Space Station – Page 23 – Off The Earth, For The Earth

Cargo Ship Departs, Two Rockets Near Launch During Busy Day on Station

May 28, 2024: International Space Station Configuration. Four spaceships are parked at the space station including the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft, Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus space freighter, the Soyuz MS-25 crew ship, and the Progress 87 resupply ship.

A cargo ship departed the International Space Station on Tuesday leaving four spacecraft parked at the orbital lab. Meanwhile, as the Expedition 71 crew keeps up its advanced microgravity research two more spaceships are counting down to their missions to the orbital outpost in less than a week.

A trash-loaded Progress 86 cargo craft undocked from the space station’s Poisk module at 4:39 a.m. EDT on Tuesday. The Roscosmos resupply ship ended its six-month stay in space a few hours later when it reentered the Earth’s atmosphere for a safe, but fiery demise above the Pacific Ocean.

Meanwhile, two rockets are gearing up to launch more cargo and a new crew to the orbiting outpost by the end of the week. First, more than three tons of food, fuel, and supplies are scheduled to lift off aboard the Progress 88 spacecraft at 5:43 a.m. on Thursday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The resupply ship from Roscosmos will then orbit Earth for two days before its automated docking to Poisk at 7:47 a.m. on Saturday.

Cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub trained on Tuesday for the arrival of the Progress 88. The duo practiced for the unlikely possibility of remotely controlling the spacecraft with the space station’s telerobotically operated rendezvous unit, or TORU. The device, located in the Zvezda service module, can send commands to control approaching Roscosmos’ spaceships and be used by cosmonauts to manually guide the vehicles to a docking if necessary.

Meanwhile, NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are preparing to depart Houston for Kennedy Space Center in Florida ahead of Boeing’s Crew Flight Test launch to the International Space Station. The experienced space duo is targeted to launch aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft atop an Atlas V rocket from United Launch Alliance at 12:25 p.m. on Saturday. They will take a daylong trip around the planet before docking to the Harmony module’s forward port at 1:50 p.m. on Sunday.

NASA TV will broadcast both missions live on the NASA+ streaming service via the web or the NASA app. Launch and 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.

Back in space, NASA Flight Engineer Tracy C. Dyson spent her day inspecting a treadmill and finalizing spacesuit work. She took turns with fellow NASA astronaut Jeanette Epps checking and cleaning components on the Tranquility module’s treadmill and photographing the condition of the exercise device for analysis. Next, Dyson joined NASA Flight Engineer Matthew Dominick in the Quest airlock and finished cleaning cooling loops inside a pair of spacesuits. Those suits are being readied for a trio of maintenance and science spacewalks planned for June.

NASA astronaut Mike Barratt spent most of his day supporting life science helping doctors understand how weightlessness affects biology. He started his day in the Kibo laboratory module configuring components on biology habitat hardware then installing the advanced gear on an artificial gravity generating incubator. Afterward, he participated in a vision test using a standard eye chart along with Dominick and Epps.

In the Roscosmos segment of the station, Kononenko and Chub worked on a pair of different experiments before their Progress 88 training session. Kononenko explored futuristic piloting techniques on a computer as Chub attached sensors to himself monitoring his heart activity and blood pressure. Flight Engineer Alexander Grebenkin started his day collecting station air samples for analysis before spending the rest of his shift on life support maintenance tasks.

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, Mission Partners Answer Questions Behind Starliner Scrub

A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft at launch pad at Space Launch Complex-41 on Saturday, May 4, 2024 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. NASA/Joel Kowsky

Managers from NASA, Boeing, and ULA (United Launch Alliance) hosted a media teleconference to discuss ongoing work ahead of sending NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s Boeing Crew Flight Test.

The media event provided an update on a valve ULA replaced on the Centaur upper stage of the Atlas V rocket, as well as a small helium leak in the spacecraft’s service module, and a propulsion system assessment to understand potential helium system impacts on some Starliner return scenarios.

Listen to a replay of the media teleconference on the agency’s YouTube channel.

Wilmore and Williams are the first to launch aboard Boeing’s Starliner on an Atlas V rocket. The astronauts will spend about a week at the orbiting laboratory before the crew capsule makes a parachute and airbag-assisted landing in the southwestern United States.

The crew remains in quarantine in preparation for the launch. NASA, Boeing, and ULA also will participate in a Delta-Agency Flight Test Readiness Review on Wednesday, May 29, to evaluate the work performed since the last launch attempt on May 6.

Liftoff is scheduled for 12:25 p.m. Saturday, June 1, from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. After successful completion of the flight test, NASA will begin the final process of certifying Starliner and its systems for crewed rotation missions to the space station.

Learn more about NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test by following the mission blog, the commercial crew blog, @commercial_crew on X, and commercial crew on Facebook.

Crew Wraps Week with Biotech Study, Spacesuits, and Orbital Plumbing

The city lights of Bangkok, Thailand, and its suburbs contrast with the green lights of the fishing boats on the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea.

More biotechnology operations were underway aboard the International Space Station on Friday potentially benefitting the health care and food industries. The Expedition 71 crew members also worked on spacesuits as a U.S. cargo craft fired its engines raising the orbital outpost’s altitude.

Research on the space station takes advantage of weightlessness to discover new phenomena impossible to observe in Earth’s gravity. NASA Flight Engineer Tracy C. Dyson continued exploring how microgravity affects surface tension to improve the delivery of therapies in human airways to treat respiratory conditions. She observed and filmed the microgravity behavior of fluid samples for the Gaucho Lung biotechnology study. Results may also reveal solutions to prevent contamination of tubes with intermittent flows of liquids.

Dyson then joined fellow NASA astronauts Mike Barratt and Matthew Dominick in the Quest airlock as they serviced a pair of spacesuits. The trio also outfitted the suits with lights and cameras ahead of a series of spacewalks planned in June for hardware maintenance and science work.

Earlier, Barratt partnered with NASA Flight Engineer Jeanette Epps reconfiguring the Tranquility module and its systems to normal status after a couple of days of advanced plumbing work. Epps ended her day inside the Kibo laboratory module uploading software to the Astrobee robotic free flyers. The software work is for the Clingers demonstration studying docking and close approach maneuvers possibly impacting future satellite and spacecraft repairs, space manufacturing, and on-orbit refueling.

Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus resupply ship is on track to fire its engines twice today while attached to the Unity module’s Earth-facing port. The orbital maneuvers are programmed to boost the space station’s altitude and ready the orbital lab for upcoming crew and cargo missions.

Roscosmos cosmonaut and space station Commander Oleg Kononenko activated a 3D printer testing its ability to manufacture tools and more on demand in space. Flight Engineer Nikolai Chub packed the Progress 86 space freighter with trash and obsolete gear for disposal then updated the station’s inventory system. Flight Engineer Alexander Grebenkin wiped down and treated surfaces inside the Nauka science module for microbes and fungi.

Mission managers from NASA, Boeing, and ULA (United Launch Alliance) work toward 12:25 p.m. EDT on Saturday, June 1, for the launch of the agency’s Crew Flight Test to the space station. For more information visit https://go.nasa.gov/4ayy9y.

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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NASA, Mission Partners Hold Teleconference Ahead of Starliner Launch

A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft aboard is seen on the launch pad at Space Launch Complex 41 ON Sunday, May 5, 2024 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Photo Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky

NASA, Boeing, and ULA (United Launch Alliance) will discuss updates regarding ongoing work for the agency’s Boeing Crew Flight Test, which will send NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to the International Space Station on Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft.

At 11 a.m. EDT, NASA will host a media teleconference with the following participants:

Jim Free, NASA associate administrator
Ken Bowersox, associate administrator, NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate
Steve Stich, manager, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program
Dana Weigel, manager, NASA’s International Space Station Program
Mark Nappi, vice president and program manager, Boeing Commercial Crew Program
Gary Wentz, vice president, Government and Commercial Programs, ULA

Audio of the teleconference will stream live on the agency’s website.

NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test scrubbed on Monday, May 6, when ULA discovered a faulty pressure regulation valve on the liquid oxygen tank of the Atlas V rocket’s Centaur upper stage. Tests have been conducted and the valve has been replaced.

Liftoff is scheduled for no earlier than 12:25 p.m. Saturday, June 1, from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

Wilmore and Williams remain in preflight quarantine at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. While there, they have participated in various exercises using Starliner simulators to prepare for flight. The duo will be the first to launch aboard Boeing’s Starliner on an Atlas V rocket, spending about a week at the orbiting laboratory before making a parachute and airbag-assisted landing in the southwestern United States.

After successful completion of the mission, NASA will begin the final process of certifying Starliner and its systems for crewed rotation missions to the space station.

Learn more about NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test by following the mission blog, the commercial crew blog, @commercial_crew on X, and commercial crew on Facebook.

Biotech and Digestion Studies Top Thursday’s Research Schedule

NASA astronaut Jeanette Epps poses for a portrait inside the seven-window cupola while orbiting 259 miles above Greece.

Biotechnology and human research were the main science topics on Thursday as the Expedition 71 crew explored ways to improve health on Earth and in space. The seven International Space Station residents also completed advanced plumbing work and staged emergency equipment in preparation for an upcoming mission.

NASA Flight Engineer Jeanette Epps set up research hardware in the Harmony module and explored how microgravity affects surface tension. She observed the microgravity behavior of fluid samples and filmed the experiment activities to help researchers develop therapies for respiratory conditions and reduce contamination in tubes. Results may benefit both the health care and food industries.

NASA Flight Engineer Tracy C. Dyson wrapped up two days of orbital plumbing work with assistance from NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick. The pair replaced a catalytic reactor in the Tranquility module’s restroom, also called the Waste and Hygiene Compartment. The reactor introduces oxygen in the water recovery system and oxidizes its wastewater ahead of recycling.

Dominick then joined NASA Flight Engineer Mike Barratt at the end of the day and cleaned up Tranquility returning the module to its normal configuration. Barratt began his day cleaning electronics vents in the Kibo laboratory module. Barratt then collected emergency hardware and staged the gear in preparation for the arrival of NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams on Boeing’s Crew Flight Test, which is now targeted for launch on Saturday, June 1.

Cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub once again scanned their stomachs with an ultrasound device after breakfast Thursday morning. The duo is continuing its research helping doctors understand how the human digestion system adapts to long-term weightlessness. Kononenko then tested communication systems and cleaned surfaces in the Zvezda service module. Chub spent the rest of his day inventorying spacewalk tools.

Flight Engineer Alexander Grebenkin had a pair of photography sessions pointing his camera out a window and capturing Earth landmarks and wildfires. Grebenkin also spent time servicing life support gear and video hardware in the Roscosmos segment of the orbiting lab.

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, Mission Partners Assessing Launch Opportunities for Crew Flight Test

A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket with Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft aboard is seen on the launch pad at Space Launch Complex 41 ahead of the NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test. — A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket with Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft aboard is seen on the launch pad at Space Launch Complex 41 ahead of the NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test, Sunday, May 5, 2024 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Photo credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky

Mission managers from NASA, Boeing, and ULA (United Launch Alliance) continue to evaluate a path forward toward launching the agency’s Boeing Crew Flight Test to the International Space Station. The teams are now working toward a launch opportunity at 12:25 p.m. ET on Saturday, June 1, with additional opportunities on Sunday, June 2, Wednesday, June 5, and Thursday, June 6.

Work continues to assess Starliner performance and redundancy following the discovery of a small helium leak in the spacecraft’s service module. As part of this work, and unrelated to the current leak which remains stable, teams are in the process of completing a follow-on propulsion system assessment to understand potential helium system impacts on some Starliner return scenarios. NASA also will conduct a Delta-Agency Flight Test Readiness Review to discuss the work that was performed since the last CFT launch attempt on May 6, and to evaluate issue closure and flight rationale ahead of the next attempt, as part of NASA’s process for assessing readiness. The date of the upcoming Flight Test Readiness Review is under consideration and will be announced once selected.

“There has been a great deal of exceptional analysis and testing over the last two weeks by the joint NASA, Boeing, and ULA teams to replace the Centaur Self Regulating Valve and troubleshoot the Starliner Service Module helium manifold leak,” said Steve Stich, manager, NASA Commercial Crew Program. “It has been important that we take our time to understand all the complexities of each issue including the redundant capabilities of the Starliner propulsion system and any implications to our Interim Human Rating Certification. We will launch Butch and Suni on this test mission after the entire community has reviewed the teams’ progress and flight rationale at the upcoming Delta Agency Flight Test Readiness Review.”

NASA, Boeing, and ULA officials will provide insight into the next targeted launch opportunity and updates regarding ongoing work during a media teleconference at 11 a.m. EDT Friday, May 24. NASA expects to issue a media advisory Thursday, May 23, with additional details for the call and how to participate.

Meanwhile, NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams continue practicing in Starliner simulators to prepare for flight. The crew remains quarantined and will fly back to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida closer to the new launch date.

Medicine, DNA Research on Station Benefits Health on Earth and Space

Astronaut Tracy C. Dyson works on the Gaucho Lung investigation studying ways to improve the delivery of respiratory system drugs.

The Expedition 71 crew continued its pharmaceutical research, sequenced DNA, and studied the digestion system on Wednesday. The International Space Station residents also kept up their science hardware and life support maintenance throughout the day.

NASA Flight Engineer Tracy C. Dyson worked in the Harmony module on Wednesday morning studying how microgravity affects surface tension for the Gaucho Lung investigation. Doctors hypothesize results may improve respiratory system medicines and reduce contamination in tubes benefitting both the health care and food industries.

NASA Flight Engineer Jeanette Epps spent her afternoon in the Harmony module sequencing DNA collected from microbe samples swabbed from station surfaces. The Genes in Space Molecular Operations and Sequencing (GISMOS) study seeks to identify bacteria inhabiting station systems without sending samples down to Earth for analysis. Insights may help researchers improve bacterial monitoring and fight antimicrobial resistance maintaining human health on Earth and in space.

Epps earlier helped NASA Flight Engineer Mike Barratt who had been gathering tools to work on the water recovery system located in the Tranquility module. The duo removed the treadmill rack and the water recovery system readying the workspace for the advanced plumbing job that will take place on Thursday.

NASA Flight Engineer Matthew Dominick started his day in Tranquility replacing components in the orbital outpost’s restroom, also known as the Waste and Hygiene Compartment. In the afternoon, Dominick worked in the Columbus laboratory module assembling and installing a device that can measure mass in microgravity. The Space Linear Acceleration Mass Measurement Device (SLAMMD) applies a known force to a crew member then calculates mass using a form of Newton’s Second Law of Motion, force equals mass times acceleration.

During the morning in the station’s Roscosmos segment, cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub scanned their stomachs with an ultrasound device after breakfast. The two were collecting data to help doctors understand how the digestive system adapts to weightlessness. Kononenko went on and downloaded data collected from radiation detectors while Chub packed the Progress 86 cargo craft with items and trash for a disposal.

Roscosmos Flight Engineer Alexander Grebenkin wrapped up operations with the European robotic arm after two days of robotics training and activities. He then spent the rest of the day on cleaning and electronics and communications maintenance.

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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Exercise, Science Gear, and Robotics Top Station Research Schedule

Astronaut Matthew Dominick works in the Kibo laboratory module removing CubeSat hardware from Kibo's airlock. — Astronaut Matthew Dominick works in the Kibo laboratory module removing CubeSat hardware from Kibo’s airlock.

Human research, combustion, and robotics were the scientific priorities aboard the International Space Station on Tuesday. The seven-member Expedition 71 crew also continued ongoing cargo operations and hardware maintenance.

Exercising daily in weightlessness counteracts space-caused bone and muscle loss preserving crew health during long-term missions. Researchers frequently monitor a crew members exercise sessions to learn how microgravity affects a variety of physiological parameters. On Tuesday morning, NASA Flight Engineers Matthew Dominick and Mike Barratt attached sensors to their chests and strapped on breathing gear then took turns pedaling on an exercise cycle. Doctors will use the data from the periodic fitness test that measures oxygen uptake and heart activity and evaluate the astronauts’ aerobic capacity.

After the exercise session, Dominick powered down the workout gear and partially stowed the biomedical hardware. The pair then joined each other and tested the installation of a helmet on a spacesuit. Barratt also worked on cargo operations inside the Cygnus space freighter berthed to the Unity module since Feb. 1.

NASA Flight Engineer Tracy C. Dyson split her day between combustion hardware and a robotics demonstration. She spent her morning in the Kibo laboratory module swapping samples and replacing hardware inside the Solid Combustion Experiment Module. The research device is located in Kibo’s Multi-Purpose Small Payload Rack and enables flame and fuel research to promote fire safety on spacecraft. Next, she tested the operations of the Astrobee free-flying robotic assistant for a competition that uses student-written algorithms to control and maneuver the devices.

NASA astronaut Jeanette Epps began her day setting up Actiwatches that monitor crew sleep-wake cycles. Then she spent the afternoon stowing sample collection hardware and servicing a pair of Kubik incubators that can house small organisms for space biology investigations.

In the Roscosmos segment of orbital outpost, Commander Oleg Kononenko and Flight Engineer Nikolai Chub tested communications with the Progress 86 resupply ship then conducted seat fit checks in the Soyuz MS-25 crew ship. Kononenko then tested a 3D printer and configured cameras while Chub spent the rest of his day on life support maintenance. Flight Engineer Alexander Grebenkin was back on robotics duty operating the European robotic arm and scanning the Rassvet module’s docking port.

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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Crew Starts Week with Space Biology, Robotics, and Medical Skills

An atmosphreric glow blankets Earth's horizon and a web of city lights interconnect across India in this photograph from the space station. — An atmosphreric glow blankets Earth’s horizon and a web of city lights interconnect across India in this photograph from the space station.

The week kicked off with a multitude of space biology activities as the Expedition 71 crew studied microgravity’s effect on humans and serviced research hardware. Robotics and lab maintenance rounded out Monday’s schedule aboard the International Space Station.

NASA Flight Engineer Jeanette Epps worked throughout Monday on biomedical activities processing her blood, saliva, and urine samples for analysis. After her blood draws, she spun the samples inside a centrifuge then stowed them in a science freezer. The biological specimens are then compared to astronaut samples collected both pre-flight and post-flight to understand how the human body adapts to long-term weightlessness.

In the afternoon, NASA astronaut Mike Barratt operated the Ultrasound 2 device and scanned the neck, shoulder, and leg veins of NASA Flight Engineer Tracy C. Dyson. Doctors on the ground remotely provided guidance and monitored the vein scans. The ultrasound converts the echo scans into a video signal that is downlinked to Earth and viewed as part of periodic crew health exams.

Earlier, Barratt measured the airflow in the Harmony module crew quarters then reorganized combustion research components to enable a space fire safety experiment. Dyson investigated ways to improve the delivery of respiratory system drugs potentially offering benefits to both the health care and food industries.

NASA Flight Engineer Matthew Dominick spent his day servicing science gear throughout the orbital lab. He started the day checking out and configuring hardware supporting the Rodent Research-28 investigation that is exploring a gene therapy to maintain eye health in microgravity. In the afternoon, he opened up the Life Science Glovebox and audited its systems and components to ensure ongoing advanced biology research operations.

Roscosmos Mission Specialist Alexander Grebenkin powered up the European robotic arm attached to the Nauka science module and practiced maneuvering it in basic operator mode. Cosmonaut Nikolai Chub brushed up on his medical skills familiarizing himself with emergency hardware and procedures onboard the station. Station Commander Oleg Kononenko inspected components inside the Zarya module, photographed the condition of windows in the Nauka and Zvezda modules, then worked on an oxygen generator.

NASA, Boeing, and ULA (United Launch Alliance) teams now are targeting a launch no earlier than 3:09 p.m. EDT Saturday, May 25, for the agency’s Crew Flight Test carrying NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams 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.

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

Get the latest from NASA delivered every week. Subscribe here: www.nasa.gov/subscribe

Robotics, Health Research, and Cleaning to End Week

One of the International Space Station's free-flying robots, Astrobee. — One of the International Space Station’s free-flying robots, Astrobee.

Expedition 71 wrapped up a week of maintenance and health investigations aboard the International Space Station on Friday. The septet worked robotics, two human health studies, and finished some cleaning in the cupola.

NASA Flight Engineer Jeanette Epps started her day in the Japanese Experiment Module to power on Astrobee, the station’s free-flying robots, to later rehearse the device’s flight and tech operations for an upcoming Kibo Robot Programming Challenge. The challenge is an educational program designed for students to solve various given problems by using the free-flying robots, moving and controlling them remotely.

Afterward, Epps removed yesterday’s Immunity Assay samples from Kubik, then incubated them in the Human Research Facility’s centrifuge. The device is designed to separate biological substances from the samples by spinning at high rates in microgravity. Once completed, Epps stowed the samples in MELFI, an ultra-cold freezer, to preserve them for future analysis on Earth.

As part of the CIPHER study, NASA Flight Engineer Mike Barratt set up tomography hardware in the morning and later received an eye examine. In microgravity, body fluids shift toward a crew member’s head, which can cause one of the most visible symptoms of living in space, known as “puffy face.” As fluids shift upward, this can alter the structure and function of the eyes and brain. Astronauts routinely perform eye examines aboard the orbiting complex to help scientist on Earth study these changes.

Barratt then moved onto some spacesuit work, manually removing gasses from the Contingency Water Containers, then filling the water tanks in preparation for a round of spacewalks this summer.

Astronauts often use the station’s cupola to capture photos of Earth or complete robotics activities, among other tasks. NASA Flight Engineers Matthew Dominick and Tracy C. Dyson spent the morning in the “window to the world” to remove and replace some acrylic scratch panes on a few of the windows, work that began earlier in the week, then cleaned the primary pressure panes.

In the Roscosmos segment, Flight Engineer Nikolai Chub and current station Commander Oleg Kononenko spent the day replacing a belt on one of the treadmills. Meanwhile, their crewmate, Alexander Grebenkin, completed some robotic arm simulation training.

NASA, Boeing, and ULA (United Launch Alliance) teams will take additional time to work through spacecraft closeout processes and flight rationale before proceeding with the launch of the agency’s Boeing Crew Flight Test. The teams now are targeting a launch no earlier than 3:09 p.m. EDT Saturday, May 25, for the flight test carrying NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to the International Space Station.

The additional time allows teams to further assess a small helium leak in the Boeing Starliner spacecraft’s service module traced to a flange on a single reaction control system thruster. Pressure testing performed on May 15 on the spacecraft’s helium system showed the leak in the flange is stable and would not pose a risk at that level during the flight. The testing also indicated the rest of the thruster system is sealed effectively across the entire service module. Boeing teams are working to develop operational procedures to ensure the system retains sufficient performance capability and appropriate redundancy during the flight. As that work proceeds, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program and the International Space Station Program will take the next few days to review the data and procedures to make a final determination before proceeding to flight countdown.

The ULA Atlas V rocket and Boeing’s Starliner remain in the Vertical Integration Facility at Space Launch Complex-41 on Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The NASA, Boeing, and ULA teams remain committed to ensuring a safe Starliner flight test.

Wilmore and Williams will remain quarantined in Houston as prelaunch operations progress. They will fly back to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida closer to the new launch date. The duo is the first to launch aboard Starliner to the space station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. The astronauts will spend about a week at the orbiting laboratory before returning to Earth and making a parachute and airbag-assisted landing in the southwestern United States.

After successful completion of the mission, NASA will begin the final process of certifying Starliner and its systems for crewed rotation missions to 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 updates from NASA Johnson Space Center at: https://roundupreads.jsc.nasa.gov/

Get the latest from NASA delivered every week. Subscribe here: www.nasa.gov/subscribe