Eye, Brain Research and Cardiac Cell Printing Wrap Up Station Week

NASA astronaut Tracy C. Dyson works in the BioFabrication Facility's portable glovebag located in the International Space Station's Columbus laboratory module.
NASA astronaut Tracy C. Dyson works in the BioFabrication Facility’s portable glovebag located in the International Space Station’s Columbus laboratory module.

Advanced space biology continued on Friday aboard the International Space Station to develop and test therapies for a range of space-caused and Earthbound health conditions. The Expedition 71 crew members also fit in light maintenance duties and their daily exercise sessions during their busy research schedule.

Eye health has been a main research focus this week as the crew conducted standard eye exams and investigated spaceflight-induced vision issues. Mice on the station are being treated with a gene therapy that may prevent retinal conditions and reduced vision associated with living in space. The mice will be returned aboard the SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft for analysis on Earth.

NASA Flight Engineers Matthew Dominick and Jeanette Epps split their shift on Friday and took turns feeding the mice and cleaning the rodent habitats located in the Destiny laboratory module. During the rest of their day, the two astronauts serviced a variety of life support and science hardware and worked out on a treadmill, exercise cycle, and the advanced resistive device.

NASA astronaut Mike Barratt spent most of his day in the Kibo laboratory module servicing brain organoid samples and injecting a test drug into the specimens. Working in Kibo’s Life Science Glovebox, Barratt spent his shift treating the samples and placing them in the Space Automated Bioproduct Laboratory, a research incubator, for later analysis. Results from the study may lead to insights into microgravity’s effect on the central nervous system and potential treatments for neurological diseases on Earth.

3D bioprinting continued onboard the orbital outpost on Friday as NASA Flight Engineer Tracy C. Dyson worked in the Columbus laboratory module operating the BioFabrication Facility. She swapped sample cassettes in and out of the device then stowed printed cardiac cell samples inside the Advanced Space Experiment Processor for a two-month incubation period. The samples will be returned to Earth for future analysis. The biotechnology study may enable future space crews to print on-demand meals and medicines and doctors on Earth to engineer replacement organs and tissues for patients.

The space station’s three cosmonauts had an off-duty day and observed Cosmonautics Day which celebrates cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin’s first spaceflight on April 12, 1961. Station Commander Oleg Kononenko and Flight Engineers Nikolai Chub and Alexander Grebenkin downlinked a video message commemorating Gagarin’s first mission. The trio from Roscosmos then deactivated and disconnected sensors that were monitoring and recording their body functions.


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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Soyuz Hatches Open, Expedition 70 Welcomes Crew Aboard Station

The Soyuz MS-25 crew joins the Expedition 70 crew aboard the International Space Station. Credit: NASA TV
The Soyuz MS-25 crew joins the Expedition 70 crew aboard the International Space Station. Credit: NASA TV

The hatches between the International Space Station and the newly arrived Soyuz MS-25 spacecraft officially opened at 1:26 p.m. EDT. The arrival of three new crew members to the existing seven people already aboard for Expedition 70 temporarily increases the station’s population to 10.

NASA astronaut Tracy C. Dyson, Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Novitskiy, and spaceflight participant Marina Vasilevskaya of Belarus joined NASA astronauts Loral O’Hara, Matthew Dominick, Mike Barratt, and Jeanette Epps, as well as Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko, Nikolai Chub, and Alexander Grebenkin, already living and working aboard the space station.

Dyson will spend six months aboard the station as an Expedition 70 and 71 flight engineer, returning to Earth in September with Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub of Roscosmos, who will complete a year-long mission on the laboratory.

Novitskiy and Vasilevskaya will be aboard the station for 12 days, providing the ride home for O’Hara on Saturday, April 6, aboard Soyuz MS-24 for a parachute-assisted landing on steppe of Kazakhstan. O’Hara will have spent 204 days in space when she returns.


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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Soyuz Spacecraft Docks to Station With Three Crew Members Aboard

The Soyuz MS-25 spacecraft approaches the station for docking. Credit: NASA TV
The Soyuz MS-25 spacecraft approaches the station for docking. Credit: NASA TV

NASA astronaut Tracy C. Dyson, Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Novitskiy, and spaceflight participant Marina Vasilevskaya of Belarus on the Soyuz MS-25 spacecraft docked to the International Space Station at 11:03 a.m. EDT.

Coverage of hatch opening will air live at 1:15 p.m. on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website. Learn how to stream NASA TV through a variety of platforms including social media.

Once on station, the trio will join Expedition 70 crew members including NASA astronauts Loral O’Hara, Matthew Dominick, Mike Barratt, and Jeanette Epps, as well as Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko, Nikolai Chub, and Alexander Grebenkin, already living and working aboard the space station.

Dyson will spend six months aboard the station as an Expedition 70 and 71 flight engineer, returning to Earth in September with Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub of Roscosmos, who will complete a year-long mission on the laboratory.

Novitskiy and Vasilevskaya will be aboard the station for 12 days, providing the ride home for O’Hara on Saturday, April 6, aboard Soyuz MS-24 for a parachute-assisted landing on steppe of Kazakhstan. O’Hara will have spent 204 days in space when she returns.


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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Three Crew Members Arriving to Station Soon Live on NASA TV

The Soyuz MS-24 spacecraft carrying three crew members approaches the International Space Station for a docking to the Rassvet module.
The Soyuz MS-24 spacecraft carrying three crew members approaches the International Space Station for a docking to the Rassvet module.

NASA+, NASA Television, the agency’s website and the NASA app now are providing live coverage of the docking of Soyuz MS-25 to the International Space Station. The Soyuz is scheduled to dock at approximately 11:09 a.m. EDT.

NASA astronaut Tracy C. Dyson, Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Novitskiy, and spaceflight participant Marina Vasilevskaya of Belarus launched safely on the Soyuz MS-25 spacecraft at 8:36 a.m. March 23 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.


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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Crewed Soyuz Spacecraft Launches to Station

The Soyuz MS-25 spacecraft lifts off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on March 23, 2024. Credit: NASA TV
The Soyuz MS-25 spacecraft lifts off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on March 23, 2024. Credit: NASA TV

NASA astronaut Tracy C. Dyson, Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Novitskiy, and spaceflight participant Marina Vasilevskaya of Belarus are safely in orbit on the Soyuz MS-25 spacecraft after launching at 8:36 a.m. EDT from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan (5:36 p.m. Baikonur time).

The Soyuz will dock to the space station’s Prichal module about 11:09 a.m. Monday, March 25. About two hours after docking, hatches between the Soyuz and the station will open.

NASA docking coverage will begin at 10:15 a.m. on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and 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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Three Crew Members Launching to Station Aboard Soyuz Spacecraft Live on NASA TV

Soyuz MS-25 crew members (from left) Tracy Dyson from NASA, Oleg Novitskiy from Roscosmos, and Marina Vasilevskaya from Belarusia pose for a portrait at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Russia. They will serve aboard the International Space Station as Expedition 71 crew members. Credit: GCTC/Andrey Shelepin
Soyuz MS-25 crew members (from left) Tracy Dyson from NASA, Oleg Novitskiy from Roscosmos, and Marina Vasilevskaya from Belarusia pose for a portrait at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Russia. They will serve aboard the International Space Station as Expedition 71 crew members. Credit: GCTC/Andrey Shelepin

NASA coverage now is underway for the launch of a crewed Soyuz spacecraft to the International Space Station with NASA astronaut Tracy C. Dyson, Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Novitskiy, and spaceflight participant Marina Vasilevskaya of Belarus.

The Soyuz MS-25 spacecraft will launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 8:36 a.m. EDT (5:36 p.m. Baikonur time). Coverage of launch will air live on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website. Learn how to stream NASA TV through a variety of platforms including social media.

The Soyuz will dock to the space station’s Prichal module at 11:09 a.m. Monday, March 25. Shortly after, hatches between the Soyuz and the station will open and the crew members will greet each other.

Docking coverage will begin at 10:15 a.m. March 25 on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website.

Once aboard station, the trio will join Expedition 70 crew members including NASA astronauts Loral O’Hara, Matthew Dominick, Mike Barratt, and Jeanette Epps, as well as Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko, Nikolai Chub, and Alexander Grebenkin.

Dyson will spend six months aboard the station as an Expedition 70 and 71 flight engineer, returning to Earth in September with Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub of Roscosmos, who will complete a year-long mission on the laboratory.

Novitskiy and Vasilevskaya will be aboard the station for 12 days, providing the ride home for O’Hara on Saturday, April 6, aboard Soyuz MS-24 for a parachute-assisted landing on steppe of Kazakhstan. O’Hara will have spent 204 days in space when she returns.

NASA coverage is as follows (all times Eastern and are subject to change based on real-time operations):

Saturday, March 23

  • 8:36 a.m. – Launch

Monday, March 25

  • 10:15 a.m. – Rendezvous and docking coverage begins
  • 11:09 a.m. – Docking
  • 1:15 p.m. – Hatch opening and welcome remarks coverage begins
  • 1:40 p.m. – Hatches open

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 updates from NASA Johnson Space Center at: https://roundupreads.jsc.nasa.gov/

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Dragon Spacecraft Docks to Station With New Science, Supplies

The SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft docks to the International Space Station's Harmony module at 7:19 a.m. EDT Saturday, March 23. Credit: NASA TV
The SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft docks to the International Space Station’s Harmony module at 7:19 a.m. EDT Saturday, March 23. Credit: NASA TV

While the International Space Station was traveling more than 262 miles over the South Atlantic Ocean, a SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft autonomously docked to station’s Harmony module at 7:19 a.m. EDT, with NASA astronauts Loral O’Hara and Michael Barratt monitoring operations from the station.

The Dragon launched on SpaceX’s 30th contracted commercial resupply mission for NASA at 4:55 p.m. EDT, March 21, from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. After Dragon spends about one month attached to the space station, the spacecraft will return to Earth with cargo and research.

Among the science experiments Dragon is delivering to the space station are:

Monitoring Sea Ice Thickness and Wave Height

(Nanoracks-Killick-1) is a CubeSat that measures sea ice parameters using Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) reflectometry or reflected signals. This monitoring system could contribute to a better understanding of important ocean phenomena and improved weather and climate models.

New Sensors for ASTROBEE

The Multi-resolution Scanner (MRS) Payload for the Astrobee (Multi-Resolution Scanning) tests a new set of sensors to support automated 3D sensing, mapping, and situational awareness functions. These systems could support future Gateway and Lunar surface missions by providing automated defect detection, automated and remote maintenance, and autonomous vehicle operations.

Improving Efficiency of Quantum-Dot Solar Cells

The Nano Particle Haloing Suspension payload tests the controlled assembly of nanoparticles in a liquid solution. A process called nanoparticle haloing uses charged nanoparticles to enable precise particle arrangements that improve the efficiency of quantum-dot synthesized solar cells. Conducting these processes in microgravity provides insight into the relationship between shape, charge, concentration, and interaction of particles.

Observing Photosynthesis in Space

Advanced Plant Experiment-09 (APEX-09), also known as C4 Photosynthesis in Space, observes carbon dioxide capture and mechanisms in two types of grasses. Researchers hope to learn more about photosynthesis and plant metabolism changes overall in space. Knowledge gained could support development of bioregenerative life support systems on future missions.

These are just a few of the hundreds of investigations currently being conducted aboard the orbiting laboratory in the areas of biology and biotechnology, physical sciences, and Earth and space science. Advances in these areas will help keep astronauts healthy during long-duration space travel and demonstrate technologies for future human and robotic exploration beyond low-Earth orbit to the Moon through NASA’s Artemis missions and eventually Mars.


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 Cargo Spacecraft Arriving to Station Soon Live on NASA TV

The SpaceX Dragon resupply ship carrying over 5,800 pounds of cargo approaches the space station above the south Atlantic Ocean on July 16, 2022.
The SpaceX Dragon resupply spacecraft, carrying over 5,800 pounds of cargo, approaches the space station above the south Atlantic Ocean on July 16, 2022.

A SpaceX Dragon is on track to arrive at the International Space Station today, Saturday, March 23, with an expected docking of the cargo spacecraft about 7:16 a.m. EDT. Live coverage is underway on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website.

When it arrives to the space station, Dragon will dock to the station’s Harmony module. NASA astronauts Loral O’Hara and Michael Barratt will monitor the arrival of the spacecraft.

Dragon successfully launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at 4:55 p.m. EDT, March 21, from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, carrying more than 6,000 pounds of research, hardware, and supplies to the International 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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Soyuz Crewed Launch Targets Saturday, Expedition 70 Awaits Cargo Delivery

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket soars upward after its liftoff from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 4:55 p.m. EDT on Thursday, March 21, on the company’s 30th Commercial Resupply Services mission for the agency to the International Space Station. Credit: NASA/Glenn Benson
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket soars upward after its liftoff from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 4:55 p.m. EDT on Thursday, March 21, on the company’s 30th Commercial Resupply Services mission for the agency to the International Space Station. Credit: NASA/Glenn Benson

A Dragon cargo spacecraft is orbiting Earth and heading for a docking to the International Space Station. On Friday, the Expedition 70 crew members installed hardware, collected data for health investigations, and prepared for Dragon’s delivery.

NASA’s SpaceX 30th commercial resupply mission lifted off from Space Launch Complex 40 in Florida on Thursday, March 21 at 4:55 p.m. EDT. The Dragon spacecraft, carrying more than 6,000 pounds of scientific research, food, and supplies, will autonomously dock to the orbital complex at approximately 7:30 a.m. Saturday, March 23.

To prep for the cargo arrival, NASA astronauts Loral O’Hara and Michael Barratt reviewed Dragon operation procedures on Friday. The duo will be on console to monitor the arrival of the spacecraft, which will stay docked to the zenith port of the Harmony module for approximately one month. They were later joined by NASA astronauts Jeanette Epps and Matthew Dominick for a conference with ground teams to go over cargo unstowing procedures.

Once Dragon arrives, the crew will quickly get to work unpacking the cargo, which includes an array of new science investigations. Some of the new science consists of a set of sensors for the free-flying Astrobee robots, a botany experiment that will examine how two types of grass capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and a CubeSat that will measure global sea ice parameters.

O’Hara also had some time to complete CIPHER activities. With assistance from Dominick, O’Hara had her eye and head movements examined to help scientists better understand the effects of spaceflight on an astronaut’s balance and eye health. CIPHER, or the Complement of Integrated Protocols for Human Exploration Research, is an ongoing suite of total-body experiments that will help researchers pinpoint how the human body reacts to long-duration missions in space.

Barratt also had some time for health research and spent the morning collecting samples for the Standard Measures investigation. Meanwhile, Epps refilled water in the Cell Biology Experiment Facility’s (CBEF) humidifier that was installed a few days ago. She then proceeded to install a second humidifier to CBEF to prepare for upcoming Space Organogenesis research.

At the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, the launch of the Soyuz MS-25 spacecraft is now scheduled for 8:36 a.m. Saturday, March 23. NASA astronaut Tracy Dyson, Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Novitsky, and spaceflight participant Marina Vasilevskaya of Belarus will spend two days in orbit before docking to the station’s Prichal module at 11:09 a.m. Monday, March 25.

In the Roscosmos segment aboard station, the three cosmonauts—Commander Oleg Kononenko and Flight Engineers Nikolai Chub and Alexander Grebenkin—had the day off but did schedule in some time to clean the orbiting laboratory and complete their required two hours of daily exercise.


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 Science to Launch on SpaceX’s Dragon, Soyuz Crew Launch Update

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket blasts off with the Cargo Dragon resupply ship attached atop from the Kennedy Space Center on June 3, 2021. Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket blasts off with the Dragon cargo resupply spacecraft attached atop from the Kennedy Space Center. Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

New research and technology demonstrations for NASA are set to launch aboard the agency’s SpaceX 30th commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station. Launch is targeted for 4:55 p.m. EDT Thursday, lifting off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The U.S. Space Force 45th Weather Squadron predicts a 90% chance of favorable weather conditions at the launch pad for liftoff.

Live launch coverage will air on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website. Learn how to stream NASA TV through a variety of platforms including social media.

SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft will carry more than 6,000 pounds of cargo, including new science investigations, supplies, and equipment to the international crew aboard the orbiting laboratory. NASA and its partners will send studies aboard the mission on plant metabolism in space and a set of new sensors for free-flying Astrobee robots to provide 3D mapping capabilities. Other research includes a fluid physics study that could benefit solar cell technology and a university project from CSA (Canadian Space Agency) that will monitor sea ice and ocean conditions.

At the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, the March 21 launch of the crewed Soyuz-25 spacecraft to the International Space Station with NASA astronaut Tracy C. Dyson, Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Novitskiy, and spaceflight participant Marina Vasilevskaya of Belarus was automatically scrubbed by ground support equipment due to low voltage reading in the Soyuz rocket electrical system. The next available launch opportunity is Saturday, March 23, pending completion of State Commission review for the Roscosmos launch. More information will be provided as available.


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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