Biology on Station Ahead of Spacewalk, Cargo Dragon Mission

Expedition 65 astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Akihiko Hoshide perform maintenance on a pair of U.S. spacesuits.
Expedition 65 astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Akihiko Hoshide perform maintenance on a pair of U.S. spacesuits.

Human research and space botany kept the Expedition 65 crew busy today. The International Space Station residents also stayed focused on next week’s spacewalk and packed a U.S. cargo craft.

Flight Engineers Megan McArthur and Thomas Pesquet worked throughout Thursday scanning their leg, foot, arm, neck and lower back muscles with an ultrasound device. The duo performed the scans before and after working out on the advanced resistive exercise device. The long-running Myotones experiment, ongoing since 2011, measures how space affects muscle tone, stiffness and elasticity.

Commander Akihiko Hoshide installed an incubator inside Japan’s Kibo laboratory module for upcoming research for the Kidney Cell-02 study. The biology study could lead to improved treatments for kidney stones and osteoporosis for humans living on and off the Earth. The three-time station visitor then joined NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Mark Vande Hei packing the U.S. Cygnus space freighter ahead of its departure at the end of June.

Vande Hei and Kimbrough also took turns during the day contributing to a space agriculture study that started in October of last year. The Plant Water Management explores hydroponics in microgravity and may also improve watering systems on Earth.

Roscosmos Flight Engineers Oleg Novitskiy and Pyotr Dubrov partnered together Thursday morning pedaling on an exercise bike to evaluate their cardiovascular function. The duo then spent the rest of the day configuring Orlan spacesuits for a spacewalk scheduled on June 2 to service Russian hardware and install science experiments.

The very next day SpaceX will launch its upgraded Cargo Dragon vehicle from Kennedy Space Center to the station at 1:29 p.m. EDT. It will automatically dock on June 5 at 5 a.m. to the Harmony module’s space-facing international docking adapter carrying about 7,300 pounds of science, supplies and hardware. Dragon is also carrying the first set of new solar arrays that will be installed on upcoming spacewalk to augment the orbital lab’s power system.

Hydroponics, Virtual Reality on Station Impacting Future Missions

An orbital twilight fades over the city lights of Europe as the space station soared above southern France.
An orbital twilight fades over the city lights of Europe as the space station soared above southern France.

Botany and human research were the main research themes aboard the International Space Station today. Meanwhile, the Expedition 65 crew is also staying focused on spacewalk preparations and orbital lab maintenance.

Space agriculture is key to sustaining human spaceflight as NASA and its international partners plan future missions to the Moon, Mars and beyond. Today, Flight Engineers Mark Vande Hei and Thomas Pesquet joined together for the Plant Water Management study to learn how to operate hydroponics in microgravity. The duo set up and configured hardware for the botany study that may also improve watering systems on Earth.

Pesquet also partnered with NASA Flight Engineer Megan McArthur for an investigation observing how microgravity affects an astronaut’s ability to control robotics and spacecraft. The Pilote experiment uses virtual reality gear and tests a crew member’s aptitude when maneuvering a computer-generated robotic arm toward a target. Results may influence the design of workstations and interfaces for future spacecraft and space habitats.

Blood sample collections started the day for NASA Flight Engineer Shane Kimbrough and Commander Akihiko Hoshide. Kimbrough, with assistance from Vande Hei, then spent the rest of Wednesday continuing to configure the station’s newest toilet inside the Tranquility module. Hoshide set up the Astrobee robotic assistants for an upcoming student competition then swapped samples for a semiconductor crystal physics study.

Cosmonauts Oleg Novitskiy and Pyotr Dubrov are getting ready for their first career spacewalks set to begin June 2 at 1:20 a.m. EDT. The duo continued readying their spacewalking tools, communications gear and Orlan spacesuits today. The pair will exit the Poisk module and spend about six-and-a-half hours servicing Russian hardware and installing science experiments.

Ultrasound Scans, Emergency Drill amid Spacewalk Preps Today

Expedition 65 astronauts (clockwise from bottom) Akihiko Hoshide, Shane Kimbrough and Thomas Pesquet are pictured inside the SpaceX Crew Dragon Resilience.
Expedition 65 astronauts (clockwise from bottom) Akihiko Hoshide, Shane Kimbrough and Thomas Pesquet are pictured inside the SpaceX Crew Dragon Resilience.

Tuesday aboard the International Space Station was packed with human research activities helping doctors understand how the Expedition 65 crew is adapting to microgravity. Meanwhile, preparations are ramping up for a Russian spacewalk scheduled for next week.

Four astronauts took turns during the afternoon using the Ultrasound 2 device for artery scans. NASA Flight Engineer Megan McArthur kicked off the biomedical investigation today and scanned Commander Akihiko Hoshide’s neck, clavicle, shoulder and leg arteries in the Columbus laboratory module. Next up, astronauts Thomas Pesquet and Shane Kimbrough took turns as they participated in the ultrasound scanning activities.

McArthur started her day swapping fuel bottles inside the Combustion Integrated Rack before readying a science freezer for a new animal-microbe study due to be delivered on the next SpaceX Cargo Dragon mission. Kimbrough also spent some time setting up Plant Water Management hardware inside the Harmony module for ongoing botany research.

The Celestial Immunity study is still under way aboard the orbital lab as researchers compare donor cells recently launched to the station with those harvested on Earth. NASA Flight Engineer Mark Vande Hei serviced the cell samples inside the Life Science Glovebox possibly helping scientists develop new vaccines and drugs for diseases on Earth.

Four members of the Expedition 65 crew, who rode to the station aboard the Space Crew Dragon Endeavour, also joined up for an emergency drill before lunch today. Kimbrough, McArthur, Pesquet and Hoshide practiced cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), reviewed medical hardware, and rehearsed communication and coordination procedures.

The sixth spacewalk of the year is set for June 2. Cosmonauts Oleg Novitskiy and Pyotr Dubrov will open the hatch to the Poisk module at 1:20 a.m. EDT  and exit into the vacuum of space wearing their Orlan spacesuits. NASA TV will begin its live coverage at 1 a.m. of the six-and-a-half hour spacewalk for Russian hardware maintenance and science experiment installations.

Crew Starts Week on Biology, Plumbing and Spacewalk Preps

Cosmonauts (from left) Pyotr Dubrov and Oleg Novitskiy prepare Russian Orlan spacesuits inside the Poisk mini-research module for an upcoming spacewalk.
Cosmonauts (from left) Pyotr Dubrov and Oleg Novitskiy prepare Russian Orlan spacesuits inside the Poisk mini-research module for an upcoming spacewalk.

The Expedition 65 crew started the workweek on space biology and orbital plumbing aboard the International Space Station. Meanwhile, two cosmonauts are also gearing up for their first career spacewalks set to begin next week.

The immune system, protein crystals and cell biology dominated the science schedule aboard the orbital lab today. The space life science studies help scientists understand how microgravity affects a multitude of organisms while offering insights into treatments for humans on and off the Earth.

NASA Flight Engineer Megan McArthur once again treated donor samples inside the Life Science Glovebox for the Celestial Immunity study. Afterward, she inserted those samples into a science freezer for later analysis on the station and back on Earth. Observations may help doctors improve vaccines and treatments for diseases on Earth.

Flight Engineer Thomas Pesquet of ESA (European Space Agency) serviced protein crystal samples then placed them into an incubator for the Real-Time Protein Crystal Growth experiment. Results have implications for biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies and may advance the commercialization of space.

Station Commander Akihiko Hoshide opened up the Cell Biology Experiment Facility (CBEF) this morning and temporarily removed a centrifuge to check the research device’s connections. Located in the Kibo laboratory module, the CBEF is an incubator with an artificial gravity generator.

NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Mark Vande Hei partnered together on Monday to assemble and install a brand new space toilet in the Tranquility module. The station’s newest bathroom was delivered in February aboard the Cygnus space freighter from Northrop Grumman.

The next spacewalk for maintenance at the orbital lab is scheduled for June 2. Roscosmos Flight Engineers Oleg Novitskiy and Pyotr Dubrov will open the hatch to the Poisk module at 1:20 a.m. EDT  and exit into the vacuum of space wearing their Orlan spacesuits. The duo will then spend about six-and-a-half hours working on Russian hardware and installing science experiments.

Water Processor Assembly Restored, Spacewalk Preps, Immunity Research Round “Magical” Day on Station

NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough sets up hardware for the SUBSA physics investigation in the Microgravity Science Glovebox.
NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough sets up hardware for the SUBSA physics investigation inside the Microgravity Science Glovebox.

The station’s Water Processing Assembly (WPA), located in the Tranquility module, was reactivated today and is operating at full functionality after crew members successfully completed repair work throughout the week. The WPA was powered off last week due to a suspected leak.

This hardware is used to recycle water from multiple sources into clean, drinkable water for crew members aboard the International Space Station. The space station serves a vital role in testing and maturing life support technologies that will be required for future missions to the Moon and Mars. Repairs provide invaluable data to engineers refining these systems for use in future spacecraft and missions.

The Expedition 65 crew wrapped up its workweek continuing to research the immune system and preparing for next month’s spacewalk. There was also a bit of magic on the orbital lab today to illustrate the challenges of living in space.

NASA Flight Engineers Mark Vande Hei and Megan McArthur were back on the Celestial Immunity study during Friday afternoon. The duo took turns working in the Life Sciences Glovebox where the experiment takes place. The experiment may help scientists understand how weightlessness affects donor cell samples compared to cell cultures harvested on Earth. Observations may lead to new insights possibly improving vaccines and disease treatments on the ground.

McArthur started her day inside BEAM, the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module, stowing cargo and servicing sensors. She was assisted throughout Friday morning inside the five-year-old module by fellow flight engineers Shane Kimbrough of NASA and Thomas Pesquet of ESA (European Space Agency).

Kimbrough spent the first part of the afternoon packing trash for disposal aboard the U.S. Cygnus space freighter. He wrapped up his day in the U.S. Destiny laboratory module swapping samples for a physics study exploring ways to improve the production of semiconductor crystals.

Pesquet spent most of his morning in the Columbus laboratory module videotaping himself performing magic tracks for the Illusion educational study. The experiment sponsored by ESA illustrates how visual perception and the central nervous system are impacted in microgravity.

The next spacewalk at the orbital lab is planned for June 2. The two Roscosmos flight engineers, Oleg Novitskiy and Pyotr Dubrov, will work outside in the vacuum of space for external maintenance and science experiment installations for about six-and-a-half hours. The duo spent most of Friday getting their spacewalking tools and Orlan spacesuits ready for their first career excursions.

Station Lifts Orbit as Crew Works Biology and Spacewalk Preps

The forward portion of the space station, with the SpaceX Crew Dragon Endeavour at center top, is pictured as it orbited above the East China Sea.
The forward portion of the space station, with the Canadarm2 robotic arm prominent in the foreground and the SpaceX Crew Dragon Endeavour at center top, is pictured as it orbited above the East China Sea.

The International Space Station raised its orbit today to get ready for an upcoming Russian resupply mission due to launch at the end of June. Meanwhile, the Expedition 65 crew continued its biology studies, spacewalk preparations and orbital lab maintenance on Thursday.

The ISS Progress 77 cargo craft, docked to the Pirs docking compartment, fired its thrusters shortly after 1 p.m. EDT today slightly lifting the station’s orbit. The half-mile orbital boost readies the orbiting lab for the ISS Progress 78 resupply ship due to launch on June 30 from Kazakhstan and dock to the Poisk module two days later.

Immune system research has been underway all week with NASA Flight Engineers Mark Vande Hei and Megan McArthur collaborating on the Celestial Immunity experiment. Vande Hei once again started his day retrieving donor cells from a science freezer, thawing them and spinning the samples in a centrifuge. McArthur followed that work treating the samples to document differences from sample cultures harvested on Earth. Results could lead to improved vaccines and treatments for diseases on Earth, as well as advance the commercialization of space.

Commander Akihiko Hoshide set up the Confocal Microscope today to get ready for the Cell Gravisensing study that seeks to understand how individual animal cells detect gravity. The three-time station visitor also collected and stowed his saliva samples for the Standard Measures study then checked his blood pressure for the Vascular Aging investigation.

NASA Flight Engineer Shane Kimbrough continued his orbital plumbing duties today with more troubleshooting in the Tranquility module’s Water Processing Assembly (WPA). Astronaut Thomas Pesquet of the European Space Agency assisted Kimbrough with the WPA work and also serviced computers and cables throughout the day.

The year’s sixth spacewalk is set for June 2 for external maintenance and science experiment installations on the station’s Russian segment. Cosmonauts Oleg Novitskiy and Pyotr Dubrov, who spent Thursday morning inspecting their Orlan spacesuits, will spend about six-and-a-half hours outside the lab during their first career excursions. The duo split up in the afternoon and worked on a variety of life support and ventilation systems.

Life Science Work Fills Day Ahead of June Spacewalks

Astronauts (from left) Thomas Pesquet and Mark Vande Hei set up the Kibo laboratory module's airlock for the installation of an experiment platform.
Astronauts (from left) Thomas Pesquet and Mark Vande Hei set up the Kibo laboratory module’s airlock for the installation of an experiment platform.

The Expedition 65 crew is staying focused on numerous life science experiments aboard the International Space Station today while gearing up for three spacewalks in June.

The Celestial Immunity study has been ongoing aboard the orbital lab since shortly after it arrived on the SpaceX Crew-2 mission. NASA Flight Engineer Megan McArthur started Wednesday retrieving donor cell samples from a science freezer before thawing and spinning the cells in a centrifuge. Next, NASA Flight Engineer Mark Vande Hei inoculated and treated the sample cultures to help scientists observe the differences from samples harvested on Earth. Results could lead to improved vaccines and treatments for diseases on Earth, as well as advance the commercialization of space.

Akihiko Hoshide, Japan’s second station commander, spent the day on a variety of human research studies. In the morning, he took glucose measurements and collected blood samples for the Phospho-Aging and Vascular Aging studies looking at bone, muscle and artery changes in space. Hoshide then took turns with ESA Flight Engineer Thomas Pesquet wearing a virtual reality headset and clicking a trackball for the Time Perception experiment. Researchers are exploring how astronauts perceive space and time which may impact navigation and fine motor coordination in microgravity.

Over in the Tranquility module, NASA Flight Engineer Shane Kimbrough, with assistance from Vande Hei and Pesquet, continued more maintenance work on the Water Processing Assembly (WPA) due to a suspected leak. The WPA, which recycles water into drinkable water, has been powered down for several days during the troubleshooting work. The crew is fine and has several months of water supply on the station if necessary.

Next month’s first spacewalk is planned for June 2. Cosmonauts Oleg Novitskiy and Pyotr Dubrov will spend about six-and-a-hours on external maintenance and installing science experiments. Novitskiy worked on Orlan spacesuit maintenance today before joining Dubrov for more Russian cardiac research to understand how weightlessness affects the circulatory system.

In mid-June, two U.S. spacewalks are planned for the installation of a pair of new solar arrays on the station’s Port-6 truss structure. Four more solar arrays will be installed on upcoming spacewalks to augment the orbiting lab’s power systems.

U.S. and Russian Spacewalk Preps, Human Research Aboard Station Today

Astronauts Thomas Pesquet and Megan McArthur are pictured inside BEAM, the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module.
Astronauts Thomas Pesquet and Megan McArthur are pictured inside BEAM, the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module.

Spacewalk preparations and biomedical research filled the Expedition 65 schedule on Tuesday. The International Space Station also continues to host a variety of maintenance on science and plumbing systems.

ESA Flight Engineer Thomas Pesquet checked out U.S. spacesuit components ahead of a pair of spacewalks to install new solar arrays on the Port-6 truss structure planned for June. Those solar arrays, the first two of six targeted for installation, will be launched to the station aboard the next SpaceX Dragon mission on June 3.

Commander Akihiko Hoshide worked throughout the day collecting his biological samples and stowing them in science freezers for a pair of human research studies. The Phospho-Aging study looks at rapid bone and muscle loss while the Vascular Aging experiment observes aging-like changes in arteries that take place in microgravity.

Another human research study, the Standard Measures investigation that NASA Flight Engineer Megan McArthur contributed to today, observes and documents the changes to the human body during a long-term spaceflight. McArthur also installed and configured hardware inside the Combustion Integrated Rack to support safe research into fuels and flames on the space station.

In the Tranquility module, NASA Flight Engineer Shane Kimbrough spent the day on orbital plumbing duties. He was assisted throughout Tuesday by Pesquet and NASA Flight Engineer Mark Vande Hei as they serviced the Water Processing Assembly (WPA) to repair a possible leak.

Cosmonauts Oleg Novitskiy and Pyotr Dubrov reviewed procedures for an upcoming spacewalk planned for June 2 for external maintenance and science experiment installations. The duo also partnered up for cardiac research before moving on to communications and systems maintenance in the orbiting lab’s Russian segment.

Maintenance for the WPA in the Tranquility module of the station occurred today as crew members removed the affected parts and configured ducting to perform a dryout of the lines. Maintenance will continue tomorrow with the installation of the replacement units and additional preventative maintenance to restore the hardware to its full functionality.

The WPA was powered off last week due to a suspected leak. This hardware is used to recycle water from multiple sources into clean, drinkable water for crew members aboard the International Space Station.

The crew is in no danger and has multiple spare parts on board to complete the repair process. There is enough water stored on the space station to provide the crew with the necessary consumables for several months if required.

The space station serves a vital role in testing and maturing life support technologies that will be required for future missions to the Moon and Mars. Repairs provide invaluable data to engineers refining these systems for use in future spacecraft and missions.

Monday Kicks Off with Japanese, U.S. Science and Spacewalk Preps

NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough replaces life support components inside a U.S. spacesuit.
NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough replaces life support components inside a U.S. spacesuit.

The seven-member Expedition 65 crew kicked off the workweek working on Japanese science gear, a U.S. immune system study, and spacewalk preparations.

Flight Engineers Mark Vande Hei and Thomas Pesquet joined station Commander Akihiko Hoshide for science maintenance in the Kibo laboratory module on Monday morning. The trio teamed up and installed an experiment platform in Kibo’s airlock, where it will soon be placed outside in the harsh environment of space.

Vande Hei then moved on and serviced donor cell samples for the Celestial Immunity study taking place inside the Kibo lab’s Life Sciences Glovebox (LSG). The experiment looks at cells launched to space and compares them to cell samples harvested on Earth to document the differences in weightlessness. Results could impact the development of new vaccines and drugs to treat diseases on Earth and advance the commercialization of space.

Pesquet later took photographs of U.S. spacesuit gloves for inspection ahead of two spacewalks planned for June. During those spacewalks, new solar arrays will be installed on the station’s Port 6 truss structure to augment the station’s power system. The first two of six new solar arrays will be delivered on the next SpaceX cargo mission planned for launch on June 3 from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.

Hoshide checked power cables on the Confocal Space Microscope that provides fluorescence imagery of biological samples. Then he took turns with NASA Flight Engineer Shane Kimbrough, participating in a computerized cognitive assessment. Next, Kimbrough worked the rest of Monday in the Tranquility module’s Water Processing Assembly to repair a possible leak.

NASA Flight Engineer Megan McArthur opened up BEAM, or the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module, and organized cargo during the morning. She then powered down and stowed the LSG after Vande Hei concluded Monday’s immunity research.

Cosmonauts Oleg Novitskiy and Pyotr Dubrov spent the morning organizing Russian spacewalk tools. Afterward, the duo spent the rest of the day working on communications gear and ventilation systems.

More Immunity Studies as Crew Preps for Cargo Mission, Spacewalks

Expedition 65 Flight Engineers (from left) Shane Kimbrough and Oleg Novitskiy unpack science hardware for installation inside the U.S. Destiny laboratory module.
Expedition 65 Flight Engineers (from left) Shane Kimbrough and Oleg Novitskiy unpack science hardware for installation inside the U.S. Destiny laboratory module.

The International Space Station hummed with activity on Thursday as the Expedition 65 crew gets ready for the next SpaceX Cargo Dragon mission and continues immune system research. All seven crew members also joined together and practiced their emergency response skills.

Commander Akihiko Hoshide teamed up with ESA Flight Engineer Thomas Pesquet during the morning, gathering and organizing items for return to Earth on the next resupply mission from SpaceX. The upgraded Cargo Dragon vehicle is targeted for launch atop a Falcon 9 rocket on June 3 from Kennedy Space Center. It will deliver the first two of six new solar arrays, a kidney disease therapy study, plant and microbe experiments and more, about two days after liftoff.

The Kibo laboratory module’s Life Sciences Glovebox (LSG) once again was the center of activity for NASA Flight Engineers Mark Vande Hei and Megan McArthur. The duo continued servicing donor cell samples inside the LSG, which are being compared to cells on Earth, as scientists document the significant differences in microgravity. The Celestial Immunity study’s results may provide insights into new vaccines and drugs and advance the commercialization of space.

At the end of the day, Vande Hei had his veins scanned with an ultrasound device operated by NASA Flight Engineer Shane Kimbrough. Kimbrough earlier joined Pesquet and inspected tethers to be used during a pair of upcoming spacewalks. The spacewalks are planned for June and will see the installation of the soon-to-be delivered solar arrays on the station’s Port 6 truss structure.

Finally, cosmonauts Oleg Novitskiy and Pyotr Dubrov joined their five crewmates and simulated an emergency aboard the station in conjunction with mission controllers on the ground. The drill consisted of locating emergency gear, practicing procedures and decision-making, and coordinating communications with controllers in Houston and Moscow.