Relaxation, Housekeeping Wrap Up Work Week Aboard the Station

Astronaut Suni Williams rides the Canadarm2 robotic arm while being maneuvered to her worksite 264 miles above the Earth during a spacewalk on Jan. 30, 2025.
Astronaut Suni Williams rides the Canadarm2 robotic arm while being maneuvered to her worksite 264 miles above the Earth during a spacewalk on Jan. 30, 2025.

The Expedition 72 crew wrapped up the work week with housekeeping duties and relaxation following several days of spacewalk cleanup activities and advanced research aboard the International Space Station.

Station Commander Suni Williams and Flight Engineer Butch Wilmore, both NASA astronauts, were off duty on Friday after stowing spacewalk tools and deconfiguring spacesuits earlier in the week. The duo used the tools and wore the suits during a five hour and 26-minute spacewalk on Jan. 30 for science and maintenance. Williams and Wilmore also worked throughout the week on robotics research, computer updates, and life support maintenance.

NASA Flight Engineers Nick Hague and Don Pettit took turns at the end of the week measuring the airflow in their crew quarters ensuring a safe breathing environment inside the orbital lab. Hague first checked his overhead crew quarters then Pettit checked his starboard crew quarters, both in the Harmony module, measuring the airflows at different locations and at different speeds. Hague earlier collected biological samples for processing while Pettit conducted a photographic inspection of stowage areas inside the Columbus laboratory module.

Roscosmos Flight Engineer Aleksandr Gorbunov spent his day on variety of science activities. He first prepared drives to capture research data collected from a plasma crystal study, swapped a lens on a student-controlled Earth observation camera, then checked video recording gear. Flight Engineers Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner spent their day on life support maintenance tasks throughout the orbital outpost’s Roscosmos segment.

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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Busy Day of Research, Lab Upkeep, and Cargo Ops on Station

Astronauts Don Pettit (foreground) and Nick Hague are at the controls of the robotics workstation that commands the International Space Station's Canadarm2 robotic arm.
Astronauts Don Pettit (foreground) and Nick Hague are at the controls of the robotics workstation that commands the International Space Station’s Canadarm2 robotic arm.

The Expedition 72 crew focused on space biology, physics research, and cargo operations throughout the International Space Station on Thursday. The orbital residents also performed maintenance and documentation activities ensuring the microgravity research laboratory remains in tip-top shape.

NASA Flight Engineers Nick Hague and Don Pettit took turns during their shifts examining and videotaping the layout of racks inside the modules that comprise the U.S. segment of the space station. The astronauts downloaded the video so engineers on the ground could inspect the safety and configuration of cables routed between the numerous racks. Hague then wrapped up his day packing cargo and trash inside the Northrop Grumman Cygnus cargo craft that arrived at the station on Aug. 6,  2024. Pettit worked in the Kibo laboratory module reorganizing cargo and stowing a small satellite orbital deployer.

Commander Suni Williams of NASA started her shift uninstalling carbon dioxide removal gear and checking cable connections inside the Tranquility module’s Life Support Rack that manages air and water quality. Next, she assisted with the Cygnus cargo packing then worked on orbital plumbing inside the waste and hygiene compartment, the orbiting lab’s bathroom located in Tranquility.

NASA Flight Engineer Butch Wilmore spent the first half of his shift on computer maintenance preparing a laptop computer for an electronics test then loading new software on a tablet computer. He then spent the rest of his day checking food inventories and reviewing crew menus aboard the space station.

The three cosmonauts compromising the seven-member station crew were able to fit microgravity research into their schedules on Thursday while maintaining the Roscosmos segment of the space station.

Roscosmos Flight Engineer Aleksandr Gorbunov wrapped up a run of the Plasma Kristall-4 physics study that observes how strongly interacting, charged particles turn into plasma crystals. Gorbunov then took turns with fellow cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin taking a test to learn how to improve communications between international crews and mission controllers from around the world. Ovchinin also participated in a cardiac study with Flight Engineer Ivan Vagner wearing sensors to measure how weightlessness affects the heart’s electrical activity which pumps blood throughout the body. The trio from Roscosmos also kept up its housekeeping activities servicing ventilation systems and maintaining life support hardware.

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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Space Navigation Test, Plasma Crystal Research Top Wednesday Science Schedule

Astronaut Butch Wilmore conducts a spacewalk 259 miles above Earth while orbiting into a sunset above Eastern Europe on Jan. 30, 2025.
Astronaut Butch Wilmore conducts a spacewalk 259 miles above Earth while orbiting into a sunset above Eastern Europe on Jan. 30, 2025.

Space navigation and plasma crystals were the main research topics aboard the International Space Station on Wednesday. The Expedition 72 crew also reorganized cargo and continued cleaning up after last week’s spacewalk.

Accurate navigation is critical as crew spacecraft are being readied to travel farther away from Earth-orbiting satellite systems and toward the Moon. NASA Flight Engineer Don Pettit installed and activated the Navigation and Communication Testbed (NAVCOM) demonstration hardware inside the Columbus laboratory module. NAVCOM is being tested as a more accurate alternative to a constellation of satellites known as the Global Navigation Satellite System. NAVCOM may inform the development of lunar stations to transmit precise navigation data such as position and time on future crewed missions to the Moon.

Station Commander Suni Williams of NASA spent most of her day on cargo and life support work in the orbital lab. She primarily worked inside the Permanent Multipurpose Module reconfiguring the cargo hold to optimize space. Williams also spent a few moments transferring clean water from the Tranquility module into Roscosmos water tanks for temporary stowage.

Williams later joined NASA Flight Engineers Butch Wilmore and Nick Hague servicing spacesuits and stowing tools used during a Jan. 30 spacewalk. Following her cargo and maintenance work, Williams wrapped up her shift stowing spacesuit batteries and preparing them for upcoming recharging activities. Wilmore and Hague worked throughout the day in the Quest airlock stowing a variety of spacewalking tools used during the science and maintenance spacewalk.

Roscosmos Flight Engineer Aleksandr Gorbunov started his day setting up a video monitor for a study observing electrons, ions, neutral gas, and microparticles that interact strongly when charged and can turn into plasma crystals. Gorbunov also assisted Williams with the water transfer tasks then replaced hardware in the Zvezda service module that purifies water vapor into potable water.

Flight Engineers Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner spent their day on routine maintenance and ongoing science activities inside the orbital outpost’s Roscosmos segment. Ovchinin completed carbon dioxide monitoring near crew work areas and crew quarters then worked on Zvezda’s oxygen generator. Vagner participated in a test to improve how international crews communicate with mission controllers from around the world.

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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Robotics Demonstration, Air and Water Quality Checks Aboard Orbital Lab

Astronaut Suni Williams checks out the Astrobee robotic free-flyer outfitted with tentacle-like arms containing gecko-like adhesive pads to demonstrate satellite capture techniques.
Astronaut Suni Williams checks out the Astrobee robotic free-flyer outfitted with tentacle-like arms containing gecko-like adhesive pads to demonstrate satellite capture techniques.

Free-flying robotics and science maintenance topped the work schedule aboard the International Space Station on Tuesday. The Expedition 72 crew also analyzed station air and water quality and set up a student-controlled camera for Earth observations.

NASA engineers are using the weightless environment of the orbital lab to study how robots might capture objects in space and remove debris and service satellites in low Earth orbit. Station Commander Suni Williams contributed to that investigation on Tuesday by activating the Astrobee robotic free-flyer and outfitting it with tentacle-like arms containing gecko-like adhesive pads. She monitored the toaster sized Astrobee, with the experimental grippers attached, as it demonstrated autonomously detecting and grappling a “capture cube”, like she did previously in December. Results may expand the space infrastructure and extend the life of assets such as satellites.

NASA Flight Engineer Don Pettit worked throughout the day on sample analysis and science maintenance. Pettit first collected station water samples and analyzed them using the Total Organic Carbon Analyzer to assess the on-orbit water quality. Next, he swapped fuel bottles inside the Combustion Integrated Rack that enables safe fuel and flame research in microgravity. Finally, Pettit relocated an airborne particulate monitor to measure air quality in the Zvezda service module.

NASA Flight Engineer Nick Hague spent Tuesday primarily on lab upkeep. Hague worked inside Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus space freighter transferring cargo in and out of the spacecraft that has been berthed to the station since Aug. 6, 2024. Afterward, he installed new software on an EXPRESS rack laptop computer that supports research operations. NASA Flight Engineer Butch Wilmore continued stowing tools inside the Quest airlock used during last week’s spacewalk then wrapped up his shift with orbital plumbing duties inside the Tranquility module.

Roscosmos Flight Engineer Aleksandr Gorbunov installed the EarthKAM Earth observation hardware inside the Harmony module, pointed the camera out a window toward Earth, and focused its lens. The camera can be remotely controlled by students on Earth to target and photograph Earth landmarks.

Flight Engineers Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner partnered together throughout Tuesday on maintenance activities inside the Zvezda service module. Ovchinin also deployed gas analyzers monitoring carbon dioxide near crew work areas and crew quarters in the orbital outpost’s Roscosmos segment.

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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Station Crew Cleans Up After Spacewalk, Studies Space Agriculture and Physics

Astronaut Butch Wilmore works outside the space station during a five-hour and 26-minute spacewalk swabbing external surfaces searching for microorganisms on Jan. 30, 2025.
Astronaut Butch Wilmore works outside the space station during a five-hour and 26-minute spacewalk swabbing external surfaces searching for microorganisms on Jan. 30, 2025.

The Expedition 72 crew kicked off the first week in February cleaning up after last week’s spacewalk and continuing its space agriculture and microgravity physics experiments. Other International Space Station science objectives planned on Monday included human research while the orbital residents kept up the maintenance of the orbital outpost.

NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, station Commander and Flight Engineer respectively, are cleaning up following the Jan. 30 spacewalk to remove radio communications hardware and search for microorganisms outside the space station. Williams worked in the Harmony module disassembling the radio frequency group antenna assembly that she removed during the five-hour and 26-minute spacewalk. Wilmore serviced the spacesuits that he and Williams wore last week cleaning and reconfiguring suit cooling loops as well as checking the suits’ electrical components.

NASA Flight Engineer Nick Hague began his day assisting Williams with the radio hardware teardown work in Harmony and packing the gear for stowage. Afterward, Hague moved to the Kibo laboratory module refilling water inside the JAXA’s (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) Plant Experiment Unit. The small botany research facility, located in Kibo’s Cell Biology Experiment Facility, is supporting an investigation exploring how ultraviolet radiation and weightlessness affect plant growth to learn how to grow food and sustain crews on long-term mission to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.

NASA Flight Engineer Don Pettit focused on space physics inside Kibo’s Multi-Purpose Small Payload Rack (MSPR) during the first half of his shift. He opened up the MSPR and swapped samples inside its Electrostatic Levitation Furnace that can safely heat materials above 2,000 degrees Celsius to measure their thermophysical properties, as well as synthesize new materials in microgravity. Pettit then joined after the crew’s lunchtime and trained to use ultrasonic inspection hardware.

Roscosmos Flight Engineers Ivan Vagner and Alexey Ovchinin participated in a test to understand how and improve the way international crews communicate with mission controllers from around the world. Ovchinin then spent the last half of his shift practicing on a computer futuristic spacecraft and robotic piloting techniques crews may use on potential planetary missions. Flight Engineer Aleksandr Gorbunov spent his day inspecting and photographing cargo stowage areas in the Zvezda service module and testing Roscosmos life support gear.

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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Astronauts Relax After Spacewalk, Cosmonauts Work Physics and Exercise Research

NASA spacewalker Suni Williams is attached to the Canadarm2 robotic arm's latching end effector while being maneuvered 264 miles above the South Pacific Ocean.
NASA spacewalker Suni Williams is attached to the Canadarm2 robotic arm’s latching end effector while being maneuvered 264 miles above the South Pacific Ocean.

Two spacewalkers and their assisting crew members took a half-day off on Friday following the previous day’s excursion to remove radio hardware and swab for microbes outside the International Space Station. The rest of the Expedition 72 crew researched plasma physics, took a physical fitness test, and ensured the upkeep of the orbital outpost.

Station Commander Suni Williams and Flight Engineer Butch Wilmore took Friday morning off sleeping in after conducting a five-hour and 26-minute spacewalk on Thursday. The duo worked in the vacuum of space removing a radio frequency group assembly and collecting samples of potential microbes living on the outside of the station for analysis. During that same spacewalk Williams surpassed Peggy Whitson’s record for most total spacewalking time by a female of 60 hours and 21 minutes. Williams now has 62 hours, 6 minutes of total spacewalk time, fourth on NASA’s all-time list.

Williams and Wilmore then spent Friday afternoon servicing their spacesuits and cleaning the Quest airlock where they staged Thursday’s spacewalk. At the end of the workday, the pair was joined by NASA Flight Engineers Nick Hague and Don Pettit for a standard conference with mission controllers discussing issues or concerns they may have experienced during the spacewalk. Hague and Pettit, the day before, had assisted the spacewalkers in and out of their spacesuits and operated the Canadarm2 robotic arm.

Williams total spacewalking time is now 62 hours and six minutes over nine spacewalks. Wilmore has completed five spacewalks reaching 31 hours and two minutes of total spacewalking time.

Expedition 72’s other three crewmates, Roscosmos Flight Engineers Aleksandr Gorbunov, Alexey Ovchinin, and Ivan Vagner, had a busy day studying space physics, pedaling on an exercise cycle, and installing new electronics gear.

Gorbunov reviewed operations for the Plasma Kristall-4 experiment that observes the behavior of complex plasmas in microgravity. The plasmas contain electrons, ions, neutral gas, and microparticles that interact strongly when charged and can turn into plasma crystals. Next, he installed a video monitor in the Columbus laboratory module to support the plasma crystal study.

Ovchinin and Vagner started their day pedaling on an exercise cycle for an hour each while attached to sensors measuring their health data. The regularly scheduled fitness tests help researchers understand how microgravity affects a crew member’s body. The duo then spent the second half of their day continuing to install new command and telemetry gear inside the Zvezda service module.

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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Spacewalkers Complete Radio Hardware Removal and Microbe Search

NASA spacewalker Suni Williams is attached to the tip of the Canadarm2 robotic arm as the International Space Station orbited 260 miles above the Earth. Credit: NASA+
NASA spacewalker Suni Williams is attached to the tip of the Canadarm2 robotic arm as the International Space Station orbited 260 miles above the Earth. Credit: NASA+

NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore concluded their spacewalk at 1:09 p.m. EST Jan. 30. It was the ninth spacewalk for Williams and the fifth for Wilmore, and it was the 274th spacewalk in support of space station assembly, maintenance, and upgrades. Williams surpassed former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson’s record for total spacewalking time by a female astronaut. Williams now has 62 hours, 6 minutes of total spacewalk time, fourth on NASA’s all-time list.

Williams and Wilmore completed their primary objectives, including removing a radio frequency group antenna assembly from the station’s truss and collecting samples of surface material for analysis from the Destiny laboratory and the Quest airlock.

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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NASA Astronauts Begin Spacewalk for Maintenance and Science

Astronaut Suni Williams (left) is conducting her ninth career spacewalk and Butch Wilmore (right) is conducting his fifth career spacewalk today.
Astronaut Suni Williams (left) is conducting her ninth career spacewalk and Butch Wilmore (right) is conducting his fifth career spacewalk today.

NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore began a spacewalk at approximately 7:43 a.m. EST to remove a radio frequency group antenna assembly from the station’s truss, collect samples of surface material for analysis from the Destiny laboratory and the Quest airlock to see whether microorganisms may exist on the exterior of the orbital complex, and prepare a spare elbow joint for the Canadarm2 robotic arm.

NASA’s coverage continues on NASA+. Learn how to watch NASA content through a variety of platforms, including social media.

Williams is crew member 1, wearing a suit with red stripes. Wilmore is spacewalk crew member 2, wearing an unmarked suit.

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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NASA+ is Live Covering Spacewalk for Radio Hardware Removal, Microbe Search

NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore will exit the International Space Station's Quest airlock to conduct a science and maintenance spacewalk.
NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore will exit the International Space Station’s Quest airlock to conduct a science and maintenance spacewalk.

NASA’s coverage is underway on NASA+ as two astronauts will conduct a spacewalk outside the International Space Station. The spacewalk is scheduled to begin at approximately 8 a.m. EST and last about six and a half hours.0

Learn how to watch NASA content through a variety of platforms, including social media.

NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore will exit the station’s Quest airlock to remove a radio frequency group antenna assembly from the station’s truss, collect samples of surface material for analysis from the Destiny laboratory and the Quest airlock to see whether microorganisms may exist on the exterior of the orbital complex, and prepare a spare elbow joint for the Canadarm2 robotic arm in the event it is needed for a replacement.

Williams will serve as spacewalk crew member 1 and wear a suit with red stripes. Wilmore will serve as spacewalk crew member 2 and wear an unmarked suit. This spacewalk will be Williams’ ninth and Wilmore’s fifth, and it will be the 274th spacewalk in support of space station assembly, maintenance, and upgrades.

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 Ready for Thursday Spacewalk, Keeps Up Space Agriculture Research

Astronaut Suni Williams works in the Quest airlock readying a pair of spacesuits that she and astronaut Nick Hague will wear during a spacewalk on Jan. 30, 2025.
Astronaut Suni Williams works in the Quest airlock readying a pair of spacesuits that she and astronaut Nick Hague will wear during a spacewalk on Jan. 30, 2025.

The Expedition 72 crew members have completed preparations for a science and maintenance spacewalk scheduled for Thursday. Space agriculture, Earth observations, and lab maintenance rounded out the day for the International Space Station residents.

Commander Suni Williams and Flight Engineer Butch Wilmore, two NASA astronauts who are scheduled to begin a spacewalk at 8 a.m. EST on Thursday, have completed their procedure reviews and spacesuit checks. They also joined NASA Flight Engineers Nick Hague and Don Pettit and practiced on a computer the Canadarm2 robotic arm maneuvers necessary to remove radio communications hardware, the first of two main spacewalking tasks. The second main task will see the two spacewalkers swab sites outside the orbital outpost to collect samples of potential microbes for analysis.

Hague began his day in the Kibo laboratory module making space and readying the Astrobee robotic free flyers for operations testing their ability to downlink video and imagery to mission controllers in real time. Pettit was back on space gardening duty processing samples and installing research hardware for an investigation exploring how microgravity and ultraviolet radiation affect plant growth. Results may enable future crews to grow crops on spacecraft for sustainment during long-term space missions.

The three cosmonauts working in the Roscosmos segment of the orbiting lab focused on imaging Earth landmarks and installing new electronics hardware. Flight Engineer Aleksandr Gorbunov once again set up a camera with a spectrometer attach       ed and photographed areas along the Mediterranean Sea in a variety of wavelengths, including Libya and Greece. Flight Engineers Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner continued installing new command and telemetry gear in the Zvezda service module that can communicate with Soyuz and Progress spacecraft, ground stations, and orbiting satellites.

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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