Space Station – Page 44 – Off The Earth, For The Earth

STEMonstrations, Station Upkeep, and Hearing Assessments Top Wednesday’s Schedule

The sun's first rays begin illuminating Earth's atmosphere in this photograph from the International Space Station as it orbited 262 miles above the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California. — The sun’s first rays begin illuminating Earth’s atmosphere in this photograph from the International Space Station as it orbited 262 miles above the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California.

A STEMonstration, station upkeep, and routine hearing assessments kept the Expedition 70 crew busy on Wednesday. The seven orbital residents split up duties aboard the International Space Station as they continue their microgravity research missions into the new year.

NASA Flight Engineer Jasmin Moghbeli began her day recording a STEMonstration for teachers and students grades 5-8, demonstrating how to use a microscope for cell research aboard the station. To connect with students and teachers around the world, crew members will routinely record short three- to five-minute educational videos that demonstrate popular STEM topics in microgravity. Afterward, Moghbeli moved onto some station and spacesuit upkeep to install restraint straps and stowage bags on spacesuits that will be used for upcoming spacewalks this year, and perform inspections of various modules around the station.

Experiencing 16 sunrises and sunsets per day can affect crew members’ circadian rhythms while in low-Earth orbit. To counter this, the Circadian Light investigation tests a new lighting system to help astronauts maintain an acceptable circadian rhythm, which could in turn boost cognitive performance. ESA (European Space Agency) Commander Andreas Mogensen began his day performing a Circadian Light assessment before moving into surveying various station segments to send to grounds teams for assessments of station configuration.

JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) Flight Engineer Satoshi Furukawa focused his day on prepping the Life Sciences Glovebox for upcoming research and measuring acoustic levels within the orbiting laboratory.

Near the end of the day, NASA Flight Engineer Loral O’Hara was joined by cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko, Nikolai Chub, and Konstantin Borisov to complete routine hearing assessments using specially designed space software to measure auditory function while exposed to the microgravity environment.

Kononenko also spent part of his day removing and replacing hardware in the Zvezda service module and running the 3D printer once more, while Borisov picked back up on inventory audits that began yesterday.

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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Crew Members Kick-Start New Year with Ongoing Science and Maintenance

Four Expedition 70 crew members share new year's remarks. From left, Commander Andreas Mogensen of ESA, Flight Engineer Jasmin Moghbeli of NASA, Flight Engineer Satoshi Furukawa of JAXA, and Flight Engineer Loral O'Hara of NASA. Credits: NASA — Four Expedition 70 crew members share new year’s remarks. From left, Commander Andreas Mogensen of ESA, Flight Engineer Jasmin Moghbeli of NASA, Flight Engineer Satoshi Furukawa of JAXA, and Flight Engineer Loral O’Hara of NASA. Credits: NASA

The seven-member Expedition 70 crew is back to work after Monday saw an off-duty day for the International Space Station residents. A variety of activities took place in orbit on Tuesday, while some members conducted cleaning activities and others picked back up on scientific research to kick-start the new year.

Flight Engineer Loral O’Hara of NASA spent part of her day unstowing materials in the Combustion Integrated Rack to prep for the SoFIE-GEL investigation. As part of ongoing science, crew members study burning in microgravity to determine how material flammability is affected by fuel temperatures. To continue this research, O’Hara swapped out a used manifold gas bottle in the experiment with a new one. In the evening, she donned the Actiwatch to monitor sleep-wake patterns throughout the night.

Flight Engineer Jasmin Moghbeli of NASA cleaned up in the Harmony module in the morning, then set out to replenish the water supply in the distribution and recovery reservoirs of Plant Habitat-06—an investigation that studies the physiological and genetic responses to defense activation in wild-type tomatoes. Afterward, Moghbeli began an experiment to test the efficiency of an antimicrobial coating in space.

Commander Andreas Mogensen of ESA (European Space Agency) began the day swapping out the heart rate monitor on CEVIS, the station’s bicycle. He then completed a robotics training session, practicing the capture of a cargo craft, reviewing how to control free-flying assistants, and operating the robotic arm. After lunch, Mogensen deployed the Life Sciences Glovebox that will be used for ongoing science activities this week, then analyzed water from the station’s water processor assembly.

Meanwhile, Satoshi Furukawa of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) hydrated and incubated production packs for the BioNutrients-1 investigation which uses technology for on-demand production of human nutrients over long-duration missions.

The three cosmonauts aboard the orbiting laboratory—Oleg Kononenko, Nikolai Chub, and Konstantin Borisov—split up maintenance duties on Tuesday. Kononenko ran the 3D printer in Zvezda and audited cargo in the Prichal module, while Chub conducted maintenance on the water management system and Borisov inventoried accessories of the Roscosmos docking system.

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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Two Spaceships Depart, Crew Will Spend Holidays in Space

The Cygnus space freighter is pictured attached to the space station as the Canadarm2 robotic arm prepares to grapple the cargo craft.

Two spaceships in two days have departed the International Space Station and the Expedition 70 crew will spend Christmas and New Year’s Day orbiting Earth.

NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara monitored the Canadarm2 robotic arm release of the Cygnus space freighter on Friday, Dec. 22. Earlier, ground engineers remotely maneuvered the Canadarm2 and detached Cygnus from the Unity module where it had been installed since Aug. 4.

Packed inside Cygnus, along with disposable cargo, is the SAFFIRE-VI experiment that will be remotely activated aboard the spacecraft to explore fire safety. The space freighter from Northrop Grumman will orbit Earth on its own until early January for a safe, but fiery demise above the south Pacific Ocean.

The SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft completed its cargo mission at 5:05 p.m. on Thursday when it automatically undocked from the Harmony module’s forward port. Dragon parachuted to splashdown off the coast of Florida on Dec. 22 returning station science and hardware for retrieval and analysis in laboratories on Earth.

Following Cygnus’ departure, O’Hara turned her attention to combustion research and replaced components for an experiment that is observing how fuel temperatures affect material flammability.

Astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli and Andreas Mogensen spent the first part of Friday on lab maintenance. Moghbeli from NASA serviced a U.S. spacesuit in the Quest airlock then swapped fiber optic samples inside the Microgravity Science Glovebox. Mogensen from ESA (European Space Agency) spent most of the day setting up ARED, the (Advanced Resistive Exercise device, for the ARED Kinematics study to improve workout programs for Earth and space. The duo met at the end of the day for eye exams using standard medical imaging gear found in an optometrist’s office on Earth.

Flight Engineer Satoshi Furukawa from JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) set up interactive studio gear inside the Kibo laboratory module in preparation for an event with Japanese audiences on Earth. In the afternoon, the two-time station resident inspected and photographed windows in the Kibo and Destiny lab modules for any contamination or damage.

Veteran cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko began his day with cardiac research attaching sensors to himself measuring his heart activity in weightlessness. Flight Engineer Konstantin Borisov assisted Kononenko with the cardiac study then joined him in the afternoon for checkouts of audio and antenna gear in the Zvezda service module. Flight Engineer Nikolai Chub replaced smoke detectors in the Poisk module then activated a 3D printing experiment.

The seven astronauts and cosmonauts representing Expedition 70 will spend the final week of 2023 continuing ongoing research and lab upkeep. The orbital septet will also relax, open gifts, share a meal, and call down to their families on Christmas and New Year’s Day. The astronauts sent their thoughts and well wishes while in orbit this holiday season. The next space station blog post is planned to publish on Jan. 2, 2024.

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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Robotic Arm Releases Cygnus from Station

The Cygnus space freighter is poised for release from the grip of the Canadarm2 robotic arm ending a four-and-a-half month space station cargo mission. Credit: NASA TV

At 8:06 a.m. EST, Northrop Grumman Cygnus spacecraft was released from the Canadarm2 robotic arm which earlier detached Cygnus from the Earth-facing port of the International Space Station’s Unity module. At the time of release, the station was flying about 260 miles over the Atlantic Ocean.

The Cygnus spacecraft successfully departed the space station more than four months after arriving at the microgravity laboratory to deliver about 8,200 pounds of supplies, scientific investigations, commercial products, hardware, and other cargo for NASA and its international partners.

Following a deorbit engine firing in early January, Cygnus will begin a planned destructive re-entry, in which the spacecraft – filled with trash packed by the station crew – will safely burn up in Earth’s atmosphere.

Cygnus arrived at the space station Aug. 4, following a launch on Northrop Grumman’s Antares rocket from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island, Virginia. It was the company’s 19th commercial resupply services mission to the space station for NASA. Northrop Grumman named the spacecraft after the late NASA astronaut Laurel Clark.

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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Dragon Undocks, Scientific Cargo Headed Back to Earth

A SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft is seen departing the station after undocking from the Harmony module at 4:05 p.m. EST Thursday, Dec. 21. Credit: NASA TV

Following commands from ground controllers at SpaceX in Hawthorne, California, Dragon undocked at 5:05 p.m. EST from the forward port of the station’s Harmony module. At the time of undocking the station was flying at an altitude about 260 miles southwest of Chile.

After re-entering Earth’s atmosphere, the spacecraft will make a parachute-assisted splashdown off the coast of Florida on Friday, Dec. 22. NASA will not broadcast the splashdown, but updates will be posted on the agency’s space station blog.

Dragon arrived at the space station Nov. 11 as SpaceX’s 29th commercial resupply services mission for NASA, delivering about 6,500 pounds of research investigations, crew supplies, and station hardware. It was launched Nov. 9 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy.

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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Live Coverage Underway of SpaceX Dragon Cargo Spacecraft Departure

Thrusters on the SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft fire automatically while adjusting the vehicle's slow, methodical approach toward the International Space Station for a docking to the Harmony module's forward port. — Thrusters on the SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft fire automatically while adjusting the vehicle’s slow, methodical approach toward the International Space Station for a docking to the Harmony module’s forward port.

Live coverage of the departure of SpaceX’s Dragon cargo spacecraft from the International Space Station is underway on NASA Television, the agency’s website, and the NASA app.

Following commands from ground controllers at SpaceX in Hawthorne, California, Dragon will undock at 5:05 p.m. EST from the forward port of the station’s Harmony module and fire its thrusters to move a safe distance away from the station.

Watch Dragon undock live on the NASA+ streaming service via the web or the NASA app. 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.

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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Cygnus Ready to Depart Station Live on NASA TV

The Cygnus space freighter and the Soyuz MS-24 crew ship (at right) are pictured attached to the station. At lower left, the Canadarm2 robotic arm prepares to grapple Cygnus.

Live coverage of the departure of Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus cargo spacecraft from the International Space Station is underway on NASA+ streaming, NASA Television, the agency’s website, and the NASA app, with its release from the robotic arm scheduled for 8:05 a.m. EST.

Flight controllers on the ground sent commands earlier Friday morning for the space station’s Canadarm2 robotic arm to detach Cygnus from the Unity module’s Earth-facing port, and then maneuver the spacecraft into position for its release. NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara will monitor Cygnus’ systems upon its departure from 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.

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Dragon, Cygnus Cargo Missions Nearing End This Week

A SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft (left) approaches the station on Nov. 11. The Cygnus resupply ship (right) awaits a robotic capture on Aug. 4.

A SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft is targeting its undocking from the International Space Station for 5:05 p.m. EST today. The Expedition 70 crew finished packing Dragon on Wednesday with a variety of research samples and lab hardware for retrieval and analysis on Earth.

The orbital residents now turn their attention to the departure of a second U.S. resupply ship set for 8:05 a.m. on Friday. Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus space freighter was grappled with the Canadarm2 robotic arm and will soon be detached from the Unity module’s Earth-facing port before being released into Earth orbit completing a four-and-a-half month stay at the orbiting lab. Cygnus will stay in space until early January when it will enter the atmosphere above the Pacific Ocean for a fiery, but safe demise.

NASA, Axiom Space, and SpaceX teams now are targeting no earlier than Wednesday, Jan. 17, to launch Axiom Mission-3 to the space station from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A due to recent unfavorable weather conditions and changes in SpaceX’s launch manifest.

Astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli and Satoshi Furukawa completed preparations for Cygnus’ departure today closing the hatch and configuring the vehicle to end its mission. NASA’s Moghbeli earlier installed the SAFFIRE-VI experiment inside Cygnus that will be remotely activated to explore spacecraft fire safety. Furukawa from JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) ensured the disposable cargo was securely strapped inside the departing spacecraft.

Science and maintenance activities were still ongoing throughout Thursday advancing knowledge and keeping the orbital outpost in tip-top shape. Scientists use the microgravity environment to discover new phenomena impossible to observe in Earth’s gravity.

NASA Flight Engineer Loral O’Hara opened up the Combustion Integrated Rack and configured research components supporting an experiment that is observing how fuel temperatures affect material flammability. Results from the study may improve fire safety techniques on Earth and in space. Commander Andreas Mogensen of ESA (European Space Agency) activated a series of coding studies to interest students in science, swapped out optical fiber samples for a manufacturing experiment, then replaced filters in the Advanced Plant Habitat for a new space botany investigation.

Working in the orbital lab’s Roscosmos segment, veteran cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko once again tested the 3D printing of tools and supplies in weightlessness then set up an Earth atmosphere monitoring experiment. Flight Engineer Konstantin Borisov installed a secondary atmospheric study that is observing Earth’s nighttime environment in near-ultraviolet wavelengths. Flight Engineer Nikolai Chub attached sensors to his chest monitoring how his heart is adapting to the lack of gravity.

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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SpaceX Dragon Departure from Space Station Targets Thursday

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.

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 Packs Dragon With Science for Return, Keeps Up Research Schedule

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.

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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