Roscosmos spacewalker Sergey Prokopyev works outside the space station during the installation of an experiment airlock on the Nauka science module on May 3.
NASA coverage is underway for today’s spacewalk with Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin. The duo will exit out of the International Space Station’s Poisk module about 10:45 a.m. EDT to attach three debris shields to the Rassvet module. They also will test the sturdiness of a work platform that will be affixed to the end of the European robotic arm attached to the Nauka multipurpose laboratory module.
Coverage of the spacewalk is on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website.
Prokopyev is wearing the Orlan spacesuit with red stripes, while Petelin is wearing the suit with blue stripes.
This will be the eighth spacewalk in Prokopyev’s career, and the sixth for Petelin. It will be the tenth spacewalk at the station in 2023 and the 267th spacewalk for space station assembly, maintenance, and upgrades.
Cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin are pictured during a spacewalk on May 12 to deploy and activate a radiator on the Nauka science module.
Stem cells and space botany were the top research objectives for the Expedition 69 crew on Tuesday while still working to unpack a new U.S. cargo craft. Two cosmonauts are also “go” to exit the International Space Station on Wednesday for more upgrades on the orbital lab.
Life science in microgravity enables researchers to observe biological phenomena and achieve unique insights that would be impossible in Earth’s gravity environment. Scientists then apply the new knowledge potentially improving a variety of Earth-bound conditions including human health and agriculture.
Two experiments aboard the station today addressed new cancer therapies and ways to grow crops in space. NASA Flight Engineer Frank Rubio worked in the Kibo laboratory module servicing stem cell samples for the StemCellEX-H Pathfinder study that seeks to improve therapies for blood diseases and cancers such as leukemia. UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi harvested leaves from thale cress plants that are similar to cabbage and mustard for the Plant Habitat-03 experiment to learn how to grow food and sustain crews on future space missions.
NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen and Woody Hoburg focused their day primarily on orbital maintenance. Bowen replaced air filters in the Destiny laboratory module while Hoburg monitored the performance of the advanced resistive exercise device for troubleshooting in the Tranquility module. The duo also had time set aside for some science activities as Bowen processed his blood samples for analysis and Hoburg tested station potable water samples for quality.
All four astronauts continued unpacking some of the 8,200 pounds of science and supplies delivered aboard the Cygnus space freighter on Friday. Cargo activities will be ongoing until late October when Cygnus departs the station completing a three-month orbital stay.
Two cosmonauts are ready to begin the 10th spacewalk at the station this year to install orbital debris shields and relocate hardware on the orbital outpost’s Roscosmos segment. Commander Sergey Prokopyev and Flight Engineer Dmitri Petelin have completed their procedure reviews and Orlan spacesuit configurations and will begin a six-and-a-half-hour spacewalk at 10:45 a.m. EDT on Wednesday. NASA TV, on the agency’s app and website, begins its live spacewalk coverage at 10:15 a.m.
Flight Engineer Andrey Fedyaev will support the two spacewalkers on Wednesday as he commands the European robotic arm (ERA) from inside the Nauka science module during the planned six-hour and 30-minute excursion. Fedyaev started his day joining Prokopyev and Petelin for the final spacewalk procedures review. He then spent the rest of the day configuring the ERA preparing it for hardware transfers during Wednesday’s spacewalk.
The Cygnus cargo craft approaches the International Space Station on Aug. 4 while orbiting 261 miles above the coast of the Garabogazköl Basin in Turkmenistan.
A U.S. cargo craft is open for business at the International Space Station and two cosmonauts are gearing up for a spacewalk on Wednesday. The Expedition 69 crew also kicked off the work week exploring high temperature physics and ways to make semiconductor crystals.
NASA Flight Engineer Frank Rubio worked throughout Monday unpacking some of the 8,200 pounds of science and supplies delivered aboard Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus space freighter on Friday. A couple of the new experiments include investigations looking at the formation of 3D neuron cell structures and an Astrobee robotic free-flyer to assist astronauts. News crew supplies include food, water, life support gear, and spacewalking hardware.
NASA Flight Engineer Woody Hoburg began his day on science maintenance work swapping out research gear and inspecting a rack in the Columbus laboratory module. He also serviced new Cold Atom Lab hardware inside the Destiny laboratory module. The Cold Atom Lab observes the quantum behavior of atoms chilled to temperatures near absolute zero. Hoburg also joined his crewmates and assisted Rubio as he unloaded cargo from inside Cygnus.
Two cosmonauts are in final preparations for the year’s 10th spacewalk out of the station set to begin at 10:45 a.m. on Wednesday. Commander Sergey Prokopyev and Flight Engineer Dmitri Petelin will exit the Poisk airlock in their Orlan spacesuits and spend about six and a half hours installing micrometeoroid orbital debris shields and relocating hardware. The duo from Roscosmos spent Monday configuring communications gear and checking their spacesuits for leaks. This will be Prokopyev’s and Petelin’s sixth spacewalk together since their first on Nov. 17, 2022.
Roscosmos Flight Engineer Andrey Fedyaev spent his day primarily on life support tasks. He started Monday replacing heat exchanger fans in the Nauka science module. In the afternoon, Fedyaev worked on the Zvezda service module’s Elektron oxygen generator that splits reclaimed water into oxygen and hydrogen.
On Aug. 5, the Progress 83 spacecraft’s thrusters fired for three minutes, 16 seconds in a planned avoidance maneuver to provide the International Space Station an extra measure of distance away from a predicted track of a debris fragment.
The thruster firing occurred at 10:03 p.m. EDT, and the maneuver had no impact on station operations, including the trajectory phasing for either the upcoming Roscosmos Progress 85 cargo launch on Tuesday, Aug. 22, and SpaceX Crew-7 launch on Aug. 25.
Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus space freighter is guided to its installation point on the space station’s Unity module by the Canadarm2 robotic arm. Credit: NASA TV
Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus spacecraft installation at the International Space Station is now complete. Cygnus, carrying over 8,200 pounds of cargo and science experiments, launched atop the company’s Antares rocket at 8:31 p.m. EDT Tuesday, Aug. 1, from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. At 5:52 a.m., NASA astronaut Woody Hoburg, along with NASA astronaut Frank Rubio as backup, captured Cygnus using the station’s Canadarm2 robotic arm.
Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus space freighter is pictured moments before being captured with the Canadarm2 robotic arm by NASA astronaut Woody Hoburg. Credit: NASA TV
NASA’s live coverage of the installation of Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus spacecraft at the International Space Station is underway. At 5:55 a.m. EDT, NASA astronaut Woody Hoburg, with NASA astronaut Frank Rubio acting as backup, captured the Cygnus spacecraft using the station’s Canadarm2 robotic arm. Cygnus is carrying over 8,200 pounds of supplies, hardware, and science experiments.
This is Northrop Grumman’s 19th commercial resupply mission to the space station for NASA. Northrop Grumman named the Cygnus spacecraft the S.S. Laurel Clark in honor of the late NASA astronaut, undersea medical officer, and naval flight officer, Laurel Clark.
Cygnus will remain at the space station until October before it departs for a destructive re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere.
NASA Television, the NASA app, and agency’s website are providing live coverage of the spacecraft’s installation.
Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus space freighter is pictured in the grips of the Canadarm2 robotic arm following its capture as both spacecraft orbited above Africa. Credit: NASA TV
At 5:52 a.m. EDT, NASA astronaut Woody Hoburg, with NASA astronaut Frank Rubio acting as backup, captured Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus spacecraft using the International Space Station’s Canadarm2 robotic arm. Mission control in Houston will actively command the arm to rotate Cygnus to its installation orientation and then to guide it in for installation on the station’s Unity module Earth-facing port.
NASA Television, the NASA app, and agency’s website will provide live coverage of the spacecraft’s installation beginning at 7:30 a.m.
The Cygnus spacecraft launched Tuesday, Aug. 1, on the company’s Antares rocket from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia at 8:31 p.m. This is Northrop Grumman’s 19th commercial resupply mission to the International Space Station for NASA. The Cygnus spacecraft is carrying a supply of over 8,200 pounds of scientific investigations and cargo to the orbiting laboratory.
Northrop Grumman named the Cygnus the S.S. Laurel Clark in honor of the late NASA astronaut, undersea medical officer, and naval flight officer, Laurel Clark.
The Cygnus space freighter is pictured moments away from being captured with the Canadarm2 robotic arm above northern Iraq on Feb. 21, 2022.
NASA television is underway for the capture of Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus spacecraft at the International Space Station. The spacecraft launched Tuesday, Aug. 1, at 8:31 p.m. EDT on the company’s Antares rocket from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.
At about 5:55 a.m., NASA astronaut Woody Hoburg will capture Cygnus using the Canadarm2 robotic arm, and NASA astronaut Frank Rubio will act as backup. After capture, the spacecraft will be installed on the Unity module’s Earth-facing port.
This is Northrop Grumman’s 19th commercial resupply mission to the International Space Station for NASA. The Cygnus spacecraft is carrying a supply of over 8,200 pounds of scientific investigations and cargo to the orbiting laboratory.
Northrop Grumman named the spacecraft the S.S. Laurel Clark in honor of the late NASA astronaut, undersea medical officer, and naval flight officer, Laurel Clark.
NASA Television, the NASA app, and agency’s website will provide live coverage of the spacecraft’s installation beginning at 7:30 a.m.
Astronaut Stephen Bowen performs research activities using the BioFabrication Facility, an experiment platform to print organ-like tissues.
A wide variety of research kept the Expedition 69 crew busy aboard the International Space Station on Thursday. In the meantime, the orbital residents will welcome a U.S. cargo craft on Friday then turn their attention to a spacewalk next week.
Four astronauts from NASA and the UAE (United Arab Emirates) were back to work following a day off on Wednesday. The quartet had its hands full on Thursday studying how microgravity affects biology, physics, and robotics.
Flight Engineer Stephen Bowen serviced blood samples to assess how the immune system changes in weightlessness. Flight Engineer Frank Rubio swapped samples inside the Materials Science Laboratory, a research facility designed to discover new applications for existing materials and new or improved materials. Flight Engineer Woody Hoburg monitored the Astrobee robotic assistants that were controlled by student-written algorithms in support of the Astrobee-Zero Robotics competition for youth. Astronaut Sultan Alneyadi worked throughout the day on life support maintenance before familiarizing himself with the BioFabrication Facility, a 3D biological printer.
After the science work, all four flight engineers joined each other and called down to the next crew to visit the station, SpaceX Crew-7, and discussed the crew swap targeted for the end of the month. Finally, the foursome wrapped up its day with a conference with mission controllers to discuss Cygnus’ arrival on Friday.
Cygnus is due to be captured at 5:55 a.m. EDT on Friday when Hoburg commands the Canadarm2 robotic arm to reach out and grapple the U.S. resupply ship. Rubio will be backing up Hoburg monitoring Cygnus as it arrives packed with over 8,200 pounds of science and supplies. Cygnus began its trip to the station after launching at 8:31 p.m. on Tuesday from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.
Just five days after Cygnus arrives, Commander Sergey Prokopyev and Flight Engineer Dmitri Petelin will exit the Poisk airlock in their Orlan spacesuits for the year’s 10th spacewalk. They have been reviewing procedures this week for when they install micrometeoroid orbital debris shields and relocate hardware on the outside of the orbital lab on Aug. 9.
The duo from Roscosmos took a break from spacewalk preparations today and studied how living in space affects digestion and ways future crews may pilot planetary spacecraft and robots. Flight Engineer Andrey Fedyaev also participated in the space digestion study before attaching electrodes to himself for a 24-hour session measuring his heart activity and blood pressure.
Northrop Grumman’s Antares rocket with the Cygnus cargo craft atop launches on time from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. Credit: NASA/Patrick Black
Expedition 69 is awaiting an orbiting U.S. cargo craft carrying over 8,200 pounds of science and supplies for delivery on Friday. The International Space Station’s residents split their day on Wednesday as four astronauts took the day off while three cosmonauts prepared for a spacewalk next week.
Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus space freighter is orbiting Earth racing towards the orbital lab after its successful launch from Virginia at 8:31 p.m. EDT on Tuesday. NASA Flight Engineers Woody Hoburg and Frank Rubio will be on duty Friday morning when Cygnus begins its slow, methodical arrival for capture. Hoburg will command the Canadarm2 robotic arm to reach out and grapple Cygnus at 5:55 a.m. after its final approach on Friday. Rubio will back up Hoburg monitoring Cygnus and its telemetry as it nears the space station.
Mission controllers on the ground will remotely take control of the Canadarm2 after Cygnus’ capture and install it to the Unity module’s Earth-facing port about two hours later. Cygnus is scheduled to end its stay at the orbital lab at the end of October.
Both astronauts along with NASA Flight Engineer Stephen Bowen and UAE (United Arab Emirates) Flight Engineer Sultan Alneyadi relaxed Wednesday setting some time aside for their daily workouts. The quartet will get back to work on Thursday with a research schedule filled with life science, materials physics, and robotics. The foursome will have one more Cygnus conference with mission controllers on the ground, then get a good night’s sleep before beginning a full day of cargo activities.
Next week, two cosmonauts are scheduled to begin the year’s tenth spacewalk. Commander Sergey Prokopyev and Flight Engineer Dmitri Petelin are due to exit the Poisk airlock on Aug. 9 to install micrometeoroid orbital debris shields and relocate hardware. The duo spent Wednesday reviewing the upcoming spacewalk procedures and configuring their Orlan spacesuits.
Flight Engineer Andrey Fedyaev worked Wednesday photographing the condition of Earth’s forests using a high-power camera. The first-time space flyer, who also joined Prokopyev and Petelin for the spacewalk review, will be in the Nauka science module at the controls of the European robotic arm assisting the spacewalkers next week.
The solar arrays have successfully deployed on Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus cargo spacecraft that is on its way to deliver more than 8,200 pounds ofscientific investigations, cargo, and supplies to the International Space Station after launching at 8:31 p.m. EDT Tuesday from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility on the Eastern Shore of Virginia.
File photo from June 28, 2022, of a Northrop Grumman Cygnus spacecraft grappled by the International Space Station’s Canadarm2 robotic arm. Credit: NASA
Coverage of the spacecraft’s approach and arrival to the orbiting laboratory will begin Friday, Aug. 4, at 4:30 a.m. EST on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website, followed by installation coverage at 7:30 a.m.
NASA astronaut Woody Hoburg will capture Cygnus using the station’s robotic arm, and NASA astronaut Frank Rubio will act as backup. After capture, the spacecraft will be installed on the Unity module’s Earth-facing port.
This delivery is Northrop Grumman’s 19th contracted cargo flight to the space station and will support dozens of new and existing investigations.