Research, Maintenance Keep Crew Busy Ahead of Spacewalks

Astronauts (from left) Jasmin Moghbeli and Loral O'Hara pose for a portrait in front of the Cold Atom Lab. The physics research device observes the quantum behavior of atoms chilled to near absolute zero.
Astronauts (from left) Jasmin Moghbeli and Loral O’Hara pose for a portrait in front of the Cold Atom Lab. The physics research device observes the quantum behavior of atoms chilled to near absolute zero.

International Space Station managers have rescheduled a pair of spacewalks as they continue to review data from a backup radiator leak that has since ceased. In the meantime, the Expedition 70 crew members had a busy day at the end of the week packed with space research, cargo operations, and more spacewalk preparations.

The next U.S. spacewalk at the orbiting laboratory will take place at 8:35 a.m. EDT on Thursday, Oct. 19. Astronauts Loral O’Hara from NASA and Andreas Mogensen from ESA (European Space Agency) will spend about six-and-a-half hours swabbing station surfaces to collect potential samples of microbes that might survive in the extreme environment of outer space. NASA TV will begin its spacewalk coverage at 7 a.m. on the agency’s app and website.

A second U.S. spacewalk with O’Hara and NASA Flight Engineer Jasmin Moghbeli has been targeted for Oct. 30. The NASA duo will spend about six-and-a-half hours in the vacuum of space removing faulty radio communications gear and installing new solar array hardware.

The trio along with Flight Engineer Satoshi Furukawa from JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) took a pause from their spacewalk activities on Friday. The astronauts refocused their attention on human research and botany while also keeping up electronics and life support maintenance.

O’Hara took a robotics test and provided biological samples for an experiment to understand the psychological and physiological changes an astronaut experiences while living in weightlessness. Furukawa checked carbon dioxide bottles and hoses that support the growth environment inside the Advanced Plant Habitat botany research facility.

Moghbeli began her day transferring cargo in and out of the Cygnus space freighter. She then cleaned the Human Research Facility’s centrifuge chamber before servicing a variety of computers throughout the orbital lab. Mogensen spent Friday collecting water samples for ground analysis from life support systems in the space station’s U.S. segment.

Two Roscosmos cosmonauts are stepping up their preparations for a spacewalk planned to begin at 4:20 p.m. on Oct. 25. Five-time lab resident Oleg Kononenko and first-time space flyer Nikolai Chub will exit the Poisk airlock in their Orlan spacesuits to install new hardware and deploy a nanosatellite. The pair ended the week studying their spacewalk procedures and testing support hardware.

Flight Engineer Konstantin Borisov began Friday training to maneuver the European robotic arm attached to the Nauka science module. Afterward, Borisov opened panels inside Nauka and photographed internal hardware configurations in anticipation of future experiments.

Spacewalks Rescheduled as NASA Reviews Leak Data

NASA astronaut Loral O'Hara is pictured trying on her spacesuit and testing its components aboard the International Space Station ahead of an upcoming spacewalk.
NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara is pictured trying on her spacesuit and testing its components aboard the International Space Station ahead of an upcoming spacewalk.

Two United States operating segment spacewalks outside the International Space Station have been rescheduled for no earlier than Thursday, Oct. 19, and Monday, Oct. 30, as a result of ongoing review by NASA managers and engineers after a coolant leak from a backup radiator on the station’s Nauka multipurpose laboratory module.

The spacewalks were deferred from their original target dates to allow engineers additional time to complete their analysis of the coolant leak, which occurred on Oct. 9 and has now stopped.

During the first spacewalk NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen will exit the station’s Quest airlock to collect samples for analysis to see whether microorganisms may exist on the exterior of the orbital complex. They also will replace a high-definition camera on the port truss of the station and conduct other maintenance work to prepare for future spacewalks.

O’Hara will serve as extravehicular activity (EVA) crew member 1 and will wear a suit with red stripes. Mogensen will serve as extravehicular crew member 2 and will wear an unmarked suit. U.S. Spacewalk 89 will be the first spacewalk for both crew members.

During the second spacewalk, O’Hara and Jasmin Moghbeli will complete the removal of a faulty electronics box, called a Radio Frequency Group, from a communications antenna bracket and replace one of twelve Trundle Bearing Assemblies on the port truss Solar Alpha Rotary Joint. The bearings enable the station’s solar arrays to rotate properly to track the sun as the station orbits the Earth. During this spacewalk, Moghbeli will serve as EVA crew member 1 and O’Hara will serve as EVA crew member 2. U.S. Spacewalk 90 will be the first spacewalk for Moghbeli and second for O’Hara.

Details on times for the spacewalks are being reviewed and times for live coverage on NASA Television, the agency’s website and the NASA app and will be shared once available.

Cargo operations and maintenance filled the Expedition 70 crew’s day as International Space Station managers and engineers continued reviewing the ceased leak data. In the meantime, two cosmonauts are also gearing up for their own spacewalk.

Astronauts Loral O’Hara of NASA and Satoshi Furukawa of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) were back on cargo duty Thursday morning. The duo continued unpacking cargo from the Cygnus space freighter and loaded trash and discarded items for disposal aboard the commercial cargo craft. Cygnus delivered several tons of science and supplies on Aug. 2 and will depart the station and complete its mission in December.

O’Hara also worked on the Cold Atom Lab completing the installation of new science components and reconnection of cables on the quantum physics research device. Furukawa collected drinking water samples for processing and analysis in the Destiny laboratory module.

Commander Andreas Mogensen of ESA (European Space Agency) along with NASA Flight Engineer Jasmin Moghbeli spent a few moments on Thursday checking out spacesuit components including safety jetpacks and other gear. Mogensen would also photograph the condition of the Columbus laboratory module and perform educational science activities. Moghbeli inspected and cleaned hatch seals in the station’s U.S. segment then cleared away items blocking ventilation systems and narrowing passage between modules.

Cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub continued preparing for their spacewalk scheduled on Oct. 25 to install new hardware and deploy a nanosatellite. The pair from Roscosmos collected and organized their spacewalking tools inside the Poisk airlock where the planned six-hour and 45-minute spacewalk will begin. Kononenko also jogged on the Zvezda service module’s treadmill for in a physical fitness evaluation. Chub worked in Nauka testing the performance of laptop computers.

Roscosmos Flight Engineer Konstantin Borisov spent most of his day on a variety of maintenance tasks as he serviced life support gear and panels inside the Nauka module. Borisov also transferred water from the Progress 85 cargo craft into the station and jogged on the treadmill for a fitness test after Kononenko.

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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NASA Updates Commercial Crew Planning Manifest

The International Space Station’s U.S. segment and portions of the Russian segment are pictured from the SpaceX Crew Dragon Endeavour during a fly around of the orbiting lab that took place following its undocking from the Harmony module’s space-facing port on Nov. 8, 2021. Prominent at the top in this view, are the Columbus laboratory module, the Harmony module and its space-facing docking port, and the Kibo laboratory module with its external pallet. Credit: NASA

NASA and its industry partners Boeing and SpaceX are planning for the next set of missions to the International Space Station for the agency’s Commercial Crew Program.

Crew-8

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission to the orbiting laboratory is targeted to launch no earlier than mid-February. The mission will carry NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, commander; Michael Barratt, pilot; and mission specialist Jeanette Epps, as well as Roscosmos cosmonaut mission specialist Alexander Grebenkin to the space station to conduct a wide range of operational and research activities. Routine maintenance and processing of the Crew-8 SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft is in work. This will be the first spaceflight for Dominick, Epps, and Grebenkin, and the third for Barratt. Crew-8 is expected to return to Earth in late August 2024, following a short handover with the agency’s Crew-9 mission.

Starliner Crew Flight Test (CFT)

The first crewed flight of the Starliner spacecraft, named NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test (CFT), is planned for no earlier than mid-April. CFT will send NASA astronauts and test pilots Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams on a demonstration flight to prove the end-to-end capabilities of the Starliner system. Starliner will launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, spend approximately eight days docked to the space station, and return to Earth with a parachute and airbag-assisted ground landing in the desert of the western United States.

NASA will provide an updated status of CFT readiness as more information becomes available.

Crew-9

Looking further ahead in 2024, NASA and SpaceX are targeting no earlier than mid-August for the launch of the agency’s Crew-9, SpaceX’s ninth crew rotation mission to the space station for NASA. A crew of four will be announced at a later date.

10th Crew Rotation Mission

The 10th commercial crew rotation opportunity to the space station is targeted for early 2025. NASA is planning for either SpaceX’s Crew-10 or Boeing’s Starliner-1 mission in this slot. The Starliner-1 date was adjusted to allow for the post-flight review of the Crew Flight Test and incorporation of anticipated learning, approvals of final certification products, and completion of readiness and certification reviews ahead of that mission.

For more insight on NASA’s Commercial Crew Program missions to the orbiting laboratory follow the commercial crew blog. More details can be found @commercial_crew on X and commercial crew on Facebook.

Spacewalks Postponed as Managers Review Leak Data

The space station is pictured from the SpaceX Crew Dragon Endeavour during its departure and flyaround on Nov. 8, 2021.
The space station is pictured from the SpaceX Crew Dragon Endeavour during its departure and flyaround on Nov. 8, 2021.

NASA engineering and flight control teams are continuing to review data and video associated with a coolant leak from a backup radiator on the station’s Nauka multipurpose laboratory module (MLM). Two United States segment spacewalks originally scheduled for Thursday, Oct.12, and Friday, Oct. 20, have been postponed until the review is complete. New dates will be announced later.

The leak has now ceased, as was reported by Roscosmos flight controllers and evidenced by NASA external station camera views, which show only residual coolant droplets.

The primary radiator on Nauka continues to work normally, providing full cooling to the module with no impacts to the crew or to space station operations.

The backup radiator was delivered to the space station on the Rassvet module during space shuttle mission STS-132 in 2010. It was transferred to the Nauka during a Roscosmos spacewalk in April.

Teams on the ground continue to investigate the cause of the leak, and additional updates will be made as soon as available.

Meanwhile, cargo operations and maintenance rounded out the day aboard the International Space Station.

All seven orbital lab residents began Wednesday morning weighing themselves in microgravity. While the space environment renders objects and humans weightless, they still have mass. The crew uses a specialized device that applies a known force to a crew member and measures the resulting acceleration to accurately calculate their mass.

The international septet then split up for the rest of the day moving on to a variety of activities in preparation for upcoming spacewalks. Astronauts Loral O’Hara of NASA and Andreas Mogensen of ESA (European Space Agency) will exit the space station and swab station surfaces to determine the types of microbes that might survive the extreme conditions of outer space. They will be supported by fellow astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli of NASA and Satoshi Furukawa of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) who will assist the spacewalkers before, during, and after the scheduled six-hour excursion.

Cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub are also getting ready for a spacewalk together planned at the end of the month to install new hardware and deploy nanosatellites. The duo spent Wednesday morning studying the procedures planned for the six-hour and 45-minute spacewalk. After lunchtime, the Roscosmos flight engineers began collecting their spacesuit components and organizing spacewalking tools.

Amidst the spacewalk prep work today, O’Hara, Mogensen and Furukawa also took turns transferring cargo in and out of the Cygnus space freighter berthed to the Unity module’s Earth-facing port. Cygnus launched to the orbital outpost on Aug. 1, carrying food, fuel, supplies, and new science experiments to study gene therapy, atmospheric density, spacecraft fire safety, and more. The cargo craft from Northrop Grumman is due to end its mission and depart in December.

Cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov spent his day supporting life support and electronics maintenance. The first-time space flyer finalized a session of carbon dioxide monitoring and readied radiation detectors that will be worn on spacesuits on an upcoming spacewalk. He also charged camcorder batteries and reconfigured video cameras.

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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Tuesday Sees Space Physics, Human Research, and Spacewalk Preps

Astronaut Loral O'Hara shows off spacewalking tools aboard the International Space Station.
Astronaut Loral O’Hara shows off spacewalking tools aboard the International Space Station.

The Expedition 70 crew worked throughout Tuesday on space physics and human research aboard the International Space Station. Two astronauts are also gearing up for a spacewalk on Thursday to determine if microorganisms can survive the harsh environment of outer space.

Tuesday morning, the orbital residents focused their science activities on a variety of physics research hardware. NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara installed new components and reconnected power and data cables on the Cold Atom Lab, a device that observes the quantum behavior of atoms chilled to near absolute zero. Flight Engineer Satoshi Furukawa of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) set up combustion experiment gear in the Kibo laboratory module to study how microgravity affects flames and improve fire safety on spacecraft.

O’Hara then joined fellow NASA Flight Engineer Jasmin Moghbeli in the Columbus laboratory module for vein scans. Moghbeli operated the Ultrasound 2 device and scanned O’Hara’s neck, shoulder, and leg veins with assistance from doctors on the ground.

At the end of the day, both astronauts joined up with Furukawa and Commander Andreas Mogensen of ESA (European Space Agency) and discussed robotics procedures planned for Thursday’s spacewalk. Moghbeli and Furukawa will be at the controls of the Canadarm2 robotic arm assisting O’Hara and Mogensen when they exit the station on Thursday for a six-hour spacewalk that starts at 10 a.m. EDT.

Mogensen and O’Hara earlier worked in the Quest airlock organizing the spacewalking tools they will use on Thursday to swab station surfaces and determine if microbes can live in the external conditions of microgravity. Moghbeli and Furukawa trained on a computer for the robotics maneuvers necessary to support the spacewalkers.

Two cosmonauts worked on a pair of technology studies exploring 3D printing and space navigation on Tuesday. Flight Engineer Nikolai Chub tested the on-demand manufacturing, or 3D printing, of tools in microgravity to help crews become less dependent on supplies launched from Earth. Flight Engineer Konstantin Borisov photographed landmarks on Earth for an experiment collecting data to improve high-precision data for determining the location of the space station.

Veteran cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko spent Tuesday working inside the Progress 85 (85P) cargo craft docked to the aft port of the Zvezda service module. The five-time station visitor first transferred water stowed inside the 85P into liquid containers aboard the Roscosmos segment of the orbiting lab. Afterward, Kononenko unpacked cargo from the 85P, stowed the new supplies in the appropriate station modules, and updated inventory systems.

The coolant leak from a backup radiator on the station’s Nauka Multipurpose Laboratory Module (MLM) has ceased, as was reported by Roscosmos flight controllers and evidenced by NASA external station camera views, which show only residual coolant droplets.

The primary radiator on Nauka continues to work normally, providing full cooling to the module with no impacts to the crew or to space station operations.

The radiator was delivered to the space station on the Rassvet module during space shuttle mission STS-132 in 2010. It was transferred to the Nauka during a Roscosmos spacewalk in April.

Teams on the ground continue to investigate the cause of the leak, and additional updates will be made as available.

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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International Space Station Operations Update

At approximately 1 p.m. EDT Oct. 9, NASA flight controllers in mission control at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, using cameras on the International Space Station exterior, observed flakes emanating from one of two radiators on the Roscosmos Nauka Multipurpose Laboratory Module (MLM). The flight control team informed the crew aboard the space station of the potential leak, and NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli confirmed the presence of the flakes from the cupola windows, after which the crew was asked to close the shutters on U.S. segment windows as a precaution against contamination.

The crew aboard station was never in any danger.

Roscosmos confirmed that the observed leak is on Nauka’s backup radiator, which is mounted to the outside of the module. The radiator was delivered to the space station on the Rassvet module during space shuttle mission STS-132 in 2010. It was transferred to the Nauka during a Roscosmos spacewalk in April. The primary radiator on Nauka is working normally, providing full cooling to the module with no impacts to the crew or to space station operations.

Teams on the ground will continue to investigate the cause of the leak, and additional updates will be made as available.

Astronauts Prepare for Two October Spacewalks

(From left) Astronauts Andreas Mogensen and Loral O'Hara try on their spacesuits and test the suits' components aboard the Quest airlock in preparation for their upcoming spacewalk.
(From left) Astronauts Andreas Mogensen and Loral O’Hara try on their spacesuits and test the suits’ components aboard the Quest airlock in preparation for their upcoming spacewalk.

Spacewalk preparations topped the schedule for the Expedition 70 crew aboard the International Space Station on Friday. NASA managers previewed the spacewalks at the end of the week that will see astronauts exiting the orbital lab to collect microbe samples and service a variety of hardware.

Flight Engineer Loral O’Hara of NASA and space station Commander Andreas Mogensen of ESA (European Space Agency) will exit the space station on Oct. 12 for a planned six-hour spacewalk. The duo will swab external station surfaces with specialized tools collecting samples of microorganisms for analysis. Scientists will process the samples to determine the types of microbes that may survive in the vacuum of space.

The duo was joined on Friday by astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli of NASA and Satoshi Furukawa of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) to continue preparing for their mission’s first spacewalk. The foursome called down to specialists on the ground and reviewed the upcoming spacewalk’s procedures. All four astronauts also studied the robotics activities necessary to support the microbe-sampling spacewalk. Moghbeli and Furukawa will maneuver the Canadarm2 robotic arm during the excursion, monitor the astronauts during their spacewalk, and help the spacewalkers in and out of their spacesuits.

NASA managers previewed the upcoming spacewalk activities on NASA TV on Friday. They also highlighted a second spacewalk scheduled for Oct. 20 when O’Hara will exit the space station with Moghbeli. The two NASA astronauts will spend about six-and-a-half hours in the vacuum of space removing faulty radio communications gear and installing new solar array hardware.

View the animation depicting the Oct. 12 spacewalk activities
View the animation depicting the Oct. 20 spacewalk activities

The space station’s three cosmonauts representing Roscosmos spent their day conducting space research and maintaining orbital lab systems. Veteran flight engineer Oleg Kononenko installed Earth observation hardware during the morning and spent the rest of the day configuring electronics and communications gear. Nikolai Chub cleaned ventilation systems in the Zvezda service module then studied how crew members may pilot future spacecraft. Konstantin Borisov photographed forests on Earth documenting natural and man-made changes and ended his day checking docking port components on Zvezda.

Human Research Ahead of Spacewalk Preview on NASA TV

From left, astronauts Andreas Mogensen, Loral O'Hara, and Jasmin Moghbeli are pictured in their spacesuits training for spacewalks on Earth. Credit: NASA
From left, astronauts Andreas Mogensen, Loral O’Hara, and Jasmin Moghbeli are pictured in their spacesuits training for spacewalks on Earth. Credit: NASA

Spacesuit preparations took a break on Thursday as the Expedition 70 crew turned its attention it to human research including behavioral studies, eye exams, and a fitness evaluation. The International Space Station residents also focused on an array of science hardware maintenance and orbital plumbing tasks.

NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara spent her day participating in the CIPHER human research study to understand how living in space affects an astronaut’s mind and body. She practiced simulated robotics maneuvers on a computer to assess changes in her cognition and brain function. She also processed blood and urine samples for insights into her immune and heart health. The experiment is observing the combined effects of radiation, isolation, long distances, microgravity, and closed environments on crews.

Two flight engineers, Jasmin Moghbeli of NASA and Satoshi Furukawa of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), had a busy day of science hardware work, robotics training, and eye checks. Moghbeli started her schedule replacing components on the Cold Atom Lab and inspecting the quantum physics research facility. Furukawa began his shift configuring cameras and lights that will be installed outside the space station later. The pair then joined each other after lunch reviewing robotics procedures for an upcoming spacewalk. Finally, Furukawa examined Moghbeli’s eyes using standard medical imaging gear found in a doctor’s office on Earth.

NASA managers will discuss two spacewalks scheduled for Oct. 12 and 20 for science and maintenance at 1 p.m. EDT on Friday on NASA TV. For the first spacewalk, astronauts O’Hara and Andreas Mogensen from ESA (European Space Agency) will collect external microbe samples for analysis. The second spacewalk will see O’Hara and Moghbeli remove and replace communications and solar array hardware.

Mogensen, commander of Expedition 70, spent Thursday afternoon in the Tranquility module servicing life support components. Before that, he joined his crewmates Moghbeli and Furukawa, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov for a medical emergency training session. The astronauts gathered together locating medical hardware, coordinating rescue roles, and practicing cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or CPR, as part of the training session. The foursome launched to the orbital lab as members of the SpaceX Crew-7 mission on Aug. 26, 2023.

Earlier, cosmonaut Nikolai Chub assisted Borisov as he attached sensors to himself and pedaled on an exercise cycle for a physical fitness evaluation. Doctors evaluate the downlinked exercise data to understand a crew member’s aerobic and cardiovascular conditioning in weightlessness. Chub would spend the rest of the day on electronics and computer maintenance.

The orbiting lab’s most experienced crew member, cosmonaut and five-time station visitor Oleg Kononenko, started his day in the Zvezda service module replacing orbital plumbing parts. Afterward, Kononenko swapped gases for a space physics study and synchronized clocks on cameras to station computers.

Spacesuits, Research, and Treadmill Work Top Crew’s Day

Astronauts Andreas Mogensen and Loral O'Hara work on a pair of spacesuits inside the International Space Station's Quest airlock.
Astronauts Andreas Mogensen and Loral O’Hara work on a pair of spacesuits inside the International Space Station’s Quest airlock.

The Expedition 70 crew continues preparing for a pair of spacewalks for science and maintenance outside the International Space Station. The orbital residents are also studying space piloting, observing Earth, and working on a treadmill today.

NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen are getting ready for their first spacewalk set to begin at 10 a.m. EST on Oct. 12. The duo will use specialized tools to collect microbe samples from specific areas outside of the station. Scientists want to analyze the types of microbes that may be able to survive the harsh environment of outer space.

NASA TV will broadcast both a spacewalk preview briefing and the upcoming spacewalks. The preview briefing, set for 1 p.m. EDT on Friday, will highlight next week’s spacewalk activities, as well as another spacewalk scheduled for Oct. 20 with O’Hara and fellow NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli. The Oct. 12 spacewalk broadcast begins at 8:30 a.m.

O’Hara and Mogensen tried on their spacesuits today with assistance from Moghbeli and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa. The duo tested the suits’ communication capabilities with ground controllers and practiced using some of the tools and procedures they will use during the microbe-sampling spacewalk. Moghbeli and Furukawa will assist the duo in and out of their spacesuits and monitor their spacewalking activities next week.

The three Roscosmos flight engineers split their day with a variety of space science and maintenance activities. Veteran cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko attached sensors to himself measuring his responses as he practiced docking a spacecraft on computer. The study aims to keep station crew members familiar with piloting a spacecraft and train crews for future missions. First-time cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov pointed his camera towards Earth and photographed forests to monitor the effects of natural and human activities.

Kononenko then joined Nikolai Chub, also a first-time cosmonaut, and spent the afternoon working on regularly scheduled maintenance on a treadmill inside the Zvezda service module. Chub and Borisov also worked on a variety of electronics and life support maintenance throughout the orbital lab’s Roscosmos segment.

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 Preps for Spacewalks to Analyze Microbes, Replace Hardware

Astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli prepares for spacewalk training at Johnson Space Center’s Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory with assistance from astronaut Tracy C. Dyson.
Astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli prepares for spacewalk training at Johnson Space Center’s Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory with assistance from astronaut Tracy C. Dyson.

Spacewalk preparations and exercise gear maintenance were the primary tasks for the Expedition 70 crew aboard the International Space Station on Tuesday. Hearing tests and a variety of science and hardware tasks rounded out the day’s plan for the orbital crewmates.

Three astronauts are stepping up preparations for a pair of spacewalks planned this month for science and maintenance. Both spacewalks, planned for Oct. 12 and 20, will be broadcast live on NASA TV, on the agency’s app, and website.

The first spacewalk will see ESA (European Space Agency) Commander Andreas Mogensen and NASA Flight Engineer Loral O’Hara swabbing external station surfaces for microbes. They will carefully collect microbe samples from specific areas on the station using specialized tools. The samples will later be analyzed to determine the types of microbes that may survive in the vacuum of space. This will be the first spacewalk for both astronauts.

The second spacewalk will be with O’Hara going out once again, but this time with NASA Flight Engineer Jasmin Moghbeli who is going on her first spacewalk. The duo will remove faulty radio communications gear and install new solar array hardware during the six-and-half-hour excursion.

Moghbeli tried on her spacesuit on Tuesday afternoon and tested its ability to communicate with mission controllers on the ground. JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa and Mogensen both assisted Moghbeli in the Quest airlock as she ensured her spacesuit was in operable condition.

Furukawa began his day with O’Hara inside the Destiny laboratory module replacing the orbital lab’s exercise cycle. The duo spent the morning uninstalling the workout hardware, updating its components, installing the new cycle, then activating the new aerobic and cardiovascular gear.

At the end of the day, O’Hara took turns with Roscosmos Flight Engineers Nikolai Chub and Oleg Kononenko to conduct a hearing test. Chub earlier installed a variety of cameras to monitor Earth’s upper atmosphere as well as accurately predict the station’s location in space. Kononenko and cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov would spend most of their day servicing a variety of Roscosmos hardware. The pair worked throughout the orbital lab working on electronics, communications, and life support gear.

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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