Crew’s Wednesday Schedule Focuses on Exercise, Science, and Maintenance

Expedition 67 Flight Engineer and NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins works on electrical system components inside the International Space Station's Harmony module on July 7, 2022.
Expedition 67 Flight Engineer and NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins works on electrical system components inside the International Space Station’s Harmony module on July 7, 2022.

The Expedition 67 crew members focused on exercise, science beneficial to humans on Earth and future crews in space, and routine maintenance checks as part of their activities aboard the International Space Station today.

The seven station residents prioritized space exercise and took turns working out. They used the Tranquility module’s advanced resistive exercise device (ARED) to perform exercises such as bench presses, squats, and deadlifts. Crews workout on average two hours per day in space. Routine exercise helps astronauts counter the bone and muscle loss that accompanies living and working in microgravity.

NASA Flight Engineer Bob Hines worked on the new Genes in Space-9 (GIS-9) study. Cell-free technology is a platform for protein production that does not include living cells. GIS-9 evaluates two approaches for using this technology in microgravity: cell-free protein production and biosensors that can detect specific target molecules. The technology could provide a portable, low-resource, and low-cost tool with potential applications for medical diagnostics, on-demand production of medicine and vaccines, and environmental monitoring on future space missions.

NASA Flight Engineer Jessica Watkins checked on the AC inverters in the laboratory and transferred cargo from the SpaceX CRS-25 Dragon spacecraft. Later, Hines and Watkins took turns completing a Robotic On-Board Trainer for Research (ROBoT-r) session as part of the Behavioral Core Measures experiment.

Meanwhile, NASA Flight Engineer Kjell Lindgren spent most of his morning installing material sample carriers onto the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) airlock slide table. Lindgren followed up his ARED exercise session with a fitness test on an exercise cycle. He attached sensors to his chest and pedaled for an hour on a device more formally known as the Cycle Ergometer with Vibration Isolation and Stabilization, or CEVIS. He also transferred supplies from the Dragon spacecraft.

ESA (European Space Agency) Flight Engineer Samantha Cristoforetti harvested radishes and mizuna greens growing without soil for the XROOTS space gardening study today. The experiment uses hydroponic and aeroponic techniques to grow edible plants so future crews can sustain themselves on deep space missions.

In the station’s Russian segment, the three cosmonauts exercised and completed maintenance duties. Station Commander Oleg Artemyev of Roscosmos replaced hardware in the exercise bike while Flight Engineer Denis Matveev completed monthly maintenance checks of routers in the Zvezda service module. Cosmonaut Sergey Korsakov worked on testing the European Robotic Arm manipulator.

Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_station and @ISS_Research on Twitter, as well as the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.

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Physics, Life Sciences, and Dragon Cargo Transfer Top Tuesday’s Task List for Crew

NASA astronaut and Expedition 67 Flight Engineer Bob Hines is pictured during maintenance activities inside the International Space Station's Unity module on May 14, 2022.
NASA astronaut and Expedition 67 Flight Engineer Bob Hines is pictured during maintenance activities inside the International Space Station’s Unity module on May 14, 2022.

The Expedition 67 crewmembers aboard the International Space Station spent Tuesday predominantly on research, maintenance, and cargo transfer operations.

Research beneficial to humans on Earth and future crews in space is happening around the clock aboard the orbiting laboratory. NASA Flight Engineer Kjell Lindgren used a majority of his day to service samples for the Immunosenescence investigation inside the Life Science Glovebox. Results from this study may one day inform treatments for accelerated aging processes commonly observed in microgravity and contribute to countermeasures for normal aging progression.

NASA Flight Engineer Bob Hines inspected the Cold Atom Lab (CAL) Moderate Temperature Loop Jumper to check for leaks. In the CAL, atoms are chilled to temperatures near absolute zero, allowing scientists to observe fundamental behaviors and quantum characteristics not possible on the ground.

Meanwhile, NASA Flight Engineer Jessica Watkins set up hardware and worked on the Space Fibers-3 space manufacturing study. ESA (European Space Agency) Flight Engineer Samantha Cristoforetti took over Space Fiber-3 study runs later in the day.

Early in the day, Cristoforetti swapped samples inside the Electrostatic Levitation Furnace, an advanced research device that enables high-temperature thermophysics studies.

A larger contingent of the crew — Cristoforetti, Hines, Lindgren, and Watkins — took turns transferring cargo from the SpaceX CRS-25 Dragon spacecraft.

Maintenance tasks continued in the Russian segment, with Commander Oleg Artemyev of Roscosmos checking for leaks in the Zvezda service module and Flight Engineer Denis Matveev refilling freon bottles to maintain the orbiting laboratory’s air-conditioning system. Matveev also set up dosimeters for a long-running radiation detection experiment while cosmonaut Sergey Korsakov worked on the Cardiovector study.

Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_station and @ISS_Research on Twitter, as well as the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.

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Prep for New Research and Orbital Plumbing on Crew’s Monday Schedule

The sun's glint beams off the Caspian Sea in this photograph from the International Space Station as it was orbiting on a southwest to northeast trek 262 miles above Turkey near the Black Sea coast on June 24, 2022.
The sun’s glint beams off the Caspian Sea in this photograph from the International Space Station as it was orbiting on a southwest to northeast trek 262 miles above Turkey near the Black Sea coast on June 24, 2022.

The Expedition 67 crew members kicked off their work week setting up for experiments later in the week and completing orbital plumbing duties.

NASA Flight Engineer Jessica Watkins and ESA (European Space Agency) Flight Engineer Samantha Cristoforetti supported the Rodent Research-22 experiment. The space biology experiment observes how microgravity affects tissue regeneration.

In the morning, NASA Flight Engineer Bob Hines removed samples of the final Fiber Optic Production-2 space manufacturing study and packed up the hardware. And, in the evening, Hines set up hardware for the new Space Fibers-3 space manufacturing study.

Station Commander Oleg Artemyev of Roscosmos worked on the Cardiovector study. Cardiac research is also a space research priority as doctors learn to keep astronauts safe and healthy during long-term exploration missions. Along with Cosmonaut Denis Matveev, Artemyev also stowed the hardware and tools from Thursday’s spacewalk. Cosmonaut Sergey Korsakov checked the brakes on the European Robotic Arm.

NASA Flight Engineer Kjell Lindgren was on plumbing duty, servicing the station’s bathroom. He checked drain valves and replaced the recycle tanks. Located in the Tranquility module, the Waste and Hygiene Compartment also recycles urine into drinking water.

Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_station and @ISS_Research on Twitter, as well as the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.

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Spacewalking Crew Sleeps In, Astronauts Work Science and Maintenance

NASA astronauts Bob Hines and Jessica Watkins are pictured inside the cupola, the International Space Station's "window to the world," after monitoring the successful rendezvous and docking of the SpaceX Dragon space freighter on its 25th Commercial Resupply Services mission on July 16, 2022.
NASA astronauts Bob Hines and Jessica Watkins are pictured inside the cupola, the International Space Station’s “window to the world,” after monitoring the successful rendezvous and docking of the SpaceX Dragon space freighter on its 25th Commercial Resupply Services mission on July 16, 2022.

Four Expedition 67 crew members slept in on Friday following a spacewalk the day before at the International Space Station. The other three orbital residents wrapped up the workweek researching a variety of space phenomena, unpacking a U.S. cargo ship, and maintaining orbital lab systems.

Commander and six-time spacewalker Oleg Artemyev of Roscosmos led ESA (European Space Agency) Flight Engineer Samantha Cristoforetti on her first spacewalk on Thursday. The duo set up the European robotic arm for operations on the Nauka multipurpose laboratory module during a spacewalk that lasted seven hours and five minutes. Ten nanosatellites were also deployed into Earth orbit for a radio technology experiment at the beginning of the excursion.

Artemyev and Cristoforetti woke up late on Friday and spent the rest of the day cleaning their Russian Orlan spacesuits and inspecting spacewalk tools and tethers. Cosmonauts Denis Matveev and Sergey Korsakov also slept in on Friday having monitored the spacewalkers and assisted the duo in and out of their spacesuits the day before. The pair also helped out with the post-spacewalk activities returning the Poisk airlock to its normal configuration and re-opening the hatch to the ISS Progress 80 cargo craft.

The station’s three NASA Flight Engineers including Bob Hines, Jessica Watkins, and Kjell Lindgren, worked a normal shift on Friday and wrapped up their workweek focusing on an array of science and maintenance operations.

Hines swapped fiber optic samples for a space manufacturing study, photographed samples for a cell-free protein production experiment, then activated the Astrobee robotic free-flyers ahead of a student robotics competition. Watkins continued unpacking cargo from inside the SpaceX Dragon resupply ship before stowing hardware for a water recycling experiment. Lindgren worked on payload cable connections then moved on to orbital plumbing tasks inside the station’s bathroom, also known as the Waste and Hygiene Compartment.

Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_station and @ISS_Research on Twitter, as well as the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.

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Russian, European Spacewalkers Wrap Up Robotic Arm Excursion

ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti works outside the space station's Russian segment to configure the new European robotic arm. Credit:NASA TV
ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti works outside the space station’s Russian segment to configure the new European robotic arm. Credit:NASA TV

Expedition 67 Commander Oleg Artemyev of Roscosmos and Flight Engineer Samantha Cristoforetti of ESA (European Space Agency) concluded their spacewalk at 5:55 p.m. EDT after 7 hours and 5 minutes.

Artemyev and Cristoforetti completed all but one of their major objectives, which included the deployment of 10 nanosatellites designed to collect radio electronics data during the spacewalk and installing platforms and workstation adapter hardware near the 37-foot-long manipulator system mounted to Nauka. The spacewalkers also relocated the arm’s external control panel and replaced a protective window on the arm’s camera unit. The last planned activity, to extend a Strela telescoping boom from Zarya to Poisk, will be completed on a future spacewalk.

Additional spacewalks are planned to continue outfitting the European robotic arm and to activate Nauka’s airlock for future spacewalks.

The work on the European robotic arm will be used to move spacewalkers and payloads around the Russian segment of the station.

This was the sixth spacewalk in Artemyev’s career, and the first for Cristoforetti. It was the sixth spacewalk at the station in 2022 and the 251st spacewalk for space station assembly, maintenance, and upgrades.

Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_station and @ISS_Research on Twitter, as well as the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.

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Spacewalkers Exit Station to Configure New Robotic Arm

Exp 67 Commander Oleg Artemyev of Roscosmos and Flight Engineer Samantha Cristoforetti of ESA began a spacewalk at 10:50am ET to continue outfitting the European robotic arm on the space station’s Nauka laboratory by opening the hatch of the Poisk docking compartment airlock.
Exp 67 Commander Oleg Artemyev of Roscosmos and Flight Engineer Samantha Cristoforetti of ESA began a spacewalk at 10:50am ET to continue outfitting the European robotic arm on the space station’s Nauka laboratory by opening the hatch of the Poisk docking compartment airlock.

Expedition 67 Commander Oleg Artemyev of Roscosmos and Flight Engineer Samantha Cristoforetti of ESA (European Space Agency) began a spacewalk at 10:50 a.m. EDT to continue outfitting the European robotic arm on the International Space Station’s Nauka laboratory by opening the hatch of the Poisk docking compartment airlock. Coverage of the spacewalk continues on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website.

One of the first tasks will see Artemyev and Cristoforetti deploy 10 nanosatellites designed to collect radio electronics data during the spacewalk, which will be the 251st in support of station assembly, maintenance, and upgrades.

The duo will install platforms and workstation adapter hardware near the 37-foot-long manipulator system mounted to Nauka. The spacewalkers also will relocate the arm’s external control panel, replace a protective window on the arm’s camera unit, and extend a Strela telescoping boom from Zarya to Poisk to facilitate future spacewalks.

Artemyev is wearing a Russian spacesuit with red stripes, while Cristoforetti is wearing a Russian suit with blue stripes. This will be the sixth spacewalk in Artemyev’s career, and the first for Cristoforetti. It will be the sixth spacewalk at the station in 2022 and the 251st spacewalk for space station assembly, maintenance, and upgrades.

Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_station and @ISS_Research on Twitter, as well as the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.

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Spacewalkers to Set Up European Robotic Arm Live on NASA TV

Expedition 67 Commander Oleg Artemyev of Roscosmos and Flight Engineer Samantha Cristoforetti of ESA, clad in Russian Orlan spacesuits, will spend about six-and-a-half hours outfitting the European robotic arm on the International Space Station’s Nauka laboratory. Artemyev will wear a Russian spacesuit with red stripes (EV1), while Cristoforetti will wear a Russian suit with blue stripes (EV2).
Expedition 67 Commander Oleg Artemyev of Roscosmos and Flight Engineer Samantha Cristoforetti of ESA, clad in Russian Orlan spacesuits, will spend about six-and-a-half hours outfitting the European robotic arm on the International Space Station’s Nauka laboratory. Artemyev will wear a Russian spacesuit with red stripes (EV1), while Cristoforetti will wear a Russian suit with blue stripes (EV2).

NASA Television coverage is underway of today’s spacewalk with a Russian cosmonaut and an ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut to continue outfitting the European robotic arm on the International Space Station’s Nauka laboratory. Coverage of the spacewalk is on NASA Television, the NASA app, and agency’s website.

Expedition 67 Commander Oleg Artemyev of Roscosmos and Flight Engineer Samantha Cristoforetti of ESA will install platforms and workstation adapter hardware near the European robotic arm, a 37-foot-long manipulator system mounted to the Nauka multipurpose laboratory module. The spacewalkers also will relocate the arm’s external control panel, replace a protective window on the arm’s camera unit, and extend a Strela telescoping boom from Zarya to Poisk to facilitate future spacewalks.

Artemyev and Cristoforetti will exit out of the Poisk module about 10 a.m. EDT to begin the six-and-a-half-hour excursion. Artemyev will wear a Russian spacesuit with red stripes, while Cristoforetti will wear a Russian suit with blue stripes. This will be the sixth spacewalk in Artemyev’s career, and the first for Cristoforetti. It will be the sixth spacewalk at the station in 2022 and the 251st spacewalk for space station assembly, maintenance, and upgrades.

The European robotic arm will be used to move payloads and equipment outside the Russian segment of the station, joining the Canadian-built Canadarm2 robotic arm and the Japanese arm already supporting station maintenance, operations, and research.

Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_station and @ISS_Research on Twitter, as well as the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.

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Station Set for Thursday Spacewalk as Advanced Space Research Continues

The European robotic arm extends out from the Nauka multipurpose laboratory module during a mobility test.
The European robotic arm extends out from the Nauka multipurpose laboratory module during a mobility test.

A Russian cosmonaut and an Italian astronaut are finalizing preparations for a spacewalk on Thursday to configure the International Space Station’s third and newest robotic arm. As the pair was being assisted by two cosmonauts the rest of the Expedition 67 crew ensured ongoing advanced space research was proceeding full speed ahead aboard the orbiting lab.

Station Commander Oleg Artemyev of Roscosmos and Flight Engineer Samantha Cristoforetti of ESA (European Space Agency) are scheduled to exit the space station into the vacuum of space at 10 a.m. EDT on Thursday. The spacewalkers will spend about seven hours readying the European robotic arm for operations on the station’s Russian segment. The duo will also deploy 10 nanosatellites to collect radio electronics data. NASA TV begins its live spacewalk coverage at 9:30 a.m. on the agency’s app and website.

Artemyev and Cristoforetti spent Wednesday reviewing their spacewalk procedures and checking Orlan spacesuit components. They were assisted throughout the day by cosmonauts Denis Matveev and Sergey Korsakov who will monitor the spacewalkers and help them in and out of their Orlan spacesuits on Thursday.

Science operations continued rolling ahead as the rest of the orbital residents explored space-caused accelerated aging, advanced drug development methods, and state-of-the-art optical fiber manufacturing techniques.

NASA Flight Engineers Bob Hines and Jessica Watkins took turns today exploring how microgravity affects the human immune system. Hines first set up tissue samples inside the Kibo laboratory module’s Life Science Glovebox. Afterward, Watkins examined the stem cell samples using a microscope inside the U.S. Destiny laboratory module. Watkins also spent a few moments today checking samples for the Fiber Optic Production-2 space manufacturing study.

NASA Flight Engineer Kjell Lindgren studied the mechanisms of protein crystals growing without the influence of Earth’s gravity. Observations from the Advanced Nano Step investigation may improve biochemistry research and advance the production of materials and drugs in space. Lindgren then checked on a water recycling study and stowed its hardware for return to Earth.

Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_station and @ISS_Research on Twitter, as well as the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.

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Astronauts Pursue New Research to Benefit Humans on Earth, Space

Astronaut Bob Hines works out on the space station's Advanced Resistive Exercise Device (ARED) that mimics lifting free weights on Earth.
Astronaut Bob Hines works out on the space station’s Advanced Resistive Exercise Device (ARED) that mimics lifting free weights on Earth.

A variety of new space science is under way aboard the International Space Station following Saturday’s delivery aboard the SpaceX Dragon resupply ship. The Expedition 67 crew members are helping researchers on the ground take advantage of weightlessness to reveal new phenomena potentially benefitting humans on Earth and in space.

NASA Flight Engineer Bob Hines kicked off a new experiment today that looks at how the human immune system adapts to microgravity. Hines set up the Life Science Glovebox inside the Kibo laboratory module then serviced tissue samples for the Immunosenescence investigation. Results may inform treatments for accelerated aging processes observed in space as well as normal aging conditions on Earth.

NASA Flight Engineer Kjell Lindgren spent his day working on a pair of different experiments and configuring science hardware. He first started exploring techniques to manufacture optical fibers in space. Afterward, Lindgren began demonstrating ways to improve water recycling farther away from Earth. The two-time station visitor also disconnected components on a thermal spacesuit experiment and transferred samples stowed in Dragon to science freezers in Kibo and the U.S. Destiny laboratory module.

Astronauts Jessica Watkins of NASA and Samantha Cristoforetti of ESA (European Space Agency) studied how motion and distance perception is altered in microgravity. The duo worked in the Columbus laboratory module wearing virtual reality goggles and a neck brace while clicking on a trackball in response to visual and aural stimuli. Insights may lead to improved controls for space vehicles and more effective visual cues on Earth.

Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_station and @ISS_Research on Twitter, as well as the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.

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Crew Unpacking New Science Experiments from Dragon

The SpaceX Dragon resupply ship carrying over 5,800 pounds of cargo approaches the space station above the south Atlantic Ocean on July 16, 2022.
The SpaceX Dragon resupply ship carrying over 5,800 pounds of cargo approaches the space station above the south Atlantic Ocean on July 16, 2022.

New science experiments continue to be unpacked from inside the newly-arrived SpaceX Dragon resupply ship. The seven Expedition 67 crew members also ensured the International Space Station continues orbiting Earth in tip-top shape.

NASA Flight Engineers Jessica Watkins and Bob Hines spent Monday unloading some of the more than 5,800 pounds of science experiments and crew supplies delivered on Saturday inside the Dragon cargo craft. The duo transferred time-critical research samples into the orbital lab to begin exploring a variety of space phenomena to benefit humans on and off the Earth. Some of the new experiment include a human immune system study, a protein production investigation, and a cancer treatment experiment.

NASA Flight Engineer Kjell Lindgren assisted Watkins and Hines today moving science freezers inside Dragon to access cargo pallets. Lindgren also tended to radishes and mizuna greens growing using hydroponic and aeroponic methods for the XROOTS space botany study. ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti tested computer connections inside the European Physiology Module that supports neuroscientific, cardiovascular, and physiological studies inside the Columbus laboratory module.

The station’s three cosmonauts focused mainly on life support maintenance duties. Commander Oleg Artemyev and Flight Engineer Denis Matveev serviced Russian ventilation systems replacing vents and filters. Flight Engineer Sergey Korsakov worked on orbital plumbing duties inside the Nauka multipurpose laboratory module.

Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_station and @ISS_Research on Twitter, as well as the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.

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