The SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft is pictured approaching the space station above the Indian Ocean on March 16, 2023.
Following a weather review, NASA and SpaceX now are targeting no earlier than 5:05 p.m. EST Thursday, Dec. 21, for the undocking of the company’s 29th Dragon commercial resupply services mission from the International Space Station due to unfavorable weather in the splashdown zones off the coast of Florida.
Coverage of Dragon’s departure Thursday will begin at 4:45 p.m. on the NASA+ streaming service via the web or the NASA app. 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.
After re-entering Earth’s atmosphere, the spacecraft will splash down off the coast of Florida, which will not be broadcast on NASA TV. Follow updates on return plans on the agency’s space station blog.
NASA and Northrop Grumman continue to target Friday, Dec. 22, for the departure of the Cygnus spacecraft from the orbital complex.
Coverage of Cygnus departure Friday will begin at 7:45 a.m. ahead of the robotic release of the spacecraft at 8:05 a.m. on the NASA+ streaming service via the web or the NASA app. Coverage also will air live on NASA Television, YouTube, and on the agency’s website.
Cygnus will conduct secondary payload operations following unberthing and complete a safe re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere where it will burn up harmlessly over the Pacific Ocean.
The SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft approaches the space station above Africa during a previous resupply mission on Nov. 27, 2022.
The Expedition 70 crew will finish packing a U.S. cargo craft today before it departs the International Space Station. The seven orbital residents also collaborated on a variety of human research studies to learn how to keep humans healthy in space.
Four astronauts worked together on Wednesday coordinating final cargo transfers inside the SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft. Dragon, which has been docked to the station since Nov. 11, is slated to undock at 9:05 p.m. EST on Wednesday from the orbital outpost’s forward port on the Harmony module. The agency will provide live coverage of Dragon’s undocking and departure starting at 8:45 p.m. on the NASA+ streaming service via the web or the NASA app. 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.
Astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli and Andreas Mogensen began the science return work in the morning transferring frozen research samples from station science freezers and into insulated Dragon science transport bags. Astronauts Loral O’Hara and Satoshi Furukawa continued the sample handovers inside the Destiny, Kibo, and Columbus laboratory modules and packed them aboard Dragon. NASA flight engineers O’Hara and Moghbeli wrapped up the research stowing fresh astronaut blood samples inside Dragon for retrieval and analysis on Earth. Moghbeli will be the last crew member inside Dragon before exiting and closing its hatch a few hours before its departure.
All four crewmates started their shifts collecting blood and saliva samples for the CIPHER suite of 14 experiments examining how living in weightlessness affect’s the human body. O’Hara also took a cognition test to understand how the brain functions in space. Moghbeli downloaded medical data stored on a health-monitoring vest and headband. At the end of the day, Furukawa and Mogensen, from JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) and ESA (European Space Agency) respectively, used the Ultrasound 2 device and scanned each other’s neck, shoulder and leg veins.
The three cosmonauts living and working aboard the station stayed focused on their contingent of Roscosmos-based science experiments and lab maintenance. Flight Engineers Konstantin Borisov and Nikolai Chub took part in a pair of different fitness evaluations. Borisov started first pedaling on an exercise cycle before Chub jogged on a treadmill while both were attached to sensors measuring their aerobic output. Flight Engineer Oleg Kononenko conducted another 3D printing session to demonstrate manufacturing tools and supplies in microgravity.
Thrusters on the SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft fire adjusting the vehicle’s approach toward the station for a docking to the Harmony module’s forward port on Nov. 11, 2023.
The Expedition 70 crew is packing a U.S. cargo craft ahead of its planned Wednesday departure. The seven residents aboard the International Space Station are also keeping up their regularly scheduled research and maintenance activities.
NASA astronauts Loral O’Hara and Jasmin Moghbeli worked together Tuesday morning removing biological specimens from the Destiny laboratory module, stowing them in transporters, then installing the science cargo inside the SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft. Afterward, O’Hara wrapped up her day with a vision test reading characters off a standard eye chart found in a doctor’s office on Earth. Moghbeli treated brain cell-like samples to understand neurodegenerative processes at a molecular and cellular level.
Astronauts Andreas Mogensen and Satoshi Furukawa continued the cargo transfers during the afternoon packing and securing a variety of hardware inside Dragon for analysis and retrieval on Earth. Mogensen from ESA (European Space Agency) earlier serviced numerous science components including charging virtual reality hardware, loading software on a fluorescence microscope, and setting up the Life Science Glovebox for Moghbeli’s sampling work. Furukawa from JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) installed new gas bottles on combustion research gear located inside the Kibo laboratory module.
Working in the Roscosmos segment of the orbital outpost, cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko activated a 3D printer to explore printing tools and supplies in microgravity. Flight Engineer Nikolai Chub tested a radio communications antenna then studied ways space crews and ground controllers from around the world can communicate more effectively. Flight Engineer Konstantin spent his morning on orbital plumbing tasks then worked during the afternoon inspecting windows in the Zvezda service module and disinfecting surfaces inside the Nauka science module.
Following a weather review about 24 hours prior to undocking, NASA and SpaceX now are targeting no earlier than 9:05 p.m. EST Wednesday, Dec. 20, for the undocking of the company’s 29th Dragon commercial resupply services mission from the International Space Station.
Coverage of Dragon’s departure Wednesday will begin at 8:45 p.m. on the NASA+ streaming service via the web or the NASA app. 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.
Additional undock and return opportunities are continuing to be considered as joint teams work to identify the best autonomous undocking and return weather conditions as a cold front passes through the splashdown zones off the coast of Florida. More updates will be made following the next weather review about 12 hours prior to Dragon undocking from the space station.
After re-entering Earth’s atmosphere, the spacecraft will splash down off the coast of Florida, which will not be broadcast on NASA TV. Follow updates on return plans on the agency’s space station blog.
With the changes to Dragon’s space station operations, NASA and Northrop Grumman now are targeting a Friday, Dec. 22, for the departure of the Cygnus spacecraft from the orbital complex.
Coverage of Cygnus departure Friday will begin at 7:45 a.m. ahead of the robotic release of the spacecraft at 8:05 a.m. on the NASA+ streaming service via the web or the NASA app. Coverage also will air live on NASA Television, YouTube, and on the agency’s website.
Cygnus will conduct secondary payload operations following unberthing and complete a safe and harmless re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere where it will harmlessly burn up over the Pacific Ocean.
The SpaceX Dragon cargo craft backs away from the space station moments after undocking during an orbital sunrise on Aug. 19, 2022. Credit: NASA TV
Crew health and space biology were the top research objectives for the Expedition 70 crew at the beginning of the week. The International Space Station residents also had their hands full with a host of standard lab maintenance tasks. Meanwhile, the SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft looks to Wednesday at the earliest for its departure.
Observing the effects of weightlessness on a variety of life forms including humans is a priority for doctors and scientists as NASA and its international partners plan longer missions farther out into space. Researchers are learning how everything from the tiniest organisms, space-grown vegetables, to astronauts adapt and survive in the harsh environment of microgravity.
NASA Flight Engineer Jasmin Moghbeli kicked off her day strapping on the Bio-Monitor vest and headband to test their ability to comfortably monitor an astronaut’s health throughout the day. The wearables contain a data unit recording a crew member’s cardiovascular fitness for the Space Health investigation. She then spent the afternoon treating cell samples inside the Kibo laboratory module’s Life Science Glovebox for the Space AGE health study to learn more about the biology of aging and its effects on disease mechanisms.
A pair of CubeSats were deployed outside the orbital outpost today to explore voice and imagery transmissions and test future planetary probe technologies. Flight Engineer Satoshi Furukawa from JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) pointed his camera outside the Kibo lab and photographed the two small satellite deployments. Afterward, the JAXA astronaut serviced optical hardware to support a regenerative medicine experiment. Finally, Furukawa readied the SAFFIRE-VI fire safety experiment that will be conducted remotely aboard the Cygnus space freighter after it departs the space station.
Astronauts Loral O’Hara and Andreas Mogensen started Monday morning stowing spacewalking tools in the Quest airlock. The duo then split up as O’Hara tested a VHF antenna and inspected the Harmony module’s crew quarters. Mogensen from ESA (European Space Agency) installed air sensors in Harmony then inspected hoses inside the COLBERT treadmill.
Cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Konstantin Borisov worked in the Nauka science module checking and photographing eggs packed inside a centrifuge for a Roscosmos biology study. Flight Engineer Nikolai Chub spent his day working on life support systems inside the Zarya and Zvezda modules.
Coverage of Dragon’s departure Wednesday will begin at 4:45 p.m. on the NASA+ streaming service via the web or the NASA app. 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.
Additional undock and return opportunities also are being considered as joint teams continue to work to identify the best autonomous undocking and return weather conditions as a cold front passes through the splashdown zones off the coast of Florida.
More updates will be made following the next weather review about 24 hours prior to Dragon undocking from the space station.
Joint teams continue to evaluate weather conditions as a cold front passes through the splashdown zones off the coast of Florida to determine the best autonomous undocking opportunity.
Coverage of Dragon’s departure Wednesday will begin at 4:45 p.m. on the NASA+ streaming service via the web or the NASA app. 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.
After re-entering Earth’s atmosphere, the spacecraft will splash down off the coast of Florida, which will not be broadcast on NASA TV. Follow updates on return plans on the agency’s space station blog.
The SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft is pictured departing the vicinity of the space station following its undocking from the Harmony module’s space-facing port on January 9, 2023.
Joint teams continue to evaluate weather conditions as a cold front passes through the splashdown zones off the coast of Florida to determine the best autonomous undocking opportunity.
Coverage of Dragon’s departure Tuesday will begin at 4:45 p.m. on the NASA+ streaming service via the web or the NASA app. 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.
After re-entering Earth’s atmosphere, the spacecraft will splash down off the coast of Florida, which will not be broadcast on NASA TV. Follow updates on return plans on the agency’s space station blog.
The waning gibbous Moon is pictured just above Earth’s horizon in this photograph from the station as it orbited 262 miles above a cloudy central Asia.
The Expedition 70 crew is continuing to pack a U.S. cargo spacecraft readying for its departure early next week. The seven residents living aboard the International Space Station also explored virtual reality while servicing a variety of science and life support hardware.
NASA and SpaceX are postponing the Sunday, Dec. 17, undocking of a SpaceX Dragon cargo resupply spacecraft from the International Space Station due to unfavorable weather conditions as a cold front passes through the splashdown zones off the coast of Florida.
Joint teams continue to evaluate weather conditions to determine the best opportunity for Dragon to autonomously undock from the space station with the next available opportunity no earlier than 5:05 p.m. EST Monday, Dec. 18.
Weather permitting for the Monday undocking, coverage of Dragon’s departure will begin at 4:45 p.m. on the NASA+ streaming service via the web or the NASA app. 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.
After re-entering Earth’s atmosphere, the spacecraft will splash down off the coast of Florida, which will not be broadcast on NASA TV. Follow updates on return plans on the agency’s space station blog.
Astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli of NASA and Satoshi Furukawa of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) resumed transferring science-packed cargo freezers from the station’s EXPRESS racks and into Dragon. The duo activated and configured the science freezers inside Dragon securing the preserved biological samples for retrieval and analysis on Earth.
Earlier, Moghbeli swapped out hardware inside the Solution Crystallization Observation Facility, a research device that investigates the morphology and growth of crystals. She also shook mixture tubes containing seed samples for a space botany study. Furukawa reconnected a power and communications unit inside combustion research hardware located in the Kibo laboratory module.
Commander Andreas Mogensen from ESA (European Space Agency) started his day on an experiment that aims to strengthen computer programming skills and promote STEM careers for students on Earth. Mogensen later wore virtual reality googles and watched a 360-degree movie to understand its stabilizing effect on the nervous system for the VR Mental Care experiment.
NASA Flight Engineer Loral O’Hara of NASA spent her day working on lab maintenance throughout the orbital outpost. She replaced orbital plumbing components and deployed a portable fan inside the Tranquility module then swapped out a broken wireless antenna in the Unity module.
The space station’s three cosmonauts stayed focused on their contingent of science activities and orbital systems upkeep. Flight Engineers Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub once again scanned their stomachs with an ultrasound device after breakfast for a Roscosmos space digestion study. Kononenko then repositioned eggs inside an incubator for a biology experiment while Chub transferred dismantled life support gear from the Zarya module and into Unity. Flight Engineer Konstantin Borisov spent his morning on orbital plumbing tasks then finished the day photographing and inspecting windows on the Zvezda service module.
NASA and Sierra Space are making progress on the first flight of the company’s Dream Chaser spacecraft to the International Space Station. The uncrewed cargo spaceplane is planned to launch its demonstration mission in 2024 to the orbital complex as part of NASA’s commercial resupply services. Credit: Sierra Space/Shay Saldana
NASA and Sierra Space are preparing for the first flight of the company’s Dream Chaser spacecraft to the International Space Station. Dream Chaser and its companion cargo module, called Shooting Star, arrived at NASA’s Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky, Ohio, for environmental testing, scheduled to start in mid-December, ahead of its first flight, scheduled for the first half of 2024.
The Neil Armstrong Test Facility, part of NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, is home to multiple test facilities, including the Space Environments Complex and the In-Space Propulsion Facility, both stops for Dream Chaser. The complex is home to the Mechanical Vibration Facility, which subjects test articles to the rigorous conditions of launch.
While at Armstrong, the Dream Chaser winged spacecraft will be stacked atop its Shooting Star cargo module on the vibration table to experience vibrations like those during launch and re-entry to the Earth’s atmosphere.
Following vibration testing, Dream Chaser will be moved to the propulsion facility for thermal vacuum testing. Dream Chaser will be placed in a vacuum and exposed to low ambient pressures, low-background temperatures, and replicated dynamic solar heating, which simulates the environment the spacecraft will encounter during its mission. This facility is the only one capable of testing full-scale, upper stage rockets and rocket engines under simulated space conditions and conducting altitude hot fire.
After completion of testing at Armstrong, Dream Chaser will be shipped to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida for further launch preparations, currently scheduled for liftoff in the first half of 2024.
The SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft approaches the space station 261 miles above Indonesia’s Savu Sea.
A U.S. cargo spacecraft is poised to undock from the International Space Station and return to Earth as mission managers monitor weather conditions at the return splashdown zones. Meanwhile, the seven Expedition 70 residents turned their attention to a variety of health activities and lab maintenance activities.
NASA and SpaceX are postponing the Saturday, Dec. 16, undocking of a SpaceX Dragon cargo resupply spacecraft from the International Space Station due to unfavorable weather conditions as a cold front passes through the splashdown zones off the coast of Florida.
Joint teams continue to evaluate weather conditions to determine the best opportunity for Dragon to autonomously undock from the space station with the next available opportunity no earlier than 5:05 p.m. EST Sunday, Dec. 17.
Weather permitting for the Sunday undocking, coverage of Dragon’s departure will begin at 4:45 p.m. on the NASA+ streaming service via the web or the NASA app. 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.
After re-entering Earth’s atmosphere, the spacecraft will splash down off the coast of Florida, which will not be broadcast on NASA TV. Follow updates on return plans on the agency’s space station blog.
Back on the space station, astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli from NASA and Andreas Mogensen from ESA (European Space Agency) were back on cargo duty Thursday as they transferred frozen research samples from station science freezers into science cargo freezers. Following its undocking, Dragon will return the biological specimens back to Earth for retrieval and analysis to understand the effects of microgravity on a variety of cells and organisms. The duo also partnered together loading trash and discarded items inside Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus space freighter. Cygnus is due to complete its mission later this month when the Canadarm2 robotic arm detaches it from the Unity module and releases it into Earth orbit for descent.
NASA Flight Engineer Loral O’Hara also assisted with the Cygnus cargo transfers while getting a health check and working on lab upkeep tasks through Thursday. Astronaut Satoshi Furukawa from JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) took on the role of Crew Medical Officer checking O’Hara’s temperature, pulse, blood pressure, and respiratory rate during the morning. O’Hara then cleaned a hatch seal in Unity before replacing ventilation screens in the Tranquility module.
Furukawa took turns with Moghbeli during their shift conducting a hearing test then participating in Canadarm2 robotics training. The JAXA flight engineer wrapped up his day servicing and inspecting a diverse range of science, computer, and mission hardware.
Cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub joined each other after breakfast scanning their stomachs with an ultrasound device for a Roscosmos study investigating microgravity’s effect on digestion. Kononenko moved on for afternoon inspections in the Zvezda service module while Chub replaced smoke detectors inside the Poisk module. Flight Engineer replaced life support and electronics gear in the Nauka science module then cleaned Roscosmos fan screens
Astronaut Andreas Mogensen works on the Aquamembrane-3 investigation exploring the contaminant rejection and water transport capabilities of advanced life support equipment.
The Expedition 70 crew continues packing the SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft while also keeping up microgravity research for NASA and its partners to advance humanity on Earth and in space.
NASA and SpaceX are postponing the Friday, Dec. 15, undocking of a SpaceX Dragon cargo resupply spacecraft from the International Space Station due to unfavorable weather conditions as a result of a cold front passing through the splashdown zones off the coast of Florida.
Joint teams continue to evaluate weather conditions to determine the best opportunity for Dragon to autonomously undock from the space station with the next available opportunity no earlier than 5:05 p.m. EST Saturday, Dec. 16.
Weather permitting for the Saturday undocking, coverage of Dragon’s departure will begin at 4:45 p.m. on the NASA+ streaming service via the web or the NASA app. 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.
After re-entering Earth’s atmosphere, the spacecraft will splash down off the coast of Florida, which will not be broadcast on NASA TV. Follow updates on return plans on the agency’s space station blog.
Astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli of NASA and Satoshi Furukawa of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) continued securing bags packed with return cargo and discarded items inside Dragon for the undocking and return to Earth’s gravity. Moghbeli also joined NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara and tended to biological samples on the station that will soon be stowed aboard Dragon.
Commander Andreas Mogensen of ESA (European Space Agency) turned his attention to the Northrop Grumman Cygnus spacecraft scheduled to depart later this month. Moghbeli joined Mogensen readying the private cargo craft for its robotic detachment from the Unity module and release back into Earth orbit for descent.
Meanwhile, a wide array of space science to improve life for astronauts in space and people on Earth is ongoing aboard the orbiting lab. The seven space station residents explored how weightlessness affects plant life, robotics, and more.
Cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub joined each other at the beginning of their shift and took turns pedaling on an exercise cycle. The Roscosmos flight engineers assisted each other attached electrodes to each other and collected blood pressure measurements during the periodic physical fitness evaluation. Flight Engineer Konstantin Borisov also participated in the exercise test at the end of his shift.
Kononenko later joined Borisov in the afternoon checking an incubator and a centrifuge holding egg samples for a space biology study. Chub wrapped up his day working on the Elektron oxygen generator and changing out smoke detectors.
Axiom Space has announced the launch date for its third private astronaut mission to the station for no earlier than Jan. 9, from Florida. Commander Michael Lopez-Alegria will lead Pilot Walter Villadei and Mission Specialists Alper Gezeravci and Marcus Wandt aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and stay aboard the orbital outpost for a two-week research mission.
