Last Cubesats Released as Life Science Continues

Cubesats Released
A pair of Cubesats is seen moments after being released from a small satellite deployer on the outside of the Kibo experiment module.

The final set of Cubesats was ejected from the International Space Station today. Inside the orbital lab, the station residents continued more rodent bone and muscle research, checked for microbes and cleaned fans.

A total of 17 Cubesats have been released since Monday from a small satellite deployer on the outside of the Kibo experiment module’s airlock. The suite of Cubesats deployed today will provide Earth observations, improve commercial ship tracking and provide weather data on the Earth’s seas.

Bone density measurements were on the schedule again for the mice being monitored as part of the Rodent Research-3 study. The experiment is researching the bone and muscle wasting that takes place in space and is exploring an antibody to prevent musculoskeletal weakness to benefit astronauts and people on Earth.

The crew sampled and analyzed the station’s surfaces and air for microbes to monitor and protect the orbital lab’s environment. Ventilation fans in the U.S. Destiny lab module were also inspected and cleaned today to keep the air clean and flowing keeping the environment safe.

5 thoughts on “Last Cubesats Released as Life Science Continues”

  1. Just a question on the cleaning of the fans. Would we expect dust in the lab, as we would know this on earth or is this perhaps different due to the environment which is more controlled on board the ISS?

    1. The space station fans and vents keep the air flowing and must be cleaned regularly to keep the breathing environment safe just like a home on Earth.

  2. Hello everybody, my name is Joseph PAILEMAN, I’m from Argentina. I need to know when the ship passes above my house to see it. few months ago, I point you to a website where I received the coordinates. I would like to send me again by mail  the steps to see again with my telescope the iss.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *