March 5, 2024: International Space Station Configuration. Six spaceships are parked at the space station including the SpaceX Dragon crew spacecraft Endurance and Endeavour, Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus space freighter, the Soyuz MS-24 crew ship, and the Progress 86 and 87 resupply ships.
NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, and Jeanette Epps, as well as Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin arrived at the International Space Station, as the SpaceX Dragon, named Endeavour, docked to the complex at 2:28 a.m. EST while the station was 260 statute miles over Newfoundland.
Following Dragon’s link up to the Harmony module, the astronauts aboard the Dragon and the space station will begin conducting standard leak checks and pressurization between the spacecraft in preparation for hatch opening scheduled for 4:13 a.m.
Crew-8 will join the space station’s Expedition 70 crew of NASA astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli and Loral O’Hara, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Furukawa Satoshi, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Konstantin Borisov, Oleg Kononenko, and Nikolai Chub. For a short time, the number of crew aboard the space station will increase to 11 people until Crew-7 members Moghbeli, Mogensen, Satoshi, and Borisov return to Earth.
NASA+, NASA Television, and the agency’s website are continuing to provide live continuous coverage of the agency’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission.
The crew of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission to the International Space Station poses for a photo during their Crew Equipment Interface Test at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Credit: SpaceX
NASA+, NASA Television, and the agency’s website are continuing to provide live coverage of the agency’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission carrying NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, and Jeanette Epps, as well as Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin to the International Space Station.
The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, named Endeavour, is scheduled to dock about 2:30 a.m. EST Tuesday, March 5. Dragon is designed to dock autonomously, but the crew aboard the spacecraft and the space station will monitor the performance of the spacecraft as it approaches and docks to the forward port of the station’s Harmony module.
When the hatches open at about 1 hour and 45 minutes after docking, the Crew-8 astronauts will join the Expedition 70 crew of NASA astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli and Loral O’Hara, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Furukawa Satoshi, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Konstantin Borisov, Oleg Kononenko, and Nikolai Chub.
The SpaceX Dragon “Endurance” spacecraft, circular star trails, and Earth’s atmospheric glow are pictured as the station orbited 263 miles above the north Atlantic Ocean.
More lab maintenance was on deck for the Expedition 70 crew as they worked on orbital plumbing and cleaned crew quarters throughout Friday. The seven orbital residents aboard the International Space Station also serviced a variety of science and electronics hardware while continuing to focus on the upcoming Commercial Crew swap.
NASA Flight Engineer Loral O’Hara spent most of her day inside the Tranquility module swapping out advanced hydraulic components inside the orbital outpost’s restroom, also known as the Waste and Hygiene Compartment. She was assisted by astronauts Andreas Mogensen, Jasmin Moghbeli, and Satoshi Furukawa helping uninstall then reinstall the station’s toilet returning it to operational status.
Moghbeli from NASA wrapped up her day cleaning her crew quarters inside the Harmony module. Earlier, Furukawa from JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) cleaned his crew quarters on the opposite side of Harmony from Moghbeli’s. The duo each spent about two-and-a-half hours cleaning the quarters’ vents, fans, air ducts, and sensors.
Mogensen of ESA (European Space Agency) began his shift in the Columbus laboratory module processing samples for a foam physics study potentially revealing phenomena not possible in Earth’s gravity. The experiment takes place inside Columbus’ Fluid Science Laboratory and explores the coarsening and coalescing of foams that may improve fire safety, water cleaning, and other space and Earthbound applications.
Mogensen, Moghbeli, and Furukawa, along with cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov, also continued packing personal items and station hardware throughout the day ahead of their upcoming departure aboard the SpaceX Dragon “Endurance” spacecraft. The quartet is planned to undock from the Harmony module’s space-facing port about a week after the SpaceX Crew-8 mission arrives aboard the SpaceX Dragon “Endeavour” spacecraft.
Crew-8 is targeting its liftoff for 11:16 p.m. EST on Saturday from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. The Commercial Crew quartet, with Commander Matthew Dominick, Pilot Mike Barratt, and Mission Specialists Jeanette Epps and Alexander Grebenkin, is due to arrive at the station at 2:15 p.m. on Sunday for an automated docking to Harmony’s forward port. The foursome will become station flight engineers living and working in space for a six-month research mission.
In the station’s Roscosmos segment, Borisov and fellow cosmonaut Nikolai Chub tried on a unique suit being tested for its ability to draw fluids pooled in a crew member’s upper body toward the legs and feet. Space-caused fluid shifts toward the upper body are known to create eye and head pressure, as well as the more familiar space condition known as “puffy-face.” Balancing body fluids in space may also help a crew member’s heart rate and blood pressure adjust more quickly to the return to Earth’s gravity.
Chub later joined veteran cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko testing video cameras being downlinked to mission controllers on Earth. The duo also familiarized themselves with hardware that measures the aerodynamic forces the station experiences while orbiting Earth and when spaceships dock and undock.
The SpaceX Crew-8 members (from left) Alexander Grebenkin, Mike Barratt, Matthew Dominick, and Jeanette Epps are pictured in their pressure suits at the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center. Credit: SpaceX
The Expedition 70 crew members will wait one more day to welcome the SpaceX Crew-8 mission due to unfavorable weather conditions forecasted at launch time. Meanwhile, the seven International Space Station residents stayed busy Thursday on orbital maintenance tasks while planning for the upcoming departure of four crewmates.
The SpaceX Dragon “Endeavour” spacecraft is now targeted to launch at 11:16 p.m. EST Saturday, March 2. Crew-8 Commander Matthew Dominick, Pilot Mike Barratt, and Mission Specialists Jeanette Epps and Alexander Grebenkin will take a short, automated trip to the station aboard Dragon and dock to the Harmony module’s forward port at 2:15 p.m. on Sunday.
The Dragon and station hatches will open less than two hours later and the Crew-8 members will enter the Harmony module where the Expedition 70 septet will greet them. Shortly after that, the 11 astronauts and cosmonauts will call down to Earth to share welcome remarks with mission officials and family members. The Crew-8 foursome will officially become space station flight engineers beginning a six-month research mission aboard the orbital lab.
Back on the space station, lab maintenance topped the schedule on Thursday ensuring the orbital outpost remains in tip-top shape. The station crew also had time for some science work while also training to depart aboard the SpaceX Dragon “Endurance” spacecraft.
NASA Flight Engineers Loral O’Hara and Jasmin Moghbeli finalized air conditioning work inside the Quest airlock. They completed swapping components on the Common Cabin Air Assembly, a life support device that circulates, cools, and dehumidifies the station’s air. Afterward, they stowed tools and packed the obsolete gear for return to Earth. O’Hara then moved on and processed fiber optic samples being produced inside the Microgravity Science Glovebox.
Afterward, Moghbeli joined her Crew-7 crewmates Andreas Mogensen, Satoshi Furukawa, and Konstantin Borisov and prepared their return to Earth about a week after the Crew-8 mission arrives. The Crew-7 quartet practiced Dragon undocking procedures on computer tablets inside the spacecraft. The four crewmates also tried on a specialized garment that may ease their adjustment to Earth’s gravity after living for six months in weightlessness.
Earlier in the day, Mogensen cleaned his crew quarters inside Harmony then called down to Earth for a conference with mission managers from ESA (European Space Agency). Furukawa from JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) organized emergency equipment to get ready for the Crew-8 mission. Borisov studied spacecraft and robotic piloting techniques future crews may use on planetary missions.
Cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub began their morning reviewing procedures for an experiment to measure the aerodynamic forces the station experiences while orbiting Earth. The duo from Roscosmos then spent the rest of the day working inside the Zarya module continuing to assemble cargo containers.
The seven-member Expedition 70 crew gathers for a dinner time portrait inside the International Space Station’s Unity module.
Eye checks and “anti-gravity” suits were the main human research topics for the Expedition 70 crew on Wednesday. The International Space Station residents also worked on standard maintenance tasks while getting ready for the next Commercial Crew swap.
Doctors are constantly monitoring astronauts’ health to ensure long-term mission success and ease their return to Earth’s gravity after months or years in space. Vision is a critical parameter as researchers explore space-caused pressure on the eyes due to fluids shifting toward the head. The same fluid shifts quickly reverse when an astronaut reenters Earth’s atmosphere causing blood pressure and stability issues. Doctors are studying methods to offset these symptoms and reduce the time it takes for crews to adapt to gravity.
NASA Flight Engineer Loral O’Hara had her optical nerve, retina, and cornea scanned on Wednesday using standard medical imaging hardware. JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) Flight Engineer Satoshi Furukawa led the eye exams operating the optical gear in the Harmony module with assistance from doctors and technicians on the ground.
Earlier in the day, O’Hara wore a sensor-packed vest and headband, the Bio-Monitor gear from the Canadian Space Agency, being evaluated for their ability to comfortably monitor an astronaut’s health data. Furukawa continued setting up biology hardware for upcoming research inside the Kibo laboratory module.
Two cosmonauts, Nikolai Chub and Konstantin Borisov, tried on the lower body negative pressure suit again in the middle of the week exploring its potential to decrease fluid pressure in the head triggered by weightlessness. Doctors theorize the downward fluid shifts may help maintain a crew member’s heart rate and blood pressure when returning to Earth.
Meanwhile, astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli from NASA and Andreas Mogensen from ESA (European Space Agency) joined forces and spent the day inside the Quest airlock replacing advanced air conditioning equipment. The duo swapped hoses, seals, and a heat exchanger on the Common Cabin Air Assembly, a life support device that circulates, cools, and dehumidifies the station’s air.
Moghbeli and Mogensen, Commander and Pilot of the SpaceX Crew-7 mission, also continued packing gear for their return to Earth inside the SpaceX Dragon “Endurance” spacecraft. The duo along with Furukawa and Borisov are scheduled to depart the station ending their mission about one week after the SpaceX Crew-8 mission arrives.
Crew-8, led by Commander Matthew Dominick with Pilot Michael Barratt and Mission Specialists Jeanette Epps and Alexander Grebenkin, have been given the go to launch to the station at 12:04 a.m. EST on Friday aboard the SpaceX Dragon “Endeavour” spacecraft. The Commercial Crew quartet will take an automated ride aboard Dragon for a docking to Harmony’s forward port at 7 a.m. on Saturday.
NASA and SpaceX are also targeting no earlier than mid-March for launch of the company’s 30th commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station. Liftoff of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon cargo spacecraft is scheduled from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
During the NASA Administrator’s Briefing from Kennedy Space Center today, NASA’s International Space Station Program Manager Joel Montalbano discussed the upcoming crew and cargo missions.
NASA astronauts (from left) Loral O’Hara and Jasmin Moghbeli work on spacesuit maintenance inside the Quest airlock.
The Expedition 70 crew focused mainly on operational maintenance activities throughout Tuesday. The International Space Station residents also continued their exercise research among a host of other ongoing science experiments.
Airlock activities filled the day for NASA Flight Engineers Loral O’Hara and Jasmin Moghbeli in the U.S. segment of the orbital lab. The duo started the day in the Tranquility module and finalized reconfiguring the NanoRacks Bishop airlock following a week of experimental robotic arm activities. Afterward, the NASA pair moved into the Quest airlock and serviced a pair of spacesuits then prepared Quest for upcoming advanced air conditioning work.
Commander Andreas Mogensen from ESA (European Space Agency) worked inside the Columbus laboratory module during the morning swapping out life support gear. Later, he set up the Lumina radiation detection experiment hardware in Columbus that measures in real time the fluctuating radiation environment aboard the space station.
Finally, Furukawa spent the rest of Tuesday participating in the CIPHER experiment, a suite of 14 human research studies to understand the effects of weightlessness on the body. He began with deadlift exercises on the advanced resistive exercise device for one portion of the study. Next, he wore the Bio-Monitor vest and headband recording his physiological data then calibrated breathing gear. CIPHER is providing doctors vital insights that may help keep crews safe and healthy on longer term missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.
All three astronauts and Roscosmos Flight Engineer Konstantin Borisov also spent an hour each throughout the day packing for their upcoming departure and return to Earth. The quartet will undock from the Harmony module’s space-facing port aboard the SpaceX Dragon Endurance spacecraft a week after the SpaceX Crew-8 members arrive. Crew-8 is due to launch at 12:04 a.m. EST on Friday aboard the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft and dock to Harmony’s forward port on Saturday at 7 a.m.
Veteran cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko and Flight Engineer Nikolai Chub spent most of the day installing cargo containers inside the Zarya module. Kononenko later jogged on a treadmill while attached to electrodes and sensors for a regularly scheduled fitness assessment at the end of the day. Daily exercise aboard the station is necessary for crews to maintain bone and muscle health due to the lack of gravity. Borisov also worked on computer and ventilation maintenance in the station’s Roscosmos segment.
The four SpaceX Crew-8 members are pictured shortly after arriving at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Feb. 25, 2024. Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
Human research, space physics, and airlock operations started the week for the Expedition 70 crew aboard the International Space Station. Back on Earth, four Commercial Crew members are counting down to their launch aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft to the orbital outpost.
Exercising daily in space is critical to maintain crew health due to the effects of living long-term in weightlessness. Astronauts work out on specialized exercise gear designed specifically for the microgravity environment including a treadmill, an exercise cycle, and the advanced resistive exercise device. Doctors frequently monitor these exercise sessions while crew members are attached to sensors, electrodes, and breathing gear.
Flight Engineer Jasmin Moghbeli of NASA and Satoshi Furukawa of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) took turns pedaling on the exercise cycle Monday morning for a workout study. The duo exercised inside the Destiny laboratory module for the regularly scheduled aerobics and fitness test that measures heart and breathing rate.
Moghbeli then moved on and joined NASA Flight Engineer Loral O’Hara to work on the NanoRacks Bishop airlock inside the Tranquility module. Both astronauts spent Monday afternoon reconfiguring Bishop after it was reattached to Tranquility following a week of experimental GITAI-S2 robotics tests. The autonomous robotic arm demonstration explores using automated robots to build habitats and spacecraft on future lunar and planetary missions. Furukawa also assisted with the airlock work after he inspected hatches in the U.S. segment of the space station.
Physics was also on the research schedule as O’Hara and Commander Andreas Mogensen from ESA (European Space Agency) serviced samples and hardware for a pair of different experiments. O’Hara swapped optic fiber samples inside the Microgravity Science Glovebox for an investigation exploring how to manufacture fiber optic cables superior to those produced on Earth. Mogensen replaced components inside the Combustion Integrated Rack for a space fire safety experiment.
Roscosmos Flight Engineer Nikolai Chub had a fitness evaluation on Monday as he jogged on a treadmill with electrodes attached to his chest measuring his heart rate. Cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Konstantin Borisov tried on a suit being tested for its ability to help crew members adjust to Earth’s gravity after living for months or years in space.
Meanwhile, the space station is orbiting higher after the docked Progress 87 resupply ship fired its engines for over 17 minutes on Friday. The orbital reboost positions the station for next month’s launch of the Soyuz MS-25 crew ship and the departure of the Soyuz MS-24 crew ship.
Back on Earth, four Commercial Crew members representing the SpaceX Crew-8 mission are at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida preparing for their launch aboard the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft. Commander Matt Dominick, Pilot Mike Barratt, and Mission Specialists Jeanette Epps and Alexander Grebenkin will lift off aboard Dragon at 12:04 a.m. EST on Friday. They will dock to the Harmony module’s forward port at 6 a.m. on Saturday beginning a six-month space research mission on the orbital lab.
