Crew Explores Space Effects on Humans, Foams Before SpaceX Crew Launch

NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins observes the behavior of a free-flying water bubble inside the International Space Station's Kibo laboratory module.
NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins observes the behavior of a free-flying water bubble inside the International Space Station’s Kibo laboratory module.

The seven-member Expedition 68 crew continued its science activities on Tuesday exploring how microgravity affects biology and physics. Back on Earth, three astronauts and one cosmonaut are less than a day away from launching to the International Space Station.

NASA Flight Engineers Frank Rubio and Bob Hines targeted their biology studies on what is happening inside the human body during spaceflight. Rubio explored how enhancing space nutrition affects the human immune and microbiome systems for the Food Physiology experiment. Hines collected his blood and urine samples and stowed them in a science freezer for later analysis. A host of space biology investigations require the samples to understand how human physiology adapts to weightlessness.

A portion of Tuesday’s space research looked at fluid physics as station Commander Samantha Cristoforetti studied how foams behave differently in space than on Earth. The ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut swapped foam samples inside the Fluid Science Laboratory for the Soft Matter Dynamics experiment.  The study may provide insights helping researchers improve materials production for Earthbound industries such as firefighting, petroleum, medicine, and food products.

Maintenance is also key on the orbital lab to ensure the space station’s many systems continuously operate in tip-top shape while orbiting an average of 260 miles above the Earth. NASA Flight Engineer Kjell Lindgren cleaned vents and fans inside the Unity module to remove impediments to the airflow. NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins worked on water transfer operations then cleaned and inspected station module hatches.

Cosmonaut Sergey Prokopyev, who is on his second spaceflight, spent Tuesday on orbital plumbing and ventilation work before configuring Earth observation hardware. First-time space flyer Dmitri Petelin of Roscosmos also spent his day on orbital plumbing duties and life support maintenance as he and Prokopyev continue to familiarize themselves with life on orbit.

Back on Earth, the SpaceX Crew-5 mission is counting down to its launch from Kennedy Space Center in Florida at noon EDT on Wednesday. Commander Nicole Mann will board the SpaceX Crew Dragon Endurance, atop the Falcon 9 rocket, with Pilot Josh Cassada and Mission Specialists Koichi Wakata and Anna Kikina then take a 29-hour ride after liftoff to the forward port on the station’s Harmony module. The commercial crew quartet will open the vehicle’s hatch and join the Expedition 68 crew shortly afterward. NASA TV will have continuous coverage of the launch, docking, and crew greeting, beginning Wednesday at 8:30 a.m. EDT on the agency’s app and website.


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

Get weekly video highlights at: http://jscfeatures.jsc.nasa.gov/videoupdate/

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NASA’s SpaceX Crew-5 Launch Readiness Review Complete

Sunrise at Kennedy Space Center's Launch Complex 39A with Crew-5 rocket vertical
SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft, named Endurance, sits atop the company’s Falcon 9 rocket as the sun rises at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Oct. 3, 2022. NASA’s SpaceX Crew-5 mission is targeted to launch from Kennedy at noon EDT Wednesday, Oct. 5. Photo credit: SpaceX

The Launch Readiness Review for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-5 mission is complete. Liftoff is targeted for noon EDT on Wednesday, Oct. 5, from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A in Florida.

The prelaunch news teleconference (audio only) at Kennedy starts at 7:30 p.m. EDT with the following participants:

        • Steve Stich, manager, Commercial Crew Program, Kennedy
        • Joel Montalbano, manager, International Space Station, Johnson
        • Emily Nelson, chief flight director, Johnson
        • Kirt Costello, chief scientist, NASA’s International Space Station Program
        • Benji Reed, senior director, Human Spaceflight Programs, SpaceX
        • Junichi Sakai, manager, International Space Station, JAXA
        • Sergei Krikalev, executive director, Human Space Flight Programs, Roscosmos
        • Brian Cizek, launch weather officer, U.S. Space Force 45th Weather Squadron

The news conference can be found at www.nasa.gov/nasalive.

Crew-5 will carry two NASA astronauts – Mission Commander Nicole Aunapu Mann and Pilot Josh Cassada – along with JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Koichi Wakata and Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina, who will serve as mission specialists, to the International Space Station.

Check out the press kit online for blogs, features, photo albums, videos, and fact sheets on Commercial Crew missions. Learn more about station activities by following  @space_station  and @ISS_Research  on Twitter as well as the ISS Facebook  and ISS Instagram  accounts.

Weather Favorable for Crew-5 launch, News Teleconference Tonight

NASA's SpaceX Crew-5 rocket and spacecraft vertical at Launch Complex 39A
SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft, named Endurance, sits atop the company’s Falcon 9 rocket at Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A in Florida on Oct. 2, 2022. Launch of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-5 mission is targeted for noon EDT on Oct. 5, 2022. Photo credit: SpaceX

Weather officials with Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s 45th Weather Squadron predict a 90% chance of favorable weather conditions for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-5 launch from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, with the cumulus cloud rule and flight through precipitation serving as the primary weather concerns. Liftoff is targeted for noon EDT on Wednesday, Oct. 5, from Kennedy’s Launch Complex 39A.

At approximately 7:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 3, there will be a prelaunch news teleconference at Kennedy (no earlier than one hour after completion of the Launch Readiness Review) with the following participants:

        • Steve Stich, manager, Commercial Crew Program, Kennedy
        • Joel Montalbano, manager, International Space Station, Johnson
        • Emily Nelson, chief flight director, Johnson
        • Kirt Costello, chief scientist, NASA’s International Space Station Program
        • Benji Reed, senior director, Human Spaceflight Programs, SpaceX
        • Junichi Sakai, manager, International Space Station, JAXA
        • Sergei Krikalev, executive director, Human Space Flight Programs, Roscosmos
        • Brian Cizek, launch weather officer, U.S. Space Force 45th Weather Squadron

The prelaunch news teleconference (audio only) can be found at:

https://www.nasa.gov/live

Crew-5 will carry two NASA astronauts – Mission Commander Nicole Mann and Pilot Josh Cassada – along with JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Koichi Wakata and Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina, who will serve as mission specialists, to the International Space Station.

Follow Commercial Crew and Kennedy Space Center for the latest mission updates.

SpaceX Crew Nears Launch as Station Research Under Way

The SpaceX Dragon Endurance crew ship atop the Falcon 9 rocket stands at the launch at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky
The SpaceX Dragon Endurance crew ship atop the Falcon 9 rocket stands at the launch at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky

The next crew to the launch to the International Space Station is at the Kennedy Space Center counting down to liftoff this week. Back onboard the orbiting lab, the seven-member Expedition 68 crew is busy conducting advanced space research to improve life for humans on and off the Earth.

Four SpaceX Crew-5 crew members arrived in Florida on Saturday ahead of their launch aboard the Dragon Endurance at noon EDT on Wednesday. NASA astronauts Nicole Mann and Josh Cassada will command and pilot Endurance respectively. They will ride along with Mission Specialists Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and Anna Kikina of Roscosmos. The commercial crew quartet will dock to the forward port of the Harmony module 29 hours after launch to begin their station mission.

After the Dragon Endurance docks to the orbiting lab, another four station crew members will turn their attention to ending their mission and returning to Earth just over a week later. NASA astronauts Kjell Lindgren, Bob Hines, and Jessica Watkins, with ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, who have been living on the station since April 27, will help their Crew-5 replacements adjust to life on the station. The homebound astronauts will then undock inside the SpaceX Dragon Freedom crew ship and parachute to a splashdown off the coast of Florida.

In the meantime, Lindgren and Hines began Monday focusing on how living in space is affecting their muscles. The duo used an Ultrasound device and the Myotones device to scan and measure the biochemical properties of their leg, neck, and back muscles. Watkins nourished vegetables and took photos of the plants growing for the XROOTS space agriculture study taking place in the Columbus laboratory module. NASA Flight Engineer Frank Rubio swapped glass fiber samples in the Microgravity Science Glovebox for the Intelligent Glass Optics space manufacturing investigation. Station Commander Cristoforetti serviced samples inside the Electrostatic Levitation Furnace that supports high-temperature thermophysical research in space.

The station’s two cosmonauts, two-time station visitor Sergey Prokopyev and first-time space flyer Dmitri Petelin, had their hands full on Monday keeping up with lab maintenance while continuing their station familiarization activities. Prokopyev inspected windows inside the Zvezda service module then set up Earth observation gear. Petelin worked on orbital plumbing duties before inventorying and restocking station docking hardware.


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

Get weekly video highlights at: http://jscfeatures.jsc.nasa.gov/videoupdate/

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

NASA Invites Public to Share in the Excitement of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-5 Mission

NASA's SpaceX Crew-4 liftoff
The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, with the company’s Crew Dragon atop, lifts off from Launch Pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 mission on April 27, 2022, at 3:52 a.m. EDT. Photo credit: NASA/Kevin O’Connell and Chris Coleman

The public is invited to take part in virtual activities and events ahead of the launch of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-5 mission. Liftoff is targeted for noon EDT on Wednesday, Oct. 5, from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The four Crew-5 crewmates, Commander Nicole Mann, Pilot Josh Cassada, and Mission Specialists Koichi Wakata of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) and Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina, will dock Dragon Endurance to the forward port on the station’s Harmony module about 29 hours later.

Members of the public can register to attend the launch virtually. The virtual guest program for this launch includes curated launch resources, timely mission updates, and a virtual guest passport stamp following a successful launch.

The launch broadcast will begin on NASA Television at 8:30 a.m. EDT on Wednesday, Oct. 5, and be carried on the agency’s website, as well as YouTubeTwitterFacebookLinkedInTwitchDaily MotionTheta.TV, and NASA’s App.

Click here for the complete feature.

Flight Crew Settling in at Kennedy, Making Final Preparations for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-5 Mission

Crew-5 arrives at Kennedy Space Center
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-5 crew members wave after arriving at Kennedy Space Center on Saturday, Oct. 1. The launch is targeted for noon EDT Wednesday, Oct. 5, from Kennedy’s Launch Complex 39A. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

By Jim Cawley
NASA’s Kennedy Space Center

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-5 flight crew has reported to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to start final preparations for liftoff of the mission to the International Space Station.

NASA astronauts Nicole Mann, commander; Josh Cassada, pilot; and mission specialists Koichi Wakata, of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), and Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina arrived at the Launch and Landing Facility at approximately 12:15 p.m. EDT Saturday, Oct. 1, after departing Ellington Field near the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

The Crew-5 crew will call the Astronaut Crew Quarters at Kennedy home before the Crew-5 launch – targeted for noon EDT Wednesday, Oct. 5, from the spaceport’s Launch Complex 39A.

NASA Associate Administrator Bob Cabana
NASA Associate Administrator Bob Cabana welcomes the Crew-5 flight crew to Kennedy Space Center. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

“It is always great to come back to Florida, but it’s really great to welcome Crew-5,” said NASA Associate Administrator Bob Cabana, who, along with Kennedy Director Janet Petro, was there to greet the crew members as they exited the aircraft. A veteran of four spaceflights, Cabana served as Kennedy’s director for more than a decade.

The crew members are slated to lift off from Kennedy aboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft Endurance – carried by the company’s Falcon 9 rocket – for a science expedition mission to the space station. The spacecraft will dock to the forward port on the station’s Harmony module about 22 hours later.

“It’s time to get to work. Nobody does this alone, and we have thousands of people around the globe we need to thank for getting us to this spot,” Cassada said during the crew arrival media event. “This is a remarkable opportunity for all of us. We have trained and prepared for years for this.”

The mission marks the fifth spaceflight for Wakata; it is the first spaceflight for Mann, Cassada, and Kikina. Crew-5 marks another important first, as Mann will become the first Native American woman in space.

Crew-5 commander Nicole Mann
Crew-5 commander Nicole Mann will be the first Native American woman in space. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

“I am very proud to represent Native Americans and my heritage. I think it’s important to celebrate our diversity and also realize how important it is when we collaborate and unite, the incredible accomplishments that we can have,” Mann said.

“We hope that this will inspire young children throughout the world who come from varying backgrounds; in fact, I hope it inspires adults as well – to follow your dreams, to realize the limitations we had in the past are starting to be broken down and we’re able to achieve things when we work together that perhaps were not possible long ago,” Mann added.

Crew-5 crewmates will participate in a handover ceremony with astronauts from NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 mission. Following the handover period, Mission Commander Kjell Lindgren, Pilot Robert Hines, and mission specialists Jessica Watkins and Samantha Cristoforetti will depart the space station for a splashdown off the coast of Florida.

More details about the Crew-5 mission can be found by following the Crew-5 blog, the commercial crew blog, @commercial_crew on Twitter, and commercial crew on Facebook.

Coverage Set for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-5 Events, Broadcast, Launch

NASA's SpaceX Crew-5 mission to the International Space Station
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-5 mission is targeting launch Wednesday, Oct. 5, to the International Space Station from the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft will carry NASA astronauts Nicole Mann and Josh Cassada, along with JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Koichi Wakata and Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina, to the orbital complex for a science expedition mission. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

NASA will provide coverage of the upcoming prelaunch and launch activities for the agency’s SpaceX Crew-5 mission with astronauts to the International Space Station.

The launch is targeted for noon EDT, Wednesday, Oct. 5, from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Dragon spacecraft, named Endurance, is scheduled to dock to the space station at 4:57 p.m. EDT Thursday, Oct. 6. Crew arrival, launch, the postlaunch news conference, and mission coverage through docking will air live on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website. NASA also will host an audio only prelaunch news teleconference.

The Crew-5 launch will carry two NASA astronauts Mission Commander Nicole Mann and Pilot Josh Cassada, along with JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Koichi Wakata, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina, who will serve as mission specialists to the space station for a science expedition mission.

Click here for the complete advisory.

Follow all live events at: https://www.nasa.gov/live.

Flight Crew Arrives at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center for Crew-5 Mission

NASA's SpaceX Crew-5 patchThe crew has safely landed at the Launch and Landing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Touchdown was at approximately 12:15 p.m. EDT.

NASA Associate Administrator Bob Cabana and Kennedy Director Janet Petro were there to greet the crew as they exited the aircraft in the following order: NASA astronaut Josh Cassada, pilot; NASA astronaut Nicole Mann, commander; JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Koichi Wakata, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina.

Tune in to NASA TV or the agency’s website to view the media event, which has begun.

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-5 Crewmembers Depart Houston, Bound for Florida

NASA's SpaceX Crew-5 flight crew
From left, NASA’s SpaceX Crew-5 crewmembers Anna Kikina, Josh Cassada, Nicole Mann, and Koichi Wakata are on their way to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center to make final preparations for Wednesday’s launch from the Florida spaceport.

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-5 crewmembers have departed Ellington Field near NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston and are en route to the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

NASA astronauts Nicole Mann, commander; Josh Cassada, pilot; and mission specialists Koichi Wakata, of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), and Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina will arrive at approximately 12:15 p.m. EDT today, Oct. 1, to the Launch and Landing Facility at Kennedy. Upon arrival, they will be greeted by NASA leaders before conducting a brief interview with media.

Tune in to NASA TV or the agency’s website to view the media event.

Mann, Cassada, Wakata, and Kikina are slated to lift off from Kennedy’s Launch Complex 39A at noon EDT on Wednesday, Oct. 5 – aboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft Endurance, carried by a Falcon 9 rocket – for a science expedition mission to the International Space Station.