Tuesday Sees Human Research and Space Biology Ahead of Crew Arrival

The Soyuz rocket is seen after being rolled out by train to the launch pad at Site 31, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls

The Soyuz rocket is seen after being rolled out by train to the launch pad at Site 31, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls

Human research activities and space biology kept the International Space Station residents busy on Tuesday as they prepare for the arrival of three new crewmates who are set to lift off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Wednesday.

NASA astronaut Don Pettit, along with Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner, will launch aboard the Soyuz MS-26 spacecraft at 12:23 p.m. EDT Wednesday, Sept. 11. Following launch, the trio will take a short ride to the station and dock at 3:33 p.m. to the Rassvet module before opening the hatches and joining the Expedition 71 crew in orbit, where they’ll spend approximately six months living and working in space.

Aboard the orbiting lab, NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick completed some cable and power reconfigurations in the Columbus laboratory module, then finalized hardware preps for human research activities that took place throughout the day.

Dominick was joined by NASA astronaut Jeanette Epps, and in coordination with remote ground teams, spent the day using ultrasound and tomography hardware to collect Epps’ blood pressure data and view her optic nerve, retina, and cornea. Epps then donned thigh cuffs through the remainder of the day to test how they could be used to possibly reverse space-induced headward fluid shifts in astronauts.

In the Japanese Experiment Module, NASA astronaut Tracy C. Dyson set up the Confocal Space Microscope, configured its lenses, and inserted samples for analysis. She then completed some medical training before ending the day swapping the gloves, sleeves, and media bag in the Life Science Glovebox.

NASA astronaut Mike Barratt set his sights to prepping for future space botany investigations throughout the day. He charged the Multispeq tool, which is used to capture plant data for the APEX-09 investigation, then updated the software that logs and manages the data.

A suite of activities topped NASA astronaut Suni Williams’ schedule on Tuesday as she replaced hardware on the Packed Bed Retractor Experiment, completed some orbital plumbing, and prepped for upcoming crew arrivals. Her NASA crewmate, Butch Wilmore, collected water samples from the potable water dispenser and later analyzed them for microbial growth. Wilmore also powered on the KERMIT microscope, swapped the lens, and installed new slides. In the evening, the duo held a conference with SpaceX ground teams.

Current station Commander Oleg Kononenko swabbed various surfaces throughout the orbital complex to assess for microbial growth in microgravity. He then spent the rest of the day packing items for return on the Soyuz MS-25 spacecraft, which is due to bring him, along with Dyson, and cosmonaut Nikolai Chub, home in late September.

Chub spent the day packing items for departure then took some time to observe the glow of Earth’s nighttime atmosphere in near-ultraviolet and collect condensate samples from the water recovery system. His Roscosmos crewmate, Alexander Grebenkin, spent a majority of the day on orbital plumbing tasks, including replacing hoses and running a distillation cycle on the water processing unit.

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 updates from NASA Johnson Space Center at: https://roundupreads.jsc.nasa.gov/

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Astronauts Rest After Starliner Lands; Soyuz Crew Nears Launch

The New Moon sets behind Earth's colorful, but dimming atmosphere in this long-duration photograph taken with a camera programmed for high sensitivity.
The New Moon sets behind Earth’s colorful, but dimming atmosphere in this long-duration photograph taken with a camera programmed for high sensitivity.

Six of the nine orbital residents living and working aboard the International Space Station relaxed on Monday following last week’s departure of Boeing’s uncrewed Starliner spacecraft. The trio on duty today readied for the next crew to launch to the orbital outpost and tested a negative pressure suit.

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams congratulated flight teams and said goodbye to the Starliner spacecraft (listen to the audio on X) that launched the duo to the station on June 5. The uncrewed Starliner undocked from the Harmony module’s forward port at 6:04 p.m. EDT on Friday, Sept. 6, and parachuted to a landing in New Mexico nearly six hours later. Wilmore and Williams will remain in low-Earth orbit until February when they are scheduled to return to Earth aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft with the Crew-9 mission.

The two veteran station residents relaxed today enjoying a three-day weekend along with fellow NASA astronauts Tracy C. Dyson, Matthew Dominick, Mike Barratt, and Jeanette Epps. However, Wilmore, Williams, and Epps spent a few moments during Monday afternoon setting up hardware for human research activities planned for all day Tuesday. The trio prepared a specialized thigh cuff being studied for its ability to reverse the space-caused headward fluid shifts in astronauts potentially preventing vision issues and helping crews adjust to different gravity environments.

Expedition 71 Commander Oleg Kononenko readied the Rassvet module for the docking of the Soyuz MS-26 crew ship planned for 3:33 p.m. EDT on Wednesday. Kononenko organized tools and cargo making space inside Rassvet and set up crew sleep stations for the new crewmates. The Soyuz rocket will launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 12:23 p.m. on Wednesday carrying NASA astronaut Don Pettit and Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Wagner to the space station for a six-and-a-half month mission.

Kononenko also joined fellow cosmonauts Nikolai Chub and Alexander Grebenkin and tested the lower body negative pressure suit for its ability to counter the effects of weightlessness on the human body and help crews adjust quicker to the return to Earth’s gravity. Kononenko and Chub are due to return to Earth with Dyson inside the Soyuz MS-25 spacecraft in late September. Grebenkin is targeting his return to Earth in early October with SpaceX Crew-8 crewmates Dominick, Barratt, and Epps.

Starliner Lands in New Mexico

Boeing’s Starliner touches down at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico at 12:01 a.m. EDT Saturday, Sept. 7, completing the agency’s Crew Flight Test. Photo credit: NASA

At 12 a.m. EDT, Boeing’s uncrewed Starliner spacecraft landed at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico.

NASA will provide coverage of a post-landing news conference at 1:30 a.m. on NASA+, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website.

The following will participate in the news conference:

  • Joel Montalbano, deputy associate administrator, Space Operations Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington
  • Steve Stich, manager, Commercial Crew Program, NASA Kennedy Space Center in Florida
  • Dana Weigel, manager, International Space Station, NASA Johnson

Learn more about the mission by following the commercial crew blog, @commercial_crew on X, and @NASACommercialCrew on Facebook.

NASA’s Coverage Underway, Starliner Prepares for Deorbit Burn

Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft is seen during its return to Earth after undocking from the International Space Station at 6:04 p.m. EDT on Friday, June 6, 2024. Photo credit: NASA

NASA’s coverage is underway on NASA+, the NASA app, and YouTube, and the agency’s website as Boeing’s uncrewed Starliner spacecraft prepares for deorbit burn, entry, and landing.

Starliner autonomously undocked from the forward-facing port of the International Space Station’s Harmony module at 6:04 p.m. EDT, and mission managers gave a “go” for the spacecraft to proceed for a deorbit burn.

Starliner’s deorbit burn is expected at 11:17 p.m. EDT and involves the spacecraft firing its larger orbital maneuvering and attitude control thrusters, providing the power necessary to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere.

Learn how to stream NASA programming through a variety of platforms including social media.

Uncrewed Starliner Undocks from Station for Return to Earth

The uncrewed Starliner spacecraft backs away from the International Space Station shortly undocking from the Harmony module. Credit: NASA+
The uncrewed Starliner spacecraft backs away from the International Space Station shortly undocking from the Harmony module. Credit: NASA+

At 6:04 p.m. EDT, Boeing’s uncrewed Starliner spacecraft undocked from the International Space Station. Starliner is headed for a deorbit burn at 11:17 p.m. and a targeted landing at 12 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 7, at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico.

NASA’s coverage will begin at 10:50 p.m. for deorbit burn, entry, and landing on NASA+, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website.

Learn more about the mission by following the commercial crew blog, @commercial_crew on X, and @NASACommercialCrew on Facebook.

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 updates from NASA Johnson Space Center at: https://roundupreads.jsc.nasa.gov/

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Starliner “Go” for Departure, Research and Upkeep Top Friday’s Schedule

Boeing's Starliner spacecraft is pictured docked to the International Space Station's forward-facing port of the Harmony module as the orbiting lab soared 264 miles above the Atlantic Ocean.
Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft is pictured docked to the International Space Station’s forward-facing port of the Harmony module as the orbiting lab soared 264 miles above the Atlantic Ocean.

Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft is “go” to undock from the International Space Station at 6:04 p.m. EDT today, Sept. 6. On orbit, the Expedition 71 crew wrapped the week with health and climate research and penciled in some time for orbital cleaning.

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams closed the hatch on Starliner for the final time at 1:29 p.m. Thursday. The duo will be on deck to monitor the spacecraft’s departure later this evening as it undocks from the forward-facing port of the Harmony module at 6:04 p.m. EDT and lands about six hours later in New Mexico.

Wilmore and Williams will remain aboard the orbital outpost until February when they are scheduled to return to Earth aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft with Crew-9. Starliner’s departure coverage begins at 5:45 p.m. on NASA+, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website.

Ahead of departure operations, Wilmore and Williams spent the day unloading cargo from Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus spacecraft, which arrived to the orbital outpost in early August. Later on, the duo received an ultrasound exam of their necks, clavicles, and shoulders, guided by NASA astronaut Jeanette Epps.

Epps spent the day on a multitude of upkeep tasks. She configured masks for station residents to use in case of an emergency, then moved into the Columbus module to inspect and clean air duct screens, the cabin depressurization assembly, and air quality monitor vents.

NASA astronauts Mike Barratt, Matthew Dominick, and Tracy C. Dyson spent their day on an array of payload operations. Barratt and Dominick removed and stowed robotics hardware for the Nanoracks-GITAI S2 investigation. Meanwhile, Dyson removed samples from the Soft Matter Dynamics experiment container then replaced the gas trap plug on the thermal control system in the Tranquility module.

Dominick also spent some time in the cupola, pointing his camera toward the Moon to photograph illuminations from Earth reflecting off the lunar surface for the Earthshine investigation. Measuring changes in Earth’s light reflected from the Moon may help scientists update their climate models and inform the design of future atmosphere-observing satellites.

Current station Commander Oleg Kononenko and Flight Engineer Nikolai Chub worked separately to assess microbial growth in microgravity. Kononenko collected surface samples in the Zarya module for analysis while Chub photographed station surfaces being treated with an experimental disinfectant. Their crewmate, Flight Engineer Alexander Grebenkin, completed some orbital cleaning throughout the Roscosmos segment. Later on, Kononenko used the Ultrasound 2 hardware to scan Grebnekin’s eyes and afterward, assisted Chub with a cardiovascular scan.

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 updates from NASA Johnson Space Center at: https://roundupreads.jsc.nasa.gov/

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Starliner Nears Departure, Crew Focuses on Space Research

Boeing's Starliner spacecraft is pictured from a window on the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft docked to the Harmony module's forward port.
Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft is pictured from a window on the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft docked to the Harmony module’s forward port.

Mission managers have given the first “go” for the Boeing Starliner spacecraft to undock from the International Space Station at 6:04 p.m. EDT on Friday and land in New Mexico about six hours later. NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams have finished packing Starliner with cargo and configuring its cabin for return. The duo closed Starliner’s hatch for the final time Thursday afternoon readying the spacecraft for its uncrewed departure.

Wilmore and Williams will remain aboard the orbital outpost until February when they are scheduled to return to Earth aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft with the Crew-9 mission. Starliner’s departure coverage begins at 5:45 p.m. Friday on NASA+, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website.

In the meantime, a multitude of science occurred aboard the orbital outpost on Thursday with the crew exploring microgravity’s effect on the heart and breathing, space botany, fire safety, and Earth observations. Scientists on the ground analyze the research data for unique insights on improving human health on and off the planet as well as promoting Earth and space industries.

Expedition 71 Flight Engineer Tracy C. Dyson kicked off her day wearing a sensor-packed headband and vest while pedaling on an exercise cycle inside the Destiny laboratory module. Her cardio-respiratory data was recorded to a computer helping scientists understand how weightlessness affects a crew member’s blood pressure and breathing.

NASA astronaut Mike Barratt photographed and watered plants growing for the C4 Photosynthesis in Space experiment inside the Columbus laboratory module’s Veggie space botany facility. The investigation observes space-caused photosynthesis and plant metabolism changes in two types of grasses growing inside the EXPRESS Rack’s Veggie research device. Results may inform bioregenerative life support systems on future spacecraft and boost fundamental knowledge of botanical processes on Earth.

Fire safety on spacecraft is just as critical and important as fire safety on Earth. However, flames and materials burn differently in the weightless environment requiring a different approach to fire protection. Researchers are using the space station’s Combustion Integrated Rack (CIR) to safely study flames in space to learn how to protect spacecraft and space habitats. NASA Flight Engineer Jeanette Epps swapped components and removed burnt samples inside the CIR for a series of experiments exploring space flammability and fire suppression in microgravity.

Pointing his camera out a window in the cupola and toward the Moon, NASA Flight Engineer Matthew Dominick photographed light reflecting off the lunar surface illuminated from Earth, also called earthshine. Measuring changes in Earth’s light reflected from the Moon may help scientists update their climate models and inform the design of future atmosphere observing satellites.

Roscosmos Commander Oleg Kononenko spent his day preparing for upcoming Soyuz spacecraft operations. The five-time station resident is collecting cargo that will soon be packed in the Soyuz MS-25 spacecraft for its departure in late September. Afterward, the veteran cosmonaut readied the Rassvet module for the Sept. 11 docking of the Soyuz MS-26 crew ship bringing to the orbital lab NASA astronaut Don Pettit and Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Wagner. Flight Engineers Nikolai Chub and Alexander Grebenkin split their day conducting a variety of Roscosmos research and lab maintenance tasks. Chub and Kononenko also participated in eye checks at the end of the day on Thursday.

The ISS Progress 89 cargo craft docked to the Zvezda service module’s rear port fired its thrusters at 3:45 p.m. for 13 minutes today raising the space station’s altitude. The orbital reboost is the third and final maneuver setting up the proper phasing for the arrival of the Soyuz MS-26 next week and Starliner’s undocking opportunity on Friday.

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 Studies Space Effects on Humans, Prepares Spaceships for Departure

Stars glitter above a yellow-green atmospheric glow crowning Earth's horizon nn this long-duration shot taken by NASA astronaut Jeanette Epps.
Stars glitter above a yellow-green atmospheric glow crowning Earth’s horizon nn this long-duration shot taken by NASA astronaut Jeanette Epps.

On Wednesday, the crew aboard the International Space Station continued researching ways to protect the human body from the effects of spaceflight and packed a pair of spaceships for return to Earth.

One common symptom of living in space is called “puffy face” and is the result of body fluids moving toward a crew member’s head caused by living in weightlessness. NASA Flight Engineers Matthew Dominick and Jeanette Epps explored ways to prevent that phenomena that may create health issues including changes in eye structure and vision. The duo first conducted eye checks, then collected blood samples, before Dominick put on a pair of thigh cuffs with assistance from Epps. The thigh cuff is being tested for its ability to reverse the space-caused headward fluid shifts. During the test, a variety of sensors, the Ultrasound 2 device, and blood pressure checks collected Dominick’s health data to determine the effectiveness of the thigh cuff.

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams spent the day loading cargo inside the Boeing Starliner spacecraft for return to Earth. The pair removed Starliner’s crew seats, which will later be reinstalled, for better access when storing the extra cargo, then photographed and inspected the spaceship’s cabin ahead of its hatch closure scheduled for Thursday. Afterward, the veteran astronaut duo conducted a vision test reading characters off an eye chart so eye doctors could assess their visual acuity, or vision sharpness.

The uncrewed Starliner is scheduled to undock from the Harmony module’s forward port at 6:04 p.m. EDT on Friday and land in New Mexico about six hours later. Undocking coverage begins at 5:45 p.m. Friday on NASA+, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website. Wilmore and Williams will remain aboard the orbital outpost until February when they are scheduled to return to Earth aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft with the Crew-9 mission.

NASA Flight Engineers Tracy C. Dyson and Mike Barratt spent their day on a host of standard maintenance tasks on the orbital outpost. Dyson videotaped cable configurations in the Kibo laboratory module, collected and stowed biological samples for analysis, then swapped out orbital plumbing hardware. Barratt configured computer tablets, assisted with the Starliner cargo packing, then transferred files stored on an ultrasonic inspection device to a space station computer.

Expedition 71 Commander Oleg Kononenko from Roscosmos began collecting station hardware and science gear that will soon be packed aboard the Soyuz MS-25 crew ship docked to the Prichal docking module. He, Dyson, and Flight Engineer Nikolai Chub are planning to return home aboard the Soyuz spacecraft in late September. Chub worked throughout Wednesday photographing station surfaces being treated with an experimental disinfectant then collecting air samples for microbial analysis. Flight Engineer Alexander Grebenkin explored futuristic piloting techniques on a computer before setting up Earth observation hardware to image Earth’s atmosphere in ultraviolet wavelengths.

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 Works Human Research and U.S. Spacecraft Ops on Tuesday

NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick and Suni Williams smile for a selfie portrait aboard the International Space Station's Kibo laboratory module.
NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick and Suni Williams smile for a selfie portrait aboard the International Space Station’s Kibo laboratory module.

Human research and U.S. spacecraft operations were the primary activities aboard the International Space Station on Tuesday. The crew is exploring how the human body adapts to microgravity while also preparing Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft for its departure at the end of the week.

Expedition 71 Flight Engineer Matthew Dominick kicked off his day setting up wearable biomedical hardware then working out to understand how living in space affects the human heart and breathing. He first put on a vest and headband packed with sensors measuring his heart and breathing rate, blood pressure, and other health parameters. Next, he pedaled on the Destiny laboratory module’s exercise cycle while his cardio-respiratory data was recorded to a computer. Scientists will study the results to understand how weightlessness affects a crew member’s blood pressure and breathing and learn how to keep astronauts healthy on missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.

Dominick joined fellow NASA astronauts Mike Barratt and Tracy C. Dyson for eye exams as personnel on the ground monitored the checks in real time. Dyson took charge as the crew medical officer operating a medical imaging device in the Harmony module viewing her crewmates’ optic nerve, retina, and cornea. Some astronauts have reported vision issues and doctors have noted changes in eye structure that they seek to understand and counter to ensure successful long-term space expeditions.

Space physics and life support research were also on the science schedule to help NASA and its international partners design next generation spacecraft and space habitats for lunar and planetary human missions. NASA Flight Engineer Jeanette Epps opened up the Combustion Integrated Rack inside Destiny and replaced and cleaned research components for a series of fire safety investigations. The experiments explore how flames spread, how materials burn, and ways to extinguish fires in microgravity to improve safety in space. Dyson swapped out test life support gear inside the Packed Bed Reactor Experiment taking place inside Destiny’s Microgravity Science Glovebox. The investigation is exploring advanced water recovery systems for crew missions in a variety of gravity scenarios.

Dominick and Barratt also reviewed operations procedures inside the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft ahead of the Crew-8 departure later this month. The duo then invited NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams inside Dragon bringing the pair up-to-speed with the spacecraft’s systems and crew configuration. Wilmore and Williams will return to Earth aboard another Dragon when Crew-9 ends its mission in February.

Wilmore and Williams, both veteran NASA astronauts, prepared Starliner for its weekend departure. The Starliner commander and pilot reconfigured the spacecraft’s seats for an uncrewed landing and packed cargo inside the vehicle this week for retrieval on Earth. They also returned standard visiting vehicle emergency hardware stowed inside Starliner back to the station for future mission operations.

Starliner is due to end its stay at the orbital outpost at 6:04 p.m. EDT on Friday and undock from Harmony’s forward port. The uncrewed spacecraft from Boeing will return to Earth and land in New Mexico about six hours later. Undocking coverage begins at 5:45 p.m. Friday on NASA+, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website.

In the Roscosmos segment of the orbital outpost, station Commander Oleg Kononenko checked power generation and life support systems then set up Earth observation hardware to image the atmosphere in infrared and visible spectral ranges. Flight Engineers Nikolai Chub and Alexander Grebenkin joined each other and tested an anti-gravity suit for its ability to counter the effects of weightless on the human body and help crews adjust quicker to the return to Earth’s 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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Sounds from Starliner Speakers Traced to Audio Configuration

Looking down at Boeing's Starliner spacecraft attached to the International Space Station.
The Starliner spacecraft on NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test is pictured docked to the Harmony module’s forward port as the International Space Station orbited 263 miles above the Mediterranean Sea. Photo credit: NASA

A pulsing sound from a speaker in Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft heard by NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore aboard the International Space Station has stopped. The feedback from the speaker was the result of an audio configuration between the space station and Starliner. The space station audio system is complex, allowing multiple spacecraft and modules to be interconnected, and it is common to experience noise and feedback. The crew is asked to contact mission control when they hear sounds originating in the comm system. The speaker feedback Wilmore reported has no technical impact to the crew, Starliner, or station operations, including Starliner’s uncrewed undocking from the station no earlier than Friday, Sept. 6.