Month: March 2022

Life Science, Fire Safety Top Monday’s Station Science Schedule

The Cygnus space freighter is pictured after its capture and installation to the space station's Unity module.
The Cygnus space freighter is pictured after its capture and installation to the space station’s Unity module.

An array of space biology and combustion investigations topped the microgravity research program aboard the International Space Station on Monday. Life support work and cargo transfers also kept the Expedition 66 crew busy at the beginning of the week.

Living in space has been shown to impact an astronaut’s vision even after returning to Earth. NASA Flight Engineers Raja Chari and Kayla Barron worked throughout the day studying how weightlessness affects eye structure and visual function. The duo’s research efforts may help scientists develop treatments for eye conditions in space and on Earth.

Astronauts are also learning how to exercise more effectively in space. The lack of gravity leads to muscle and bone loss that crews seek to avoid with daily two-hour workout sessions on the station. ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Matthias Maurer used the Tranquility module’s advanced resistive exercise device during the morning performing exercises such as bench presses, squats, and dead lifts. He wore a specialized suit for the EasyMotion study that was stimulating his muscles during the workout which may improve and lessen the duration of exercise sessions in space.

Flames and materials burn longer and differently in microgravity and scientists and engineers use the data to keep astronauts safe in outer space. NASA Flight Engineer Mark Vande Hei opened up the Combustion Integrated Rack today and configured components inside the research device. He set up the rack for the Solid Fuel Ignition and Extinction study to improve fire suppression techniques and improve spaceship safety.

NASA astronaut Tom Marshburn worked throughout the day in Tranquility servicing components on the oxygen generation assembly. He collected samples from the life support device for analysis on the ground.

Commander Anton Shkaplerov focused on a pair of Russian experiments on Monday. He explored ways to create a sterile research environment aboard the station then researched how the human heart adapts to space. Flight Engineer Pyotr Dubrov unpacked medical kits delivered recently inside the ISS Progress 80 resupply ship.

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

Spacesuit Checks and Eye Study Wrap Up Station Work Week

The Canadarm2 robotic arm is pictured extending from the space station as it orbited above Ireland and the United Kingdom.
The Canadarm2 robotic arm is pictured extending from the space station as it orbited above Ireland and the United Kingdom.

The Expedition 66 crew is continuing its preparations for a pair of spacewalks at the International Space Station scheduled for later this month. The seven orbital residents also pursued ongoing life science while maintaining operations at the orbital lab.

Three NASA astronauts and an ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut participated in a fit check for a pair of U.S. spacesuits on Friday. Flight Engineers Raja Chari of NASA and Matthias Maurer of ESA started the work by readying spacesuits and tools inside the U.S. Quest airlock. In the afternoon, NASA Flight Engineers Mark Vande Hei and Tom Marshburn assisted the two astronauts as they verified the correct sizing of the suits ahead of a pair of spacewalks planned for March 15 and 23.

Vande Hei and Marshburn started their day pairing up inside the Kibo laboratory module researching how microgravity affects eye structure and visual function. The experiment that takes place in Kibo’s Life Science Glovebox and examines changes in the vascular system of the retina and tissue remodeling.

NASA Flight Engineer Kayla Barron took a break from today’s spacewalk preparations and installed computer hardware on combustion research gear located in the Kibo module. She also helped Vande Hei and Marshburn stow science gear after they wrapped up a half-a-day of visual function research.

Commander Anton Shkaplerov of Roscosmos kept up this week’s maintenance in the station’s Russian segment as he replaced life support gear before checking on a space biology experiment. Flight Engineer Pyotr Dubrov focused on support work for a variety of electronics components and computer gear throughout the day.

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

Spacewalks Preps Continue, NASA Astronaut Continues Record-Breaking Mission

The waxing gibbous Moon is pictured on from the space station as it orbited above the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Canada.
The waxing gibbous Moon is pictured on from the space station as it orbited above the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Canada.

Two NASA astronauts are assembling gear today they will install on the International Space Station during an upcoming spacewalk. The rest of the Expedition 66 crew focused on life science, space physics gear, and orbital maintenance.

NASA Flight Engineers Raja Chari and Kayla Barron began assembling modification kits today to ready the station’s truss structure for new roll-out solar arrays during the first spacewalk. The roll-out solar arrays will be delivered on an upcoming SpaceX Cargo Dragon mission and installed at a later date. The duo will set their U.S. spacesuits to battery power at 7:50 a.m. on March 15, signifying the beginning of their planned six-and-a-half-hour spacewalk. The second spacewalk on March 23 will see more roll-out solar array preparations by two yet to be named astronauts.

Roll-out solar array technology will not only augment the space station’s existing solar arrays and power system, they will also be used to power the Lunar Gateway. Gateway is a space station developed by NASA, the Canadian Space Agency, ESA (European Space Agency), and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency that will orbit the Moon and will serve as a hub for crew visiting the lunar surface and beyond. Gateway will enable new scientific investigations in the cis-lunar environment during crewed and uncrewed periods.

As usual, science is always ongoing aboard the space station, both remotely and with astronaut participation, as crew members explored how microgravity affects human physiology on Thursday. NASA Flight Engineers Mark Vande Hei and Tom Marshburn partnered together in the Kibo laboratory module to study what happens to eye structure and visual function in weightlessness. Research operations were conducted inside the Life Science Glovebox and may provide insights and inform treatments for eye conditions in space and on Earth.

Astronaut Matthias Maurer of ESA (European Space Agency) collected his urine samples and stowed them in a science freezer for future analysis to understand how his body is adapting to the space environment. Maurer then moved on and replaced parts inside the Electromagnetic Levitator, a physics research facility that enables safe, high-temperature observations of the thermophysical properties of metallic alloys.

Vande Hei reached 328 days in space today passing NASA astronaut Christina Koch’s record set back on Feb. 6, 2020. He will break NASA’s all-time single spaceflight record of 340 days on March 15 set by NASA astronaut Scott Kelly back on March 1, 2016. Vande Hei will return to Earth on March 30 having achieved a NASA record-breaking 355 days on orbit.

Commander Anton Shkaplerov of Roscosmos was on duty on Thursday replacing life support gear in the station’s Russian segment. Flight Engineer Pyotr Dubrov worked on computer and video gear then checked thermal hardware in the Nauka multipurpose laboratory module.

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

Advanced Physics, Human Research as Crew Readies for Pair of Spacewalks

Astronaut Kayla Barron poses for a portrait in front of the VEGGIE space botany facility inside the space station's Columbus laboratory module.
Astronaut Kayla Barron poses for a portrait in front of the VEGGIE space botany facility inside the space station’s Columbus laboratory module.

The seven-member Expedition 66 crew juggled a variety of science experiments on Wednesday including space physics and human research. Four International Space Station astronauts also reviewed procedures for a pair of spacewalks set to begin in less than two weeks.

A new experiment on the space station is using artificial intelligence to help process complex glasses in microgravity. NASA Flight Engineer Kayla Barron began setting up hardware for the Intelligent Glass Optics investigation in the Microgravity Science Glovebox today. The advanced physics study may provide insights into manufacturing systems for Earth and space including communications, aerospace, and medical diagnostics.

Barron also joined fellow flight engineers Raja Chari and Thomas Marshburn from NASA and Matthias Maurer from ESA (European Space Agency) to prepare for two upcoming spacewalks to continue modifying the orbiting lab’s power system. The quartet reviewed the tools and procedures that Barron and Chari will use on March 15 when they exit the U.S. Quest airlock to ready the station for its third roll-out solar array. The second excursion will be on March 23 with two astronauts yet to be named. NASA TV will begin its live spacewalk coverage at 7:50 a.m. EST on both days.

At the beginning of the day, Chari assisted Marshburn and Maurer as they collected their blood, saliva, and urine samples. The samples were stowed in a science freezer for later analysis as part of the long-running Repository investigation. That study looks at a bank of biological specimens collected from station astronauts over the years for insights into the physiological changes occurring in humans living in space.

NASA Flight Engineer Mark Vande Hei worked throughout the day inside the Kibo laboratory module on payload hardware that will soon be placed outside the station in the harsh environment of space. Vande Hei is also on track to surpass two NASA single spaceflight records this month. He will pass NASA astronaut Christina Koch’s mark of 328 days on March 3, then he will break NASA astronaut Scott Kelly’s record of 340 days on March 15. When Vande Hei returns to Earth on March 30, he will hold the NASA single spaceflight record having spent 355 days in space.

The orbiting lab’s two cosmonauts, Commander Anton Shkaplerov and Flight Engineer Pyotr Dubrov, replaced life support components in the station’s Russian segment.

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

Station Crew Works on Space Biology and Spacesuits

Astronaut Raja Chari tests using tools while wearing a spacesuit glove inside the space station's U.S. Quest airlock.
Astronaut Raja Chari tests using tools while wearing a spacesuit glove inside the space station’s U.S. Quest airlock.

A host of life science experiments is underway today as the Expedition 66 crew explores how living in space affects the human body. The International Space Station is also gearing up this month for a pair of spacewalks to upgrade its power systems.

Skin, hearing, and mold were the main focus of today’s biology research aboard the orbiting lab. Blood, saliva, and urine sample collections were also on Tuesday’s schedule as scientists keep check of astronaut health.

NASA astronaut Tom Marshburn looked at skin tissue samples to understand why microgravity accelerates skin aging in astronauts. Afterward, he cleaned the Life Science Glovebox and closed out operations for the experiment that seeks to prevent skin deterioration in space and improve skin conditions on Earth.

Marshburn also collected his blood and urine samples before stowing them in a science freezer. NASA Flight Engineer Mark Vande Hei collected his saliva samples then stowed them for future analysis. Doctors on the ground observe the biological samples to gain insights into how the human body adapts to long-term microgravity. Vande Hei also activated the Space Biofilms experiment to learn how to control mold growth on the station to maintain spacecraft safety and crew health.

Scientists also want to understand how the station’s operating environment, including weightlessness itself, affects a crew member’s hearing. ESA (European Space Agency) Flight Engineer Matthias Maurer participated in the Acoustic Diagnostics study during the afternoon that is monitoring any transitory or permanent hearing affects that might occur in crew members.

Two spacewalks are scheduled at the station for March 15 and 23 to ready the orbiting lab for a third set of roll out solar arrays.  Vande Hei joined NASA Flight Engineer Raja Chari and scrubbed cooling loops in a pair of U.S. spacesuits throughout Tuesday. Two astronauts will exit the station and set up a power channel for the first spacewalk then replace components and perform more upgrades on the second spacewalk.

NASA Flight Engineer Kayla Barron spent most of the day on an orbital plumbing demonstration. She worked in the Harmony module observing fill and drain cycles on two different Collapsible Contingency Urinal designs.

In the station’s Russian segment, Commander Anton Shkaplerov worked inside the Soyuz MS-19 crew ship readying the vehicle for its undocking on March 30. Roscosmos Flight Engineer Pyotr Dubrov inspected the Zvezda service module then explored cell biology.

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