Expedition 69 – Space Station

NASA Astronaut Frank Rubio and Crewmates Land in Kazakhstan

The Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft deploys its parachute for landing in Kazakhstan. Credit: NASA TV

NASA astronaut Frank Rubio ended his record-breaking time in space with a parachute-assisted landing in the Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft on the steppe of Kazakhstan, southeast of the remote town of Dzhezkazgan, at 7:17 a.m. EDT (5:17 p.m. Kazakhstan time) Wednesday, Sept. 27. Rubio, along with Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin, began the journey back to Earth at 3:54 a.m. when the Soyuz undocked from the International Space Station.

Rubio arrived at the International Space Station on Sept. 21, 2022, spending 371 days in low Earth orbit, and breaking the previous American record held by NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei by 16 days.

During his 371 days aboard the station, Rubio experienced:

Approximately 5,936 orbits of Earth
Approximately 157,412,306 statute miles traveled (equivalent of approximately 328 round trips to the Moon and back)
Fifteen spacecraft visiting the International Space Station, including four Roscosmos Progress cargo ships, two Northrop Grumman Cygnus cargo spacecraft, two Roscosmos Soyuz, four crewed SpaceX Dragons, and three uncrewed SpaceX Dragons.

Expedition 70 now is underway on the space station with NASA astronauts Loral O’Hara and Jasmin Moghbeli, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut and new station commander Andreas Mogensen, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa and Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko, Nikolai Chub, and Konstantin Borisov.

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 Astronaut Frank Rubio and Crewmates Returning to Earth Live on NASA TV

(From left) NASA astronaut Frank Rubio and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin are pictured. The three have undocked from the space station and are headed back to Earth.

NASA Television coverage of NASA astronaut Frank Rubio and two Roscosmos cosmonauts’ return to Earth is underway.

Rubio, along with Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin, began the journey back to Earth in the early morning hours when the Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft undocked from the International Space Station’s Prichal module at 3:54 a.m. EDT. The trio are heading for a parachute-assisted landing on the steppe of Kazakhstan, southeast of the remote town of Dzhezkazgan, at 7:17 a.m. (5:17 p.m. Kazakhstan time).

Expedition 70 officially began aboard the station at the time of undocking with NASA astronauts Loral O’Hara and Jasmin Moghbeli, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut and new station commander Andreas Mogensen, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa and Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko, Nikolai Chub, and Konstantin Borisov.

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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Soyuz Undocks, Crew Headed Back to Earth

The Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft undocks from the space station's Prichal module. Aboard are NASA astronaut Frank Rubio and cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin. — The Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft undocks from the space station’s Prichal module. Aboard are NASA astronaut Frank Rubio and cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin.

At 3:54 a.m. EDT NASA astronaut Frank Rubio, along with Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin, undocked from the International Space Station in the Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft to begin the journey back to Earth. The Soyuz is heading for a parachute-assisted landing Wednesday, Sept. 27, on the steppe of Kazakhstan, southeast of the remote town of Dzhezkazgan.

NASA coverage of the crew’s deorbit burn and landing will begin at 6 a.m. on NASA Television, the agency’s website, and the NASA app with landing scheduled at 7:17 a.m. (5:17 p.m. Kazakhstan time).

After landing, the Soyuz MS-23 crew will split up, as per standard crew return practice, with Rubio returning to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

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 Undocking Live on NASA TV

The Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft, docked to the station's Prichal module, orbits Earth as crew prepares to undock. Credit: NASA TV — The Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft, docked to the station’s Prichal module, orbits Earth as crew prepares to undock. Credit: NASA TV

NASA Television coverage of NASA astronaut Frank Rubio and two Roscosmos cosmonauts’ departure from the International Space Station is underway.

Rubio, along with Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin, closed the hatch to the Roscosmos Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft about 12:41 a.m. EDT. The Soyuz spacecraft will undock at 3:54 a.m. from the Prichal module, heading for a parachute-assisted landing at 7:17 a.m. (5:17 p.m. Kazakhstan time) on the steppe of Kazakhstan, southeast of the remote town of Dzhezkazgan.

Rubio arrived at the International Space Station on Sept. 21, 2022, spending 371 days in low Earth orbit, and breaking the previous American record held by NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei by 16 days.

While clocking the single longest spaceflight by a NASA astronaut, Rubio has contributed to dozens of scientific studies.

Rubio helped nurture and monitor vegetables harvested with the space station’s Vegetable Production System, or Veggie. The Veggie study evaluates protocols for growing produce in space, and whether plants grown in microgravity can help satisfy the dietary needs of astronauts on more distant spaceflight missions.

In addition, Rubio provided biological samples, completed surveys, and performed tests for a study that collects a core set of measurements from astronauts, called Spaceflight Standard Measures. The measurements serve as a baseline for how multiple systems in the body react to spaceflight, from human cognition to the immune system. Other biological samples will be frozen and archived for future life science studies.

Rubio also became the first astronaut to participate in a study examining how exercising with limited gym equipment affects the human body. Recognizing that crew members traveling to the Moon and elsewhere will not have enough room in their spacecraft for a treadmill, researchers are eager to determine whether other exercise regimens could keep crews healthy on long missions. So rather than running on the space station’s treadmill, Rubio exercised only on the space station’s bicycle and weightlifting machine.

At the time of undocking, Expedition 70 will formally begin aboard the station with NASA astronauts Loral O’Hara and Jasmin Moghbeli, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut and new station commander Andreas Mogensen, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa and Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko, Nikolai Chub, and Konstantin Borisov.

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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Soyuz Hatch Closed, Crew Awaits Undock

The Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft is docked to the station's Prichal module as NASA astronaut Frank Rubio and two cosmonauts prepare for departure. Credit: NASA TV — The Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft is docked to the station’s Prichal module as NASA astronaut Frank Rubio and two cosmonauts prepare for departure. Credit: NASA TV

At 12:41 a.m. EDT, the hatch closed between the Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft and the International Space Station in preparation for undocking. NASA astronaut Frank Rubio and cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin of Roscosmos are scheduled to undock their Soyuz spacecraft at 3:54 a.m. to begin their journey back home.

Mission coverage will continue live on NASA TV, the agency’s website, and the NASA app at the following times (all EDT):

3:30 a.m. – Undocking coverage begins (undocking scheduled at 3:54 a.m.)
6 a.m. – Deorbit burn and landing coverage begins (landing scheduled at 7:17 a.m. / 5:17 p.m. Kazakhstan time)

The Soyuz will undock from the Prichal module, heading for a parachute-assisted landing at 7:17 a.m. (5:17 p.m. Kazakhstan time) on the steppe of Kazakhstan, southeast of the remote town of Dzhezkazgan.

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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NASA TV Live With Crew Farewell and Hatch Closure

The Soyuz MS-23 crew ship approaches the International Space Station's Prichal docking module after undocking earlier from the Poisk module. — The Soyuz MS-23 crew ship approaches the International Space Station’s Prichal docking module after undocking earlier from the Poisk module.

NASA Television coverage of NASA astronaut Frank Rubio and two Roscosmos cosmonauts’ end of mission aboard the International Space Station is underway.

Rubio, along with Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin, will close the hatch to the Roscosmos Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft at 12:40 a.m. EDT Wednesday, Sept. 27, to begin the journey back to Earth. The Soyuz will undock from the Rassvet module, heading for a parachute-assisted landing at 7:17 a.m. (5:17 p.m. Kazakhstan time) on the steppe of Kazakhstan, southeast of the remote town of Dzhezkazgan.

Mission coverage will air live on NASA TV, the agency’s website, and the NASA app at the following times (all EDT):

3:30 a.m. – Undocking coverage begins (undocking scheduled at 3:54 a.m.)
6 a.m. – Deorbit burn and landing coverage begins (landing scheduled at 7:17 a.m. / 5:17 p.m. Kazakhstan time)

Rubio, Prokopyev, and Petelin launched Sept. 21, 2022, on Soyuz MS-22, and will wrap up a 371-day mission spanning 5,936 orbits of Earth and more than 150 million miles. During the year-long mission, Rubio broke the record for the longest single spaceflight by an American astronaut, previously held at 355 days. This was the first space flight for Rubio and Petelin, and the second space flight for Prokopyev who is ending the mission with 568 cumulative days spent in space.

Following the undocking of the Soyuz with the trio aboard, Expedition 70 will formally begin aboard the station with NASA astronauts Loral O’Hara and Jasmin Moghbeli, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut and new station commander Andreas Mogensen, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa and Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko, Nikolai Chub, and Konstantin Borisov.

After landing, the Soyuz MS-23 crew will split up, as per standard crew return practice, with Rubio returning to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

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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Change of Station Command as Three Crew Members Prepare to Depart Early Wednesday

iss068e036064 (Jan. 2, 2023) --- NASA astronaut and Flight Engineer Frank Rubio peers through one of the seven windows in the cupola, the International Space Station's "window to the world." — NASA astronaut and Flight Engineer Frank Rubio peers through one of the seven windows in the cupola, the International Space Station’s “window to the world.”

A change of command is underway aboard the International Space Station as three crew members are preparing to depart the orbiting laboratory in the early hours of Sept. 27 after spending 371 days in space.

NASA astronaut Frank Rubio is set to return home on Wednesday, Sept. 27 following a record-breaking mission on orbit. The hatch will close on the Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft at 12:20 a.m. EDT with Rubio and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin aboard. Following hatch closure, the spacecraft will undock from the Prichal module at 3:55 a.m., beginning the trio’s short ride back to Earth and starting Expedition 70 for those still aboard the station. Rubio, Prokopyev, and Petelin will take a two-hour ride aboard Soyuz MS-23 before deorbit burn at 6:24 a.m. and landing around 7:17 a.m. in Kazakhstan.

Rubio, now the record-holder for the longest single spaceflight by a U.S. astronaut, launched to the station on Sept. 21, 2022. His year-long mission was comprised of dozens of scientific investigations and technology demonstrations including testing new space gardening techniques, taking on a space-based diet packed with nutrients, 3D printing knee cartilage tissue, and more.

As three crew members are nearing the end of their mission, the other seven orbital residents stayed busy with an array of microgravity tasks. Now Expedition 70 Commander, Andreas Mogensen of ESA (European Space Agency) worked with the food processor he installed last week. Mogensen made another batch of chocolate mousse in the morning, later taste-testing it in the evening.

Two first-time station Flight Engineers Loral O’Hara and Jasmin Moghbeli of NASA worked in tandem to remove and replace the science module and heat exchanger from the Cold Atom Lab that Moghbeli prepped for repairs yesterday. Meanwhile, Flight Engineer Satoshi Furukawa of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) conducted maintenance in the Japanese Experiment Module.

Flight Engineers Konstantin Borisov and Nikolai Chub of Roscosmos also worked in tandem on Tuesday to take documentary-style photos and videos of life aboard the station, while Flight Engineer Oleg Kononenko, also of Roscosmos, continued crew orientation tasks following his arrival to the station on Sept. 15.

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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Health Activities, Payload Repairs and Departure Prep Top Crew’s Monday Schedule

The Soyuz MS-23 crew ship approaches the International Space Station's Prichal docking module after undocking and moving earlier from the Poisk module. Aboard the MS-23 during the 37-minute relocation maneuver were, NASA astronaut Frank Rubio with Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin. — The Soyuz MS-23 crew ship approaches the International Space Station’s Prichal docking module after undocking and moving earlier from the Poisk module on April 6, 2023. Aboard the MS-23 during the 37-minute relocation maneuver were, NASA astronaut Frank Rubio with Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin.

The ten residents living aboard the International Space Station have a jam-packed Monday as three Expedition 69 crew members are completing their final duties before departure and others complete an array of health exams and repairs to orbital payloads.

NASA astronaut Frank Rubio began his day replacing clogged pumps on the BioFabrication Facility. After lunch, he moved on to collecting biological samples for the Food Physiology investigation, which assesses if an enhanced diet helps astronauts better adapt to spaceflight. Near the end of the day, Rubio continued departure prep ahead of his journey back home to Earth.

Rubio, along with Roscosmos Commander Sergey Prokopyev and Flight Engineer Dmitri Petelin, will undock from the station’s Prichal module at 3:55 a.m. EDT on Wednesday, Sept. 27. The three long-serving crew members will take a short ride home, landing in Kazakhstan at 7:17 a.m. the same day. Following more than a year-long mission, Rubio is now the record-holder for the longest single spaceflight by a U.S. astronaut. He, along with Prokopyev and Petelin, will return after 371 days in space.

ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen spent his morning on the station’s bicycle, CEVIS, partaking in the CARDIOBREATH investigation—a study that assesses the combined effects of cardiovascular and respiratory adaptions on blood pressure during spaceflight. In the evening, he donned virtual reality goggles to train for spacewalk emergencies in the unlikely event they would occur using SAFER, the Simplified Aid for EVA Rescue. Attached to the spacesuits, the device allows astronauts to safely return to the station if they were to become untethered. VR sessions allow astronauts to be “outside” of the orbiting laboratory while tracking movements of their hands and bodies during training.

NASA Flight Engineer Jasmin Moghbeli completed a suite of health activities today. In the morning, she took a cognition test for the ongoing Standard Measures investigation. She was later joined by NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa for ultrasound scans of arteries in the neck, clavicle, shoulder, and behind the knees, which helps doctors on Earth study how astronauts adapt to microcavity.

Moghbeli also took some time midafternoon to begin the uninstallation of the Cold Atom Lab science instrument in preparation for future repairs. Meanwhile, O’Hara conducted microbial research, analyzing surface and air samples that were collected last week, while Furukawa worked in the Kibo Laboratory Module continuing solid combustion research.

The other three cosmonauts aboard the orbiting laboratory split up duties as Flight Engineer Konstantin Borisov ran the Pilot-T experiment to practice piloting techniques and was later joined by Flight Engineer Oleg Kononenko to collect microbial samples around various Russian modules. Flight Engineer Nikolai Chub spent part of his day inventorying cargo then moved on to crew orientation activities.

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 Botany, Station Upkeep, and Departure Prep for Crew on Friday

Expedition 69 Flight Engineers (from left) Jasmin Moghbeli, Loral O'Hara, and Frank Rubio, all NASA astronauts, pose for a portrait aboard the International Space Station's Unity module. All three crew members were selected as part of the NASA astronaut class of 2017. — Expedition 69 Flight Engineers (from left) Jasmin Moghbeli, Loral O’Hara, and Frank Rubio, all NASA astronauts, pose for a portrait aboard the International Space Station’s Unity module. All three crew members were selected as part of the NASA astronaut class of 2017.

Friday sees a busy day for the Expedition 69 crew ahead of their off-duty weekend aboard the International Space Station. Preparing for upcoming crew departures and October spacewalks, health exams, and space gardening topped the ten crew members’ research schedules today.

Flight Engineer Jasmin Moghbeli of NASA started her day with orbital plumbing and maintenance on the EXPRESS racks, payloads used for storing research experiments. After lunch, she continued station upkeep tasks, removing and troubleshooting lights and inspecting the station’s cupola, or “window to the world.” Later in the day, Moghbeli was joined once again by ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) Flight Engineer Satoshi Furukawa for another round of eye exams.

Mogensen then moved into some space gardening, harvesting the final round of Arabidopsis plants, part of the Plant Habitat-03 investigation. The experiment aims to help researchers better understand how adaptations of plants in one generation could transfer to the next, given the environmental stress of the microgravity environment. Research as such provides an array of scientific data that can be applied on future space missions.

Ahead of eye exams, Furukawa spent his morning in the Kibo Laboratory Module, installing solid combustion into the Multipurpose Payload Rack, research of this magnitude helping improve fuel efficiency and fire safety both on orbit and on Earth.

Flight Engineer Loral O’Hara of NASA was joined by Mogensen and NASA astronaut Frank Rubio in the morning to replace batteries and install restraint straps and helmet lights to spacesuits in preparation for a round of U.S. spacewalks in October.

After spacesuit maintenance, Rubio was joined by Commander Sergey Prokopyev and Flight Engineer Dmitiri Petelin of Roscosmos to train on descent of the Soyuz spacecraft they’ll take home in just a few short days. After spending over a year in space, the three long-serving residents will undock from the station’s Prichal Module at 3:55 a.m. EDT on Wednesday, Sept. 27. Following a quick ride back home, they will land in Kazakhstan at 7:17 a.m.

The three other crew members of Roscosmos split up orbital duties today. Flight Engineer Konstantin Borisov conducted maintenance activities in the Nauka module, while Oleg Kononenko donned a sensor-packed cap to practice piloting techniques and explore how spacecraft can be controlled on future planetary missions as part of the ongoing Pilot-T investigation. Powered on earlier this week, the EarthKam—a digital camera mounted on the station that is remotely controlled by students to take photographs of Earth—was shut off and stowed for future use by Flight Engineer Nikolai Chub.

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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Rubio Spends One Full Year in Space; Cleaning and Maintenance Tasks Top Thursday’s Schedule

NASA astronaut and Expedition 68 Flight Engineer Frank Rubio is pictured conducting maintenance tasks inside the International Space Station's Harmony module. — NASA astronaut and Expedition 68 Flight Engineer Frank Rubio is pictured conducting maintenance tasks inside the International Space Station’s Harmony module.

As the Expedition 69 crew members near the end of their work week, the ten orbital residents completed a variety of cleaning and maintenance tasks on Thursday aboard the International Space Station.

After arriving to the orbital outpost on Sept. 21, 2022, NASA astronaut Frank Rubio has reached one full year in space today. His record-breaking mission has included dozens of scientific investigations that have helped researchers better understand how humans thrive while living and working in space. Rubio spent most of his 365^th day on station upkeep, performing maintenance on the Human Research Facility, removing and replacing its pressure sensor block. In the evening, he collected biological samples for the ongoing Standard Measures investigation.

Flight Engineers Jasmin Moghbeli and Loral O’Hara of NASA began their day in the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) cleaning smoke detectors. The duo then split up after lunch, Moghbeli removing and replacing cables on the network router in the Destiny Laboratory Module, while O’Hara studied training materials on the station’s new Potable Water Dispenser. O’Hara then joined ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen to review spacesuit operations.

Meanwhile, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) Flight Engineer Satoshi Furukawa kick-started his day with the required two hours of exercise for astronauts, using the station’s bike, CEVIS, and the Advanced Resistive Exercise Device, or ARED. The rest of his day was spent working in JEM, collecting samples from the Water Recovery System for future analysis.

The five Roscosmos cosmonauts living in low-Earth orbit worked on separate tasks today as two prepare to head home to Earth next week. Flight Engineer Konstantin Borisov worked in the Nauka module, removing and replacing vacuum pumps, while Flight Engineer Nikolai Chub ran the 3D printer in the Zvezda service module. Their fellow cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko, who arrived to the orbiting laboratory just last week with O’Hara and Chub, ran an experiment that assesses cardiovascular and respiratory function.

The other two long-serving station residents, Commander Sergey Prokopyev and Flight Engineer Dmitri Petelin, reached one year in space today along with Rubio. The duo spent their 365^th day continuing to prepare for their journey back home to Earth next week on Sept. 27.

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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