Space Station

The Expedition 72 crew wrapped up the week aboard the International Space Station preparing for a spacewalk to service science and station hardware next week. The orbital residents also continued their biotechnology and human research activities to advance health on Earth and in space.

Two spacewalks are scheduled for Jan. 16 and Jan. 23 to maintain astrophysics research gear, replace advanced communications gear, and search for potential microbes living on the outside the space orbital outpost.

NASA astronauts Nick Hague and Suni Williams will go on the first spacewalk and spend about six-and-a-half hours patching a light leak on the NICER X-ray telescope, readying the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer for future upgrades, and replacing station orientation and navigation gear. The pair was joined by NASA Flight Engineers Don Pettit and Butch Wilmore on Friday reviewing next week’s spacewalk procedures and conferring with engineers on the ground.

The second spacewalk will see two yet-to-be-announced astronauts exiting the station’s Quest airlock to replace an antenna assembly, search for external microbes, and checkout the Canadarm2 robotic arm. Both spacewalks will begin around 7 a.m. with NASA+ coverage starting at 5:30 a.m.

Hague began his day processing samples of micro-algae that may be able to produce food to sustain crews and oxygen to support spacecraft life support systems. Next, he downloaded his health data collected for analysis after he jogged on the COLBERT treadmill and worked out on the advanced resistive exercise device.

The other three NASA astronauts including Commander Williams and Flight Engineers Pettit and Wilmore spent the first half of their day on a variety of orbital maintenance. Williams checked out components on a fluorescence biology microscope while Pettit and Hague serviced electronics, plumbing, and life support systems.

Working in the station’s Roscosmos segment, cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner took turns exploring how a crew member living in weightlessness uses vision to adapt their sense of balance and orientation. Flight Engineer Aleksandr Gorbunov inspected piloting and navigation gear throughout his shift on Friday.

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Wednesday was packed with an array of advanced microgravity research promoting fire safety in space, exploring the effects of exercising in weightlessness, and testing futuristic piloting techniques. The Expedition 72 crew is also gearing up for a spacewalk to repair and upgrade science hardware on the International Space Station.

NASA Flight Engineers Don Pettit and Nick Hague had their hands full with a variety of space science and spacesuit activities. Pettit began his shift collecting his urine samples and stowing them in a science freezer for later analysis. Later he replaced experiment samples inside the Combustion Integrated Rack to safely observe how flames spread on a variety of materials in microgravity potentially improving fire safety on future space missions.

Hague spent the first half of his shift wearing the Bio-Monitor vest and headband that recorded his heart and breathing rate while he worked out on the advanced resistive exercise device and jogged on the COLBERT treadmill. Afterward, he joined NASA Commander Suni Williams organizing the Quest airlock and readying a pair of spacesuits for a Jan. 16 spacewalk.

NASA managers will talk about that spacewalk and a second one planned for Jan. 23 during a spacewalk preview briefing that will be broadcast on NASA+ beginning at 2 p.m. EST on Friday. During the first spacewalk, Hague and Williams will exit Quest to repair a “light leak” on the NICER X-ray telescope and prepare the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer for future upgrades. The second spacewalk will see two yet-to-be announced astronauts remove radio communications gear and collect samples for analysis of potential microbes living outside the space station. Both spacewalks will begin around 7 a.m. with NASA+ coverage starting at 5:30 a.m.

NASA Flight Engineer Butch Wilmore started his shift inside the Kibo laboratory module stowing and photographing space biology gear. Afterward, he ended his day conducting cargo operations inside the Cygnus resupply ship and inventorying medical kits inside the orbital outpost’s two Human Research Facilities.

Roscosmos Flight Engineers Alexey Ovchinin and Aleksandr Gorbunov started their day taking turns wearing a sensor-packed cap that measured their reactions as they practiced on a computer futuristic planetary and robotic piloting techniques. Future crews may use the data gained from these tests to plan missions farther away from Earth. Ovchinin later joined Flight Engineer Ivan Vagner and checked out audio hardware in the Zvezda service module.

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Most of the Expedition 72 crew was off duty on Tuesday while a pair of NASA astronauts conducted human research and studied biotechnology. Two spacewalks are now planned this month for science maintenance and station upgrades.

Flight Engineers Don Pettit and Nick Hague kept up a host of advanced space research aboard the International Space Station on Tuesday. The NASA duo explored how microgravity affects the human body and studied ways to produce fresh food and oxygen in space.

Pettit focused on human research Tuesday as he collected his saliva, blood, and urine samples. He processed and stowed those samples in a science freezers for later analysis to understand how weightlessness affects station crew members. Hague serviced samples of micro-algae exposing them to various light intensities to observe how they produce oxygen and nutrients in microgravity. Observations may promote crew health and advance life support systems on future spacecraft.

At the end of his shift, Hague refilled tanks and liquid cooling ventilation garments with water preparing a pair of spacesuits for a pair of upcoming spacewalks. He and Commander Suni Williams of NASA are scheduled to begin the first spacewalk at 7 a.m. EST on Thursday, Jan. 16. The pair will exit the orbital outpost’s Quest airlock and spend about six-and-a-half hours replacing a rate gyro assembly, servicing the NICER X-ray telescope, and preparing the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer for future upgrades.

Mission managers will discuss that spacewalk and a second one planned for Jan. 23 on NASA+ beginning at 2 p.m. EST on Friday. NASA+ will also broadcast both spacewalks beginning at 5:30 a.m. with the Jan. 23 excursion also starting at 7 a.m.

Meanwhile, Williams and NASA Flight Engineer Butch Wilmore had the day off on Tuesday following a busy day on Monday. Cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin, Ivan Vagner, and Aleksandr Gorbunov also relaxed Tuesday as they observed the Eastern Orthodox Christmas holiday.

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Expedition 72 is beginning the New Year preparing for an upcoming spacewalk to service science hardware and install communications gear. The International Space Station residents also conducted space agriculture and worked on cargo duties at the beginning of the week.

Two NASA astronauts are scheduled to exit the orbital outpost’s Quest airlock this month for a spacewalk to checkout a pair of astrophysics experiments attached to the outside of the space station, as well as conduct other tasks. First, the NICER X-ray telescope will be serviced with a patch to prevent unwanted sunlight from entering the instrument and corrupting research data. Next, the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer will be prepared for future upgrades tasked for spacewalks planned later this year.

The four astronauts aboard the station including Commander Suni Williams and Fight Engineers Nick Hague, Don Pettit, and Butch Wilmore worked throughout Monday preparing for the science maintenance spacewalk. These preps included collecting and organizing spacewalking tools inside Quest and practicing installing the jetpacks on spacesuits a spacewalker would use to maneuver back to safety in the unlikely event they became untethered from the space station. The quartet also reviewed the procedures planned for the first spacewalk of 2025.

Pettit and Wilmore rounded out their day conducting science and transferring cargo. Pettit worked in the Columbus laboratory module thinning Red Romaine lettuce seedlings to learn how to grow food crops on space missions. Wilmore transferred cargo in and out of the Cygnus cargo craft that has been berthed to the Unity module since Aug. 6, 2024.

The three cosmonauts from Roscosmos spent their shift in the Roscosmos segment of the orbiting lab performing a variety of science and maintenance tasks. Flight Engineer Aleksandr Gorbunov photographed microorganisms being incubated for a space biology study. Flight Engineer Ivan Vagner spent his day pumping water and transferring cargo from inside the Progress 90 resupply ship that docked to the Poisk module on Nov. 23. Flight Engineer Alexey Ovchinin inventoried hardware inside the Zarya, Zvezda, Nauka, and Poisk modules.

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Science hardware installations wrapped up the week for the Expedition 72 crew members aboard the International Space Station. The cosmonauts also slept in on Friday following a spacewalk the day before.

NASA Flight Engineers Don Pettit and Nick Hague finalized the installation of the European Enhanced Exploration Exercise Device that provides advanced bicycling, rowing, and resistive capabilities in the Columbus laboratory module. The astronauts checked the fit of the workout gear’s vibration isolation system, installed grounding brackets, greased rails, and tested the device’s motion. The small and compact futuristic exercise hardware will be evaluated in the orbital outpost’s microgravity environment before being used on longer term missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.

Hague also joined Commander Suni Williams and Flight Engineer Butch Wilmore, both NASA astronauts, in the Tranquility module for more installation work. The trio outfitted the Nanoracks Bishop airlock with a variety of hardware after it was berthed to Tranquility and pressurized following robotic transfers for scientific work at the beginning of the week. Wilmore completed the Bishop configurations at the end of the day after he installed computer hardware.

The orbiting lab’s three cosmonauts from Roscosmos slept in on Friday following a seven-hour and 17-minute spacewalk on Thursday. Flight Engineers Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner installed a celestial X-ray investigation and removed older experiments for disposal during the spacewalk. Flight Engineer Aleksandr Gorbunov remained inside the space station monitoring the spacewalkers and maneuvering Ovchinin with the European robotic arm (ERA). The trio spent Friday cleaning spacesuits and returning the ERA to its stowage position on the Nauka science module.

The seven astronauts and cosmonauts will spend Christmas and New Year’s Day orbiting Earth taking time to relax, open gifts, share a meal, and talk to family. The orbital septet will go into 2025 continuing more advanced space research benefitting humans on and off the Earth. The next space station blog is planned to publish on Jan. 6.

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Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner began a spacewalk at 10:36 a.m. EST to install an experiment package designed to monitor celestial x-ray sources and new electrical connector patch panels and remove several experiments for disposal. The two cosmonauts will also relocate a control panel for the European robotic arm, which is attached to the Nauka multipurpose laboratory module. Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexsandr Gorbunov will operate the arm during the spacewalk from inside the station.

Coverage will continue on NASA+. Learn how to watch NASA content through a variety of platforms, including social media.

Ovchinin is wearing an Orlan spacesuit with red stripes, while Vagner is wearing the suit with blue stripes. This is the second spacewalk in Ovchinin’s career, and the first for Vagner. It is the 272nd spacewalk for space station assembly, maintenance, and upgrades.

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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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A new exercise system, spacecraft fire safety, and advanced life support gear were the main research priorities aboard the International Space Station on Wednesday. The Expedition 72 crew is also ready for a spacewalk to conduct science and robotics work on Thursday.

Commander Suni Williams and Flight Engineer Butch Wilmore, both from NASA, were back inside the Columbus laboratory module continuing to install futuristic exercise gear for space crews. The duo is spending the rest of the week assembling the workout hardware in Columbus where it will be tested by the station crew using its advanced bicycling, rowing, and resistive capabilities. The small and compact European Enhanced Exploration Exercise Device will be evaluated in the orbital outpost’s microgravity environment before being used on longer term missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.

Working from the Destiny laboratory module, NASA Flight Engineer Nick Hague swapped samples of thin plastic sheets inside the Combustion Integrated Rack. Those samples are being observed for how they burn in weightlessness to learn how to prevent fires on spacecraft. NASA Flight Engineer Don Pettit spent his day in the Harmony module setting up the Microgravity Sediment Trap hardware. The advanced technology demonstration gear will test new filters to protect and extend the life of spacecraft cooling systems.

Two cosmonauts are ready to exit the space station’s Poisk airlock at 10:10 a.m. EST on Thursday for a planned six-hour and 40-minute spacewalk to remove science experiments and relocate robotic hardware. The duo from Roscosmos wrapped up their spacewalk procedure reviews, completed the installation of Orlan spacesuit components, and finished charging the video cameras they will wear on their suits to record their spacewalk activities. NASA+ will begin its live spacewalk coverage at 9:45 a.m. Learn how to watch NASA content through a variety of platforms, including social media.

Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov will assist the spacewalkers in and out of the airlock as well as their Orlan spacesuits on Thursday. Gorbunov will also be at the controls of the European robotic arm as the spacewalkers relocate a robotics control panel on the device attached to the Nauka science module.

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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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