December 2023 – Space Station

Two Spaceships Depart, Crew Will Spend Holidays in Space

The Cygnus space freighter is pictured attached to the space station as the Canadarm2 robotic arm prepares to grapple the cargo craft.

Two spaceships in two days have departed the International Space Station and the Expedition 70 crew will spend Christmas and New Year’s Day orbiting Earth.

NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara monitored the Canadarm2 robotic arm release of the Cygnus space freighter on Friday, Dec. 22. Earlier, ground engineers remotely maneuvered the Canadarm2 and detached Cygnus from the Unity module where it had been installed since Aug. 4.

Packed inside Cygnus, along with disposable cargo, is the SAFFIRE-VI experiment that will be remotely activated aboard the spacecraft to explore fire safety. The space freighter from Northrop Grumman will orbit Earth on its own until early January for a safe, but fiery demise above the south Pacific Ocean.

The SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft completed its cargo mission at 5:05 p.m. on Thursday when it automatically undocked from the Harmony module’s forward port. Dragon parachuted to splashdown off the coast of Florida on Dec. 22 returning station science and hardware for retrieval and analysis in laboratories on Earth.

Following Cygnus’ departure, O’Hara turned her attention to combustion research and replaced components for an experiment that is observing how fuel temperatures affect material flammability.

Astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli and Andreas Mogensen spent the first part of Friday on lab maintenance. Moghbeli from NASA serviced a U.S. spacesuit in the Quest airlock then swapped fiber optic samples inside the Microgravity Science Glovebox. Mogensen from ESA (European Space Agency) spent most of the day setting up ARED, the (Advanced Resistive Exercise device, for the ARED Kinematics study to improve workout programs for Earth and space. The duo met at the end of the day for eye exams using standard medical imaging gear found in an optometrist’s office on Earth.

Flight Engineer Satoshi Furukawa from JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) set up interactive studio gear inside the Kibo laboratory module in preparation for an event with Japanese audiences on Earth. In the afternoon, the two-time station resident inspected and photographed windows in the Kibo and Destiny lab modules for any contamination or damage.

Veteran cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko began his day with cardiac research attaching sensors to himself measuring his heart activity in weightlessness. Flight Engineer Konstantin Borisov assisted Kononenko with the cardiac study then joined him in the afternoon for checkouts of audio and antenna gear in the Zvezda service module. Flight Engineer Nikolai Chub replaced smoke detectors in the Poisk module then activated a 3D printing experiment.

The seven astronauts and cosmonauts representing Expedition 70 will spend the final week of 2023 continuing ongoing research and lab upkeep. The orbital septet will also relax, open gifts, share a meal, and call down to their families on Christmas and New Year’s Day. The astronauts sent their thoughts and well wishes while in orbit this holiday season. The next space station blog post is planned to publish on Jan. 2, 2024.

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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Robotic Arm Releases Cygnus from Station

The Cygnus space freighter is poised for release from the grip of the Canadarm2 robotic arm ending a four-and-a-half month space station cargo mission. Credit: NASA TV

At 8:06 a.m. EST, Northrop Grumman Cygnus spacecraft was released from the Canadarm2 robotic arm which earlier detached Cygnus from the Earth-facing port of the International Space Station’s Unity module. At the time of release, the station was flying about 260 miles over the Atlantic Ocean.

The Cygnus spacecraft successfully departed the space station more than four months after arriving at the microgravity laboratory to deliver about 8,200 pounds of supplies, scientific investigations, commercial products, hardware, and other cargo for NASA and its international partners.

Following a deorbit engine firing in early January, Cygnus will begin a planned destructive re-entry, in which the spacecraft – filled with trash packed by the station crew – will safely burn up in Earth’s atmosphere.

Cygnus arrived at the space station Aug. 4, following a launch on Northrop Grumman’s Antares rocket from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island, Virginia. It was the company’s 19th commercial resupply services mission to the space station for NASA. Northrop Grumman named the spacecraft after the late NASA astronaut Laurel Clark.

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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Dragon Undocks, Scientific Cargo Headed Back to Earth

A SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft is seen departing the station after undocking from the Harmony module at 4:05 p.m. EST Thursday, Dec. 21. Credit: NASA TV

Following commands from ground controllers at SpaceX in Hawthorne, California, Dragon undocked at 5:05 p.m. EST from the forward port of the station’s Harmony module. At the time of undocking the station was flying at an altitude about 260 miles southwest of Chile.

After re-entering Earth’s atmosphere, the spacecraft will make a parachute-assisted splashdown off the coast of Florida on Friday, Dec. 22. NASA will not broadcast the splashdown, but updates will be posted on the agency’s space station blog.

Dragon arrived at the space station Nov. 11 as SpaceX’s 29th commercial resupply services mission for NASA, delivering about 6,500 pounds of research investigations, crew supplies, and station hardware. It was launched Nov. 9 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy.

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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Live Coverage Underway of SpaceX Dragon Cargo Spacecraft Departure

Thrusters on the SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft fire automatically while adjusting the vehicle's slow, methodical approach toward the International Space Station for a docking to the Harmony module's forward port. — Thrusters on the SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft fire automatically while adjusting the vehicle’s slow, methodical approach toward the International Space Station for a docking to the Harmony module’s forward port.

Live coverage of the departure of SpaceX’s Dragon cargo spacecraft from the International Space Station is underway on NASA Television, the agency’s website, and the NASA app.

Following commands from ground controllers at SpaceX in Hawthorne, California, Dragon will undock at 5:05 p.m. EST from the forward port of the station’s Harmony module and fire its thrusters to move a safe distance away from the station.

Watch Dragon undock live on the NASA+ streaming service via the web or the NASA app. Docking coverage also will air live on NASA Television, YouTube, and on the agency’s website. Learn how to stream NASA TV through a variety of platforms including social media.

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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Cygnus Ready to Depart Station Live on NASA TV

The Cygnus space freighter and the Soyuz MS-24 crew ship (at right) are pictured attached to the station. At lower left, the Canadarm2 robotic arm prepares to grapple Cygnus.

Live coverage of the departure of Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus cargo spacecraft from the International Space Station is underway on NASA+ streaming, NASA Television, the agency’s website, and the NASA app, with its release from the robotic arm scheduled for 8:05 a.m. EST.

Flight controllers on the ground sent commands earlier Friday morning for the space station’s Canadarm2 robotic arm to detach Cygnus from the Unity module’s Earth-facing port, and then maneuver the spacecraft into position for its release. NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara will monitor Cygnus’ systems upon its departure from the space station.

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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Dragon, Cygnus Cargo Missions Nearing End This Week

A SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft (left) approaches the station on Nov. 11. The Cygnus resupply ship (right) awaits a robotic capture on Aug. 4.

A SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft is targeting its undocking from the International Space Station for 5:05 p.m. EST today. The Expedition 70 crew finished packing Dragon on Wednesday with a variety of research samples and lab hardware for retrieval and analysis on Earth.

The orbital residents now turn their attention to the departure of a second U.S. resupply ship set for 8:05 a.m. on Friday. Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus space freighter was grappled with the Canadarm2 robotic arm and will soon be detached from the Unity module’s Earth-facing port before being released into Earth orbit completing a four-and-a-half month stay at the orbiting lab. Cygnus will stay in space until early January when it will enter the atmosphere above the Pacific Ocean for a fiery, but safe demise.

NASA, Axiom Space, and SpaceX teams now are targeting no earlier than Wednesday, Jan. 17, to launch Axiom Mission-3 to the space station from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A due to recent unfavorable weather conditions and changes in SpaceX’s launch manifest.

Astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli and Satoshi Furukawa completed preparations for Cygnus’ departure today closing the hatch and configuring the vehicle to end its mission. NASA’s Moghbeli earlier installed the SAFFIRE-VI experiment inside Cygnus that will be remotely activated to explore spacecraft fire safety. Furukawa from JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) ensured the disposable cargo was securely strapped inside the departing spacecraft.

Science and maintenance activities were still ongoing throughout Thursday advancing knowledge and keeping the orbital outpost in tip-top shape. Scientists use the microgravity environment to discover new phenomena impossible to observe in Earth’s gravity.

NASA Flight Engineer Loral O’Hara opened up the Combustion Integrated Rack and configured research components supporting an experiment that is observing how fuel temperatures affect material flammability. Results from the study may improve fire safety techniques on Earth and in space. Commander Andreas Mogensen of ESA (European Space Agency) activated a series of coding studies to interest students in science, swapped out optical fiber samples for a manufacturing experiment, then replaced filters in the Advanced Plant Habitat for a new space botany investigation.

Working in the orbital lab’s Roscosmos segment, veteran cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko once again tested the 3D printing of tools and supplies in weightlessness then set up an Earth atmosphere monitoring experiment. Flight Engineer Konstantin Borisov installed a secondary atmospheric study that is observing Earth’s nighttime environment in near-ultraviolet wavelengths. Flight Engineer Nikolai Chub attached sensors to his chest monitoring how his heart is adapting to the lack of gravity.

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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SpaceX Dragon Departure from Space Station Targets Thursday

The SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft is pictured approaching the space station above the Indian Ocean on March 16, 2023.

Following a weather review, NASA and SpaceX now are targeting no earlier than 5:05 p.m. EST Thursday, Dec. 21, for the undocking of the company’s 29th Dragon commercial resupply services mission from the International Space Station due to unfavorable weather in the splashdown zones off the coast of Florida.

Coverage of Dragon’s departure Thursday will begin at 4:45 p.m. on the NASA+ streaming service via the web or the NASA app. Coverage also will air live on NASA Television, YouTube, and on the agency’s website. Learn how to stream NASA TV through a variety of platforms including social media.

After re-entering Earth’s atmosphere, the spacecraft will splash down off the coast of Florida, which will not be broadcast on NASA TV. Follow updates on return plans on the agency’s space station blog.

NASA and Northrop Grumman continue to target Friday, Dec. 22, for the departure of the Cygnus spacecraft from the orbital complex.

Coverage of Cygnus departure Friday will begin at 7:45 a.m. ahead of the robotic release of the spacecraft at 8:05 a.m. on the NASA+ streaming service via the web or the NASA app. Coverage also will air live on NASA Television, YouTube, and on the agency’s website.

Cygnus will conduct secondary payload operations following unberthing and complete a safe re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere where it will burn up harmlessly over the Pacific Ocean.

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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Crew Packs Dragon With Science for Return, Keeps Up Research Schedule

The SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft approaches the space station above Africa during a previous resupply mission on Nov. 27, 2022.

The Expedition 70 crew will finish packing a U.S. cargo craft today before it departs the International Space Station. The seven orbital residents also collaborated on a variety of human research studies to learn how to keep humans healthy in space.

Four astronauts worked together on Wednesday coordinating final cargo transfers inside the SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft. Dragon, which has been docked to the station since Nov. 11, is slated to undock at 9:05 p.m. EST on Wednesday from the orbital outpost’s forward port on the Harmony module. The agency will provide live coverage of Dragon’s undocking and departure starting at 8:45 p.m. on the NASA+ streaming service via the web or the NASA app. Coverage also will air live on NASA Television, YouTube, and on the agency’s website. Learn how to stream NASA TV through a variety of platforms including social media.

Astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli and Andreas Mogensen began the science return work in the morning transferring frozen research samples from station science freezers and into insulated Dragon science transport bags. Astronauts Loral O’Hara and Satoshi Furukawa continued the sample handovers inside the Destiny, Kibo, and Columbus laboratory modules and packed them aboard Dragon. NASA flight engineers O’Hara and Moghbeli wrapped up the research stowing fresh astronaut blood samples inside Dragon for retrieval and analysis on Earth. Moghbeli will be the last crew member inside Dragon before exiting and closing its hatch a few hours before its departure.

All four crewmates started their shifts collecting blood and saliva samples for the CIPHER suite of 14 experiments examining how living in weightlessness affect’s the human body. O’Hara also took a cognition test to understand how the brain functions in space. Moghbeli downloaded medical data stored on a health-monitoring vest and headband. At the end of the day, Furukawa and Mogensen, from JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) and ESA (European Space Agency) respectively, used the Ultrasound 2 device and scanned each other’s neck, shoulder and leg veins.

The three cosmonauts living and working aboard the station stayed focused on their contingent of Roscosmos-based science experiments and lab maintenance. Flight Engineers Konstantin Borisov and Nikolai Chub took part in a pair of different fitness evaluations. Borisov started first pedaling on an exercise cycle before Chub jogged on a treadmill while both were attached to sensors measuring their aerobic output. Flight Engineer Oleg Kononenko conducted another 3D printing session to demonstrate manufacturing tools and supplies in microgravity.

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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Crew Packs Dragon for Departure, Keeps Up Advanced Research, and a Cygnus Unberthing is Adjusted

Thrusters on the SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft fire adjusting the vehicle's approach toward the station for a docking to the Harmony module's forward port on Nov. 11, 2023. — Thrusters on the SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft fire adjusting the vehicle’s approach toward the station for a docking to the Harmony module’s forward port on Nov. 11, 2023.

The Expedition 70 crew is packing a U.S. cargo craft ahead of its planned Wednesday departure. The seven residents aboard the International Space Station are also keeping up their regularly scheduled research and maintenance activities.

NASA astronauts Loral O’Hara and Jasmin Moghbeli worked together Tuesday morning removing biological specimens from the Destiny laboratory module, stowing them in transporters, then installing the science cargo inside the SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft. Afterward, O’Hara wrapped up her day with a vision test reading characters off a standard eye chart found in a doctor’s office on Earth. Moghbeli treated brain cell-like samples to understand neurodegenerative processes at a molecular and cellular level.

Astronauts Andreas Mogensen and Satoshi Furukawa continued the cargo transfers during the afternoon packing and securing a variety of hardware inside Dragon for analysis and retrieval on Earth. Mogensen from ESA (European Space Agency) earlier serviced numerous science components including charging virtual reality hardware, loading software on a fluorescence microscope, and setting up the Life Science Glovebox for Moghbeli’s sampling work. Furukawa from JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) installed new gas bottles on combustion research gear located inside the Kibo laboratory module.

Working in the Roscosmos segment of the orbital outpost, cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko activated a 3D printer to explore printing tools and supplies in microgravity. Flight Engineer Nikolai Chub tested a radio communications antenna then studied ways space crews and ground controllers from around the world can communicate more effectively. Flight Engineer Konstantin spent his morning on orbital plumbing tasks then worked during the afternoon inspecting windows in the Zvezda service module and disinfecting surfaces inside the Nauka science module.

Following a weather review about 24 hours prior to undocking, NASA and SpaceX now are targeting no earlier than 9:05 p.m. EST Wednesday, Dec. 20, for the undocking of the company’s 29th Dragon commercial resupply services mission from the International Space Station.

Coverage of Dragon’s departure Wednesday will begin at 8:45 p.m. on the NASA+ streaming service via the web or the NASA app. Coverage also will air live on NASA Television, YouTube, and on the agency’s website. Learn how to stream NASA TV through a variety of platforms including social media.

Additional undock and return opportunities are continuing to be considered as joint teams work to identify the best autonomous undocking and return weather conditions as a cold front passes through the splashdown zones off the coast of Florida. More updates will be made following the next weather review about 12 hours prior to Dragon undocking from the space station.

With the changes to Dragon’s space station operations, NASA and Northrop Grumman now are targeting a Friday, Dec. 22, for the departure of the Cygnus spacecraft from the orbital complex.

Cygnus will conduct secondary payload operations following unberthing and complete a safe and harmless re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere where it will harmlessly burn up over the Pacific Ocean.

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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Crew Health, Space Biology Research as Dragon Awaits Departure

The SpaceX Dragon cargo craft backs away from the space station moments after undocking during an orbital sunrise on Aug. 19, 2022. Credit: NASA TV

Crew health and space biology were the top research objectives for the Expedition 70 crew at the beginning of the week. The International Space Station residents also had their hands full with a host of standard lab maintenance tasks. Meanwhile, the SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft looks to Wednesday at the earliest for its departure.

Observing the effects of weightlessness on a variety of life forms including humans is a priority for doctors and scientists as NASA and its international partners plan longer missions farther out into space. Researchers are learning how everything from the tiniest organisms, space-grown vegetables, to astronauts adapt and survive in the harsh environment of microgravity.

NASA Flight Engineer Jasmin Moghbeli kicked off her day strapping on the Bio-Monitor vest and headband to test their ability to comfortably monitor an astronaut’s health throughout the day. The wearables contain a data unit recording a crew member’s cardiovascular fitness for the Space Health investigation. She then spent the afternoon treating cell samples inside the Kibo laboratory module’s Life Science Glovebox for the Space AGE health study to learn more about the biology of aging and its effects on disease mechanisms.

A pair of CubeSats were deployed outside the orbital outpost today to explore voice and imagery transmissions and test future planetary probe technologies. Flight Engineer Satoshi Furukawa from JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) pointed his camera outside the Kibo lab and photographed the two small satellite deployments. Afterward, the JAXA astronaut serviced optical hardware to support a regenerative medicine experiment. Finally, Furukawa readied the SAFFIRE-VI fire safety experiment that will be conducted remotely aboard the Cygnus space freighter after it departs the space station.

Astronauts Loral O’Hara and Andreas Mogensen started Monday morning stowing spacewalking tools in the Quest airlock. The duo then split up as O’Hara tested a VHF antenna and inspected the Harmony module’s crew quarters. Mogensen from ESA (European Space Agency) installed air sensors in Harmony then inspected hoses inside the COLBERT treadmill.

Cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Konstantin Borisov worked in the Nauka science module checking and photographing eggs packed inside a centrifuge for a Roscosmos biology study. Flight Engineer Nikolai Chub spent his day working on life support systems inside the Zarya and Zvezda modules.

NASA and SpaceX continue to target no earlier than 5:05 p.m. EST Wednesday, Dec. 20, for the undocking of the company’s 29th Dragon commercial resupply services mission from the International Space Station.

Coverage of Dragon’s departure Wednesday will begin at 4:45 p.m. on the NASA+ streaming service via the web or the NASA app. Coverage also will air live on NASA Television, YouTube, and on the agency’s website. Learn how to stream NASA TV through a variety of platforms including social media.

Additional undock and return opportunities also are being considered as joint teams continue to work to identify the best autonomous undocking and return weather conditions as a cold front passes through the splashdown zones off the coast of Florida.

More updates will be made following the next weather review about 24 hours prior to Dragon undocking from the space station.

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.

Get weekly video highlights at: https://roundupreads.jsc.nasa.gov/videoupdate/

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