Space Station

Brain research topped the science schedule on Wednesday while the Expedition 70 crew kept up its cargo work. Three individuals also continue focusing on their departure from the International Space Station this weekend.

The Human Brain Organoid Models for Neurogenerative Disease and Drug Discovery (HBOND) investigation on the station is helping researchers understand how microgravity affects the central nervous system. Results may also shed light on ways to prevent and treat Parkinson’s disease and multiple sclerosis on Earth. NASA astronauts Mike Barratt and Tracy C. Dyson treated brain organoid samples exposed to Parkinson’s and multiple sclerosis with a drug injection for the neurodegenerative disease study today. Those samples will be analyzed under the KERMIT fluorescence microscope to evaluate the effectiveness of the drug treatment.

Barratt then moved on and cleaned cupola window scratch panes in preparation for the total eclipse of the sun on April 8 before joining NASA Flight Engineer Loral O’Hara for an eye exam. O’Hara imaged Barratt’s retina, optic nerve, and cornea using standard medical imaging hardware with support from doctors on the ground. Earlier in the day, O’Hara operated the Ultrasound 2 device and scanned the neck, shoulder, and leg veins on NASA Flight Engineer Jeanette Epps. The eye and vein exams were part of regularly scheduled medical checkups ensuring astronauts remain healthy in space. O’Hara also spent a few moments with Dyson replacing batteries on and calibrating chemical sensors.

NASA Flight Engineer Matthew Dominick started his day exploring how the brain regulates blood flow in weightlessness. He wore a specialized cap and attached sensors to himself measuring his blood flow, blood pressure, and electrical heart activity simultaneously. Results may help counteract Earthbound and space-caused blood pressure issues such as light-headedness or fainting. Dominick then spent the rest of the day on a variety of cargo and cleaning tasks. Epps and Barratt also continued unpacking some of the more than 6,000 pounds of science and supplies aboard the SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft.

Cosmonaut Oleg Novitskiy continued stowing equipment and readying the Soyuz MS-24 spacecraft that he, O’Hara, and Belarus spaceflight participant Marina Vasilevskaya will ride back to Earth on April 6. O’Hara packed personal items for return aboard the Soyuz as well as excess gear that will be returned aboard the Dragon spacecraft. Vasilevskaya spent her day researching how diet affects microbes that live in a crew member’s gut system.

Station Commander Oleg Kononenko gathered science hardware and radiation detectors for return to Earth aboard the Soyuz spacecraft. Flight Engineer Nikolai Chub explored futuristic spacecraft and robotic piloting techniques then collected station microbe samples for analysis. Flight Engineer Alexander Grebenkin assisted Chub with the microbe collections and also serviced computer and video gear throughout the station’s Roscosmos segment.

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The Expedition 70 crew kicked off the first week of April with a host of human research to learn how to keep long-term space crews healthy. Three orbital residents are also nearing the end of their mission as they prepare to depart the International Space Station at the end of the week.

NASA Flight Engineers Tracy C. Dyson and Mike Barratt worked together Monday morning and explored how microgravity affects an astronaut’s sense of balance and motion. Dyson, with assistance from doctors on the ground, monitored Barratt as he wore specialized goggles that tracked his eye movements while performing a series of movements. The vestibular exam, part of the CIPHER suite of 14 human research studies, seeks to understand how a crew member’s sense of motion and perception adapts to weightlessness.

Barratt then moved on and joined NASA astronaut Jeanette Epps and tested a specialized thigh cuff for its ability to prevent space-caused fluid shifts. Epps attached electrodes to herself, wore the cuff on both her legs, and performed scans with the Ultrasound 2 device aided by Barratt and researchers on Earth. Insights may help counteract the upward flows of fluids creating head pressure and eye issues in astronauts.

Epps and NASA Flight Engineer Matthew Dominick later took turns conducting a vision test. The duo took a standard eye exam covering one eye and reading characters off a chart. Earlier, Dominick closed out the Cell Biology Experiment Facility following the completion of an experiment exploring creating artificial organs in space.

The orbiting outpost’s four cosmonauts participated in a variety of Roscosmos-sponsored space science and standard lab maintenance on Monday. Veteran Flight Engineer Oleg Kononenko practiced futuristic spacecraft and robotic piloting techniques that may inform future cosmonaut training. Cosmonaut Nikolai Chub collected his saliva and blood samples for a space immunity study. Cosmonauts Alexander Grebenkin and Oleg Novitskiy joined each other and studied how spaceflight affects the circulatory system in a crewmember’s limbs.

Another crew is getting for its return to Earth bringing home NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara after six-and-a-half months on the space station. She, Novitskiy, and Belarus spaceflight participant Marina Vasilevskaya will undock in the Soyuz MS-24 crew ship at 11:55 p.m. EDT on Friday, April 5. Novitskiy checked Soyuz spacecraft systems then joined the duo and practiced Soyuz descent procedures on Monday. The trio will parachute to a landing inside the Soyuz in Kazakhstan at 3:18 a.m. on Saturday, April 6. Novitskiy and Vasilevskaya arrived at the station on March 25 bringing Dyson with them aboard the Soyuz MS-25 spacecraft.

At the end of the day on Monday, all ten space station residents gathered and reviewed roles and responsibilities in the unlikely event of an emergency. The crew reviewed escape paths, safety gear, communication procedures, and more for scenarios including a depressurization event, a chemical leak, and a fire.

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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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The Expedition 70 crew wrapped up the work week with space biology and pharmaceutical research continuing the ongoing effort to advance health on Earth and in space. Three crewmates are also beginning to turn their attention toward their departure from the International Space Station and ride back to Earth late next week.

The key objective for conducting science experiments in weightlessness is to discover phenomena impossible to achieve in Earth’s gravity environment. The new insights allow researchers to understand how the human body, both physically and mentally, adapts to living in space. With the ever-growing amount of biomedical data acquired from space, doctors can design and test new therapies to treat space-caused and even Earthbound conditions.

Heart research was on the schedule on Friday as NASA Flight Engineer Matthew Dominick operated the Ultrasound 2 device and scanned the chest of NASA Flight Engineer Mike Barratt. Barratt also wore electrodes, measured his blood pressure, and collected his blood and urine samples for analysis. The cardiac study is part of the CIPHER suite of 14 human research studies, one of which explores cardiovascular health risk in space.

Earlier, Dominick pedaled on an exercise cycle while attached to sensors for the Cardiobreath study that assesses an astronaut’s heart activity, breathing, and blood pressure regulation. Barratt worked in the Harmony module processing protein crystal samples inside a portable glovebag to learn how to generate personalized medicines in space for astronauts.

NASA astronauts Loral O’Hara and Tracy C. Dyson took turns on Friday feeding mice and cleaning their habitat for an investigation testing a gene therapy to improve eye health in space. NASA Flight Engineer Jeanette Epps began her day with Barratt collecting and stowing saliva samples for later analysis. Epps later exercised on the advanced resistive exercise device and treadmill before taking the rest of the day off.

Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Novitskiy and Belarus spaceflight participant Marina Vasilevskaya along with O’Hara will return to Earth on April 6 inside the Soyuz MS-24 spacecraft. The trio teamed up Friday afternoon and performed air and pressure leak checks on the Sokol suits they will wear when they parachute to a landing in Kazakhstan inside their Soyuz crew ship.

Cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub will continue their stay aboard the orbital outpost until early fall accumulating just over one year in space. In the meantime, on Friday, the pair explored the biochemistry of the human body in space and how magnetic and electrical fields affect fluid physics. Kononenko also updated Soyuz spacecraft data files while Chub checked the Zvezda service module’s power supply system.