploring cellular immunity in space. Afterward, he placed a set of samples inside a science freezer and placed another set inside Kubik for later analysis.

Astronauts Loral O’Hara and Satoshi Furukawa focused mainly on maintenance throughout Monday. O’Hara spent the afternoon inspecting the COLBERT treadmill in the Tranquility module. She photographed and cleaned components, checked pin alignment and treadmill slats, and greased axles. Furukawa from JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) worked in the Kibo laboratory module servicing gear that cools and rejects heat from equipment to ensure a safe operating environment aboard the space station.

Furukawa later partnered with Mogensen and Moghbeli loading cargo inside the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft docked to the Harmony module’s forward port. The Dragon cargo spacecraft arrived on Nov. 11 carrying about 6,500 pounds of gear including advanced science hardware to study laser communications and atmospheric gravity waves. Dragon is due to return to Earth in mid-December packed with hardware and completed science experiments for retrieval and analysis.

The Roscosmos Progress 84 resupply ship will end its mission when it departs on Wednesday after six months docked to the Poisk module. Flight Engineer Nikolai Chub packed trash and discarded gear inside the departing Progress that will reenter the atmosphere above the south Pacific Ocean for a fiery, but safe disposal. It will be replaced when the Progress 86, packed with nearly 5,600 pounds of cargo, launches at 4:25 a.m. EDT on Friday and automatically docks to Poisk at 6:14 a.m. on Sunday.

Veteran cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko started his day pointing a specialized camera toward Earth to gain atmospheric and climatic data. Next, he studied how fluid systems are affected by spaceflight conditions such as electrical and magnetic fields. First-time space flyer Konstantin Borisov began Monday servicing a variety of life support and communications gear. During the afternoon, he collected air samples throughout the station’s Roscosmos modules for chemical analysis.

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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Mark Garcia

Crew Continues Biology Research, Station Upkeep on Friday

The Expedition 70 crew is back to work following yesterday’s off-duty day to observe the Thanksgiving holiday. After enjoying holiday treats like chocolate, duck, quail, seafood, pumpkin spice cappuccino and more, the seven International Space Station residents focused on space biology research and station upkeep on Friday.

In the morning, Flight Engineer Jasmin Moghbeli of NASA serviced components on the BioFabrication Facility (BFF), a 3D printer used to print organ-like tissues in microgravity. She then moved on to other space biology tasks, deploying the work volume in the Life Sciences Glovebox to culture cells for the Bacterial Adhesion and Corrosion investigation, a study that examines bacterial genes in microgravity and whether they can corrode various surfaces in the orbiting laboratory. Studies of the sort help researchers better understand the effectiveness of disinfection in extreme environments.

Commander Andreas Mogensen of ESA (European Space Agency) took over Moghbeli’s work on BFF, continuing to service components throughout the afternoon. Ahead of this task, he captured images of cells for the Cerebral Aging investigation, which may provide insights to scientists on Earth on accelerated aging symptoms.

Cargo transfers continued throughout Friday as Flight Engineer Loral O’Hara of NASA spent the morning unstowing items from the Dragon spacecraft that arrived to the station last week. In the afternoon, she completed some orbital plumbing, testing the tank capacity of the Brine Processor.

Flight Engineer Satoshi Furukawa of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) was also tasked with orbital plumbing in the morning, setting up the drain in the wastewater processing system. Throughout the rest of the day, he continued with station upkeep, cleaning and inspecting hatches.

The Roscosmos trio living and working in microgravity—Flight Engineers Nikolai Chub, Oleg Kononenko, and Konstantin Borisov— spent Friday prepping the Progress 84 spacecraft ahead of its undocking from the Poisk module at 2:55 a.m. EST Wednesday, Nov. 29. Kononenko also powered up a 3D printer to demonstrate printing tools and parts in space.

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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Abby Graf

More Space Biology, Lab Upkeep Day Before Thanksgiving

All seven members of the Expedition 70 crew spent Wednesday continuing its space biology research and maintaining the upkeep of the International Space Station. The orbital septet will also observe the Thanksgiving holiday and share a traditional turkey meal aboard the space laboratory.

Astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli, Satoshi Furukawa, and Andreas Mogensen kicked off the day with a periodic health evaluation checking each other’s temperature, blood pressure, pulse, and respiratory rate. The trio also took turns using an otoscope examining their ear canals and eardrums. Doctors are constantly monitoring how living and working in microgravity affects an astronaut’s health.

Afterward, NASA’s Moghbeli processed liver stem samples inside the Life Science Glovebox for the Space AGE investigation exploring regenerative medicine technology. Furukawa from JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) worked in the Kibo laboratory module’s airlock removing lithium-ion batteries and installing research gear to be exposed to the space environment. Mogensen from ESA (European Space Agency) wore a specialized vest filled with sensors monitoring his heart and breathing for the Cardiobreath blood pressure study.

NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara performed orbital plumbing tasks in both the station’s Tranquility module and the SpaceX Dragon Endurance spacecraft. She then filmed a video for students on Earth demonstrating how to use a microscope in the microgravity environment of the space station.

In the orbiting lab’s Roscosmos segment, five-time station visitor and cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko swapped out life support and electronics gear. He also joined cosmonaut Nikolai Chub and tested communications with the Progress 84 cargo craft that is due to undock from the Poisk module and depart at the end of the month. Chub also partnered with Flight Engineer Konstantin Borisov for abdomen scans using an ultrasound device after breakfast to learn how microgravity affects the digestive system. Borisov later worked on ventilation systems in the Rassvet module.

On Thursday, the entire seven-member crew will take the day off, relax, and enjoy a hearty meal. The seven crewmates from three countries are due to enjoy a Thanksgiving feast with items such as turkey, duck, quail, seafood, and cranberry sauce. Treats awaiting the crew include chocolate, pumpkin spice cappuccino, rice cake, and mochi. Crew preference is also considered when planning festive meals in space.

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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Mark Garcia

Space Biology, Manufacturing Research Helping Plan Future Long-Term Missions

Astronaut health, an aging study, and cargo operations kept the Expedition 70 crew busy on Tuesday. The International Space Station residents also explored space manufacturing and downloaded radiation data.

Scientists representing NASA and its international partners are collecting a multitude of physiological and psychological data from crew members living on the orbital outpost. The observations from the CIPHER suite of 14 human research experiments will help researchers and mission planners understand health issues astronauts may face on future missions. Insights from the space biology study will be especially useful when crews begin traveling longer and farther away from Earth toward the Moon, Mars, and beyond.

NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara spent most of Tuesday contributing to the CIPHER study processing blood and urine samples and participating in a cognition test. She processed the samples in a centrifuge and stowed them in a science freezer for later analysis. Results from the sample analyses and cognition tests will help doctors and astronauts prepare for long-term radiation exposure, isolation, extreme distances, and closed environments.

Aging is a key research topic aboard the space station as researchers study microgravity’s affect on brain cell-like samples. NASA Flight Engineer Jasmin Moghbeli was busy during the morning treating some of those samples inside the Kibo laboratory module’s Life Science Glovebox. The Cerebral Ageing study may provide insights unachievable on Earth into accelerated ageing symptoms, neurodegenerative diseases, and hypersensitivity to ultraviolet radiation on a molecular level. Results may promote advanced health treatments on Earth and in space.

Morale is also a very important characteristic to ensure mission success during long periods in deep space. Scientists are exploring the hypothesis that virtual reality experiences onboard a spacecraft may lead to less stress and greater mental relaxation. Commander Andreas Mogensen from ESA (European Space Agency) took part in that study today, VR Mental Care, wearing VR goggles and a controller, and watching a 360-degree movie to understand its stabilizing effect on the nervous system.

Astronaut Satoshi Furukawa from JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) worked inside the SpaceX Dragon Endurance crew spacecraft checking orbital plumbing gear with assistance from Mogensen. In the Harmony module’s port adjacent to Endurance, Moghbeli worked on cargo transfers inside the Dragon cargo spacecraft as O’Hara photographed some of the specially delivered gear.

3D printing in space is critical as crews traveling farther in space will be less dependent on cargo missions launched from Earth. Veteran cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko printed test samples in a 3D printer to learn how to manufacture tools and supplies on demand in microgravity. The five-time station resident also attached sensors to himself measuring his cardiac activity for a long-running Roscosmos experiment.

Roscosmos Flight Engineer Konstantin Borisov assisted Kononenko with the cardiac sensor attachments, checked camera hardware, then downloaded monthly radiation detection data. Flight Engineer Nikolai Chub explored how spaceflight conditions such as spacecraft vibrations, electric fields, and magnetic fields affect fluid systems.

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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Mark Garcia

Crew Studies Biology and Works in Dragon as Station Turns 25

Space biology and Dragon work were the top duties at the beginning of the week for the Expedition 70 crew. The International Space Station also turned 25 years old today with its first module having orbited Earth since 1998.

Eye scans were on the biomedical research schedule for four astronauts on Monday afternoon. Commander Andreas Mogensen kicked off the exams activating the Ultrasound 2 device then setting up communications gear allowing doctors on the ground to remotely monitor the activities. Mogensen from ESA (European Space Agency) then took turns with flight engineers Loral O’Hara, Jasmin Moghbeli, and Satoshi Furukawa in the Columbus laboratory module participating in the regularly scheduled eye exams.

Mogensen partnered with Moghbeli from NASA at the end of the day and practiced SpaceX Dragon Endurance undocking and landing procedures on the crew spacecraft’s computers. Mogensen earlier unpacked medical supply kits from Endurance and stowed them inside the orbital outpost. O’Hara from NASA and Furukawa from JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) worked inside Endurance as well configuring orbital plumbing gear in the vehicle that has been docked to the station since Aug. 27.

O’Hara later worked on a space botany study to promote STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) education among tribal members. Five varieties of seeds provided by the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma are exposed to microgravity for several months then returned to Earth and planted next to the same seeds left on Earth for comparison. Furukawa turned off a microscope in the Kibo laboratory module and removed samples for a study that was observing how cells sense gravity or the lack gravity. He then stayed in Kibo setting up research hardware and connecting an incubator for an upcoming experiment to observe stem cell growth that may support regenerative medicine technology.

In the Roscosmos segment of the space station, veteran cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko spent the day inside the Nauka science module checking its airlock, ventilation, and docking systems. Flight Engineer Nikolai Chub attached sensors to himself monitoring his cardiac activity then cleaned air ducts inside the Nauka and Poisk modules. Flight Engineer Konstantin Borisov wore a sensor-packed cap that recorded his responses while practicing futuristic planetary and robotic piloting techniques on a computer.

On Nov. 20, the International Space Station passes 25 years since the first module launched into orbit. The Zarya module lifted off in November 1998 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan and would shortly be joined by the Unity module less than a month later. Through this global endeavor, 273 people from 21 countries now have visited the unique microgravity laboratory that has hosted more than 3,000 research and educational investigations from people in 108 countries and areas.

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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Mark Garcia