The Soyuz MS-23 crew ship with three Expedition 69 crewmates aboard is pictured shortly after docking to the Prichal docking module. Credit: NASA TV
The Soyuz MS-23, with Expedition 69 crew members Frank Rubio of NASA, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin aboard, has successfully docked to the Prichal module on the Earth-facing side of the International Space Station at 5:22 a.m. EDT.
This was the 26th spacecraft relocation in space station history. The move makes room for the arrival of the uncrewed Roscosmos Progress 84 cargo spacecraft later this year and frees the Poisk airlock for the upcoming Roscosmos spacewalks in April and May.
Rubio, Prokopyev, and Petelin are scheduled to return to Earth aboard the Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft upon undocking Sept. 27.
The Soyuz MS-23 crew ship slowly backs away from the station carrying three Expedition 69 crewmates to a new docking port. Credit: NASA TV
The Soyuz MS-23, with Expedition 69 crew members Frank Rubio of NASA, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin aboard, has undocked from the Poisk module on the space-facing side of the complex, and is on its way to redock to the Prichal module on the Earth-facing side of the outpost.
Redocking is planned for 5:23 a.m. airing live on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website.
This will be the 26th spacecraft relocation in station history. The move will make room for the arrival of the uncrewed Roscosmos Progress 84 cargo spacecraft later this year and frees the Poisk airlock for the upcoming Roscosmos spacewalks in April and May.
Rubio, Prokopyev, and Petelin are scheduled to return to Earth aboard the Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft upon undocking Sept. 27.
The passengerless Soyuz MS-23 crew ship arrives at the space station for an automated docking to the Poisk module on Feb. 25, 2023. Credit: NASA TV
NASA TV coverage is underway as three crew members aboard the International Space Station take a short trip inside the Soyuz MS-23 to relocate the spacecraft from one docking port to another.
Undocking is scheduled at 4:45 a.m. EDT with redocking planned at 5:23 a.m. Relocation activities will air live on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website.
The Soyuz MS-23, with Expedition 69 crew members Frank Rubio of NASA, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin aboard, will undock from the Poisk module on the space-facing side of the complex, and redock to the Prichal module on the Earth-facing side of the outpost.
Prokopyev, the Soyuz commander, will manually fly the spacecraft away from Poisk for its redocking to Prichal. He will be strapped into the descent module of the Soyuz with Petelin seated to his left and Rubio to his right.
This will be the 26th spacecraft relocation in station history. The move will make room for the arrival of the uncrewed Roscosmos Progress 84 cargo spacecraft later this year and frees the Poisk airlock for the upcoming Roscosmos spacewalks in April and May.
Rubio, Prokopyev, and Petelin are scheduled to return to Earth aboard the Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft upon undocking Sept. 27.
(From left) NASA astronaut Frank Rubio and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin will take a short ride around the space station inside the Soyuz MS-23 crew ship.
Three Expedition 69 crew members had a short day on Wednesday and went to sleep early ahead of the relocation of their Soyuz crew ship on Thursday morning. The rest of the International Space Station crew had its hands full throughout the day conducting biology research and packing a cargo craft.
Two Roscosmos cosmonauts and a NASA astronaut will take a short ride around the space station inside the Soyuz MS-23 crew ship relocating it from the Poisk module to the Prichal docking module early Thursday. Commander Sergey Prokopyev will guide the MS-23 to its new docking port flanked by flight engineers Dmitri Petelin and Frank Rubio. The relocation opens up Poisk’s airlock for future Roscosmos spacewalks in Orlan spacesuits and frees its docking port for the upcoming ISS Progress 84 resupply mission.
The Soyuz vehicle with the three crewmates will undock from Poisk’s space-facing port at 4:45 a.m. EDT on Thursday, maneuver behind and under the space station, then dock to Prichal’s Earth-facing port at 5:23 a.m. After leak and pressure checks are performed, the trio will reenter the orbiting lab, and go to bed early before continuing their space research mission on Friday. NASA TV, on the agency’s app and website, begins its live coverage at 4:15 a.m. on Thursday.
A U.S. space freighter is being packed with cargo ahead of its departure and return to Earth later this month. Rubio and Flight Engineer Sultan Alneyadi of UAE (United Arab Emirates) have begun loading the SpaceX Dragon cargo craft with completed science experiments and used station hardware for retrieval and analysis by scientists and engineers on the ground. Dragon docked to the orbiting lab on March 16 packed with 6,200 pounds of research gear, crew supplies, and other cargo to replenish the station crew.
NASA Flight Engineers Stephen Bowen and Woody Hoburg spent their day on biology research to understand how the human body changes in space. Hundreds of investigations have taken place aboard the orbital outpost since Expedition One to gain increasing knowledge about how humans adapt to long-term weightlessness and learn more effective ways to counteract space-caused symptoms.
Roscosmos Flight Engineer Andrey Fedyaev participated in a pair of heart studies and a crew behavior experiment on Wednesday. The first-time space flyer first completed a 24-hour session that monitored his heart activity and blood pressure. Afterward, he attached sensors to himself for another study observing his blood circulation. In the afternoon, Fedyaev submitted his answers to a questionnaire to learn how international crews and mission controllers from around the world communicate. Fedyaev will also be up early on Thursday assisting and monitoring his crewmates during their Soyuz relocation maneuver.
Astronaut Sultan Alneyadi receives a haircut from astronaut Frank Rubio aboard the space station with a hair trimmer containing a suction device collecting loose hair.
Human research activities dominated the Expedition 69 crew’s schedule aboard the International Space Station on Tuesday with ultrasound scans, vision checks, and hearing exams. Space physics also rounded out the science schedule while the orbital residents also continued ongoing cargo and maintenance operations.
Living long-term in weightlessness is suspected of increasing cardiovascular health risks such as aging-like symptoms in blood vessels observed in astronauts on previous missions. Researchers regularly evaluate the health of station crew members to gain insights into space-caused and Earth-bound heart conditions. NASA Flight Engineer Stephen Bowen contributed to that research on Tuesday attaching electrodes to himself and marking his neck, leg, and heart veins for the Vascular Aging investigation. He then scanned his veins using an ultrasound device and measured his blood pressure with inputs from doctors on the ground.
Bowen then swapped roles as Crew Medical Officer with flight engineers Frank Rubio of NASA and Dmitri Petelin of Roscosmos for eye checks during the afternoon. The trio took turns imaging the eyes of fellow crewmates Woody Hoburg of NASA, Sultan Alneyadi of UAE (United Arab Emirates), and Sergey Prokopyev of Roscosmos using standard medical imaging gear found in an optometrist’s office on Earth. Additionally, Prokopyev, who is also commander of the orbiting lab, and Petelin participated in a hearing test to evaluate the condition of their ear drums.
Space physics is also a key research topic as scientists and engineers learn how Earth-created materials react to the microgravity environment under a variety of conditions. Observations may advance the design and safety of spacecraft and space habitats as well as improve a host of ground-based industries and products.
Rubio and Hoburg worked on a pair of different physics experiments on Tuesday, one exploring extreme temperatures and the other foams and emulsions. Rubio serviced samples inside the Electrostatic Levitation Furnace, a research device that safely investigates the thermophysical properties of high temperature phenomena using a containerless, levitation technique. Hoburg studied the dispersion of bubbles and droplets in liquids for the Foams and Emulsions experiment using a specialized microscope that uses fluorescence imagery analysis.
Alneyadi focused mainly on cargo work continuing to offload some of the 6,200 pounds of new science experiments, crew supplies, and station hardware delivered March 16 aboard the SpaceX Dragon resupply ship. Roscosmos Flight Engineer Andrey Fedyaev worked on life support maintenance before supporting Petelin during a cardiac research study.
NASA astronaut Woody Hoburg shows off a fresh orange, recently delivered aboard the SpaceX Dragon resupply ship, flying in microgravity aboard the station.
Three Expedition 69 crew members are training to take a short ride around the International Space Station and move their Soyuz crew ship to another docking port later this week. The rest of the orbital residents focused on pharmaceutical studies, space physics, and biology research at the beginning of the week.
NASA Flight Engineer Frank Rubio joined Roscosmos cosmonauts Dmitri Petelin and Sergey Prokopyev on Monday and practiced on a computer the procedures to relocate the Soyuz MS-23 crew ship to a new docking port. The trio will enter the MS-23 and undock from the Poisk module 4:42 a.m. EDT on Thursday and maneuver to the Prichal docking module about 38 minutes later.
Petelin and Prokopyev, station flight engineer and commander respectively, also readied the Nauka multipurpose laboratory module, to which Prichal is attached, for the upcoming Soyuz relocation. Rubio finished his day working on orbital plumbing tasks and analyzing water samples for microbes.
The station’s other four residents spent Monday on a variety of microgravity research learning how to stay healthy on long-term space missions while also benefitting humans on Earth. The weightless environment of the space station offers unique insights impossible in Earth’s gravity potentially offering advanced solutions benefitting humans on and off the Earth.
NASA Flight Engineer Stephen Bowen attached breathing gear and sensors to himself then pedaled on the station’s exercise cycle at the beginning of his day. Doctors use the data from the exercise session to evaluate an astronaut’s aerobic fitness during a space mission. In the afternoon, Bowen then serviced samples for a study exploring using microbes to produce food and pharmaceuticals in different gravity levels.
NASA Flight Engineer Woody Hoburg spent his Monday morning tending to a life science study to understand how the human body adapts to weightlessness. Afterward, he and Bowen partnered up for more cargo work in the SpaceX Dragon resupply ship. Hoburg then scanned the eyes of Bowen at the end of the day using standard medical imaging gear found in an optometrist’s office on Earth.
UAE (United Arab Emirates) Flight Engineer Sultan Alneyadi focused his science activities on the Foam and Emulsions physics experiment that may lead to newer, more advanced space research and expanded commercial opportunities in space. Roscosmos Flight Engineer Andrey Fedyaev began his day photographing wildfires on Earth before spending the rest of his shift on ventilation maintenance inside Nauka and the Zvezda service module.
The SpaceX Dragon resupply ship approaches the station above the Indian Ocean near Madagascar on March 16, 2023.
Heart research and robotics were the top objectives for the Expedition 69 crew aboard the International Space Station on Friday. Cargo work and lab maintenance also kept the orbital residents busy despite a light-duty day for some of the crew members.
One of the orbiting lab’s newest experiments is looking at how microgravity affects cardiac cells and the drugs that may protect astronaut health. Flight Engineers Frank Rubio of NASA and Sultan Alneyadi of UAE (United Arab Emirates) took turns on Friday servicing heart cell and tissue samples for the Cardinal Health 2.0 study recently delivered aboard the newest SpaceX Dragon cargo mission. Results could help identify and prevent the cardiovascular risks of living in space as well as treat heart ailments on Earth.
The duo also continued unpacking some of the 6,200 pounds cargo the Dragon resupply ship delivered to the crew on April 16. In the midst of the science and cargo work, Rubio and Alneyadi also managed to relax for half-a-day on the orbiting lab.
NASA Flight Engineers Stephen Bowen and Woody Hoburg had the day off at the end of the week following a busy week of science activities. However, Bowen did spend a few moments after lunchtime reviewing procedures and gathering hardware for the Foam and Emulsions physics study that may benefit commercial Earth-bound and space industries.
The European robotic arm saw action on Friday as Roscosmos Flight Engineer Andrey Fedyaev trained on and tested its operations while attached to the Nauka multipurpose laboratory module. Flight Engineer Dmitri Petelin worked throughout Friday on life support maintenance tasks. At the end of the day he spent a few moments studying how international crews and mission controllers from around the world can communicate better with each other. Commander Sergey Prokopyev spent his day working on batteries, ventilation gear, and orbital plumbing components.
UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi poses with a free-flying AstroBee robotic helper inside the space station’s Kibo laboratory module.
The Expedition 69 crew members continue unpacking the SpaceX Dragon resupply ship in the midst of human research and pharmaceutical studies aboard the International Space Station. NASA and its commercial crew partners have also announced upcoming missions to the station.
Flight Engineers Frank Rubio of NASA and Sultan Alneyadi of UAE (United Arab Emirates) took turns working inside the SpaceX Dragon cargo craft on Thursday. The duo has been offloading some of the 6,200 pounds new research gear and crew supplies packed inside the Cargo Dragon. The U.S. commercial space freighter will remain docked to the Harmony module’s forward port until mid-April when it will return to Earth filled with completed science experiments and other cargo for retrieval and analysis.
Rubio started his day pedaling on the station’s exercise bike while attached to sensors to measure his aerobic capacity in microgravity. Afterward, he performed research work in the Columbus laboratory module to understand how the different gravity levels of the Moon, Mars, and beyond may affect the biomanufacturing of pharmaceuticals.
Alneyadi’s first task of the day was to install an incubator in the Kibo laboratory module and later activate it in the afternoon. He also collected surface samples throughout the space station for microbial analysis back on Earth.
Station Commander Sergey Prokopyev was joined by Rubio and Roscosmos Flight Engineer Dmitri Petelin during the morning checking their Soyuz launch and entry suits for leaks. Prokopyev and Petelin then tested communications with the ISS Progress 83 cargo craft docked to the Zvezda service module’s rear port. Flight Engineer Andrey Fedyaev worked throughout Thursday on computer maintenance and orbital plumbing tasks.
NASA and Boeing now are targeting no earlier than Friday, July 21, for the agency’s Boeing Crew Flight Test (CFT) to the International Space Station, pending coordination for the U.S Eastern Range availability. The new target date provides NASA and Boeing the necessary time to complete subsystem verification testing and close out test flight certification products and aligns with the space station manifest and range launch opportunities.
NASA and SpaceX are targeting mid-August for the launch of Crew-7, the next rotational mission to the International Space Station.
Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus space freighter attached to the Unity module’s Earth-facing port fired its engines today for over 15 minutes today boosting the station’s orbit. The orbital reboost is the first of three that is positioning the orbiting lab for the upcoming launch and docking of the ISS Progress 84 cargo craft planned for late May. The maneuver also continues the certification process for using the Cygnus vehicle as an additional reboost capability.
The official insignia of the Expedition 69 mission aboard the International Space Station.
The Expedition 69 mission is officially under way following the undocking of the Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft on Tuesday. The seven-member International Space Station crew split its day on Wednesday as the four astronauts conducted space research while the three cosmonauts had the day off.
The uncrewed Soyuz MS-22 space ship completed a six-month stay at the orbiting lab when it undocked from the Rassvet module at 5:57 a.m. EDT on Tuesday. The undocking marked the moment Expedition 69 began and Expedition 68 ended with Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Prokopyev continuing his command aboard the space station. The passengerless MS-22 parachuted to a safe landing in Kazakhstan less than two hours later.
Meanwhile, science and health checks filled the day for the astronauts belonging to the Expedition 69 crew. Flight Engineers Frank Rubio of NASA and Sultan Alneyadi of UAE (United Arab Emirates) worked on the BioFabrication Facility testing its ability to print knee cartilage tissue for treating injuries in space and remote environments on Earth. The pair also participated in neck, shoulder, and leg vein scans using the Ultrasound 2 medical device.
The station’s three cosmonauts, including Prokopyev and Flight Engineers Dmitri Petelin and Andrey Fedyaev, relaxed on Wednesday taking time out for their daily exercise sessions. The trio from Roscosmos having prepared the MS-22 vehicle for its departure the day before.
