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
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.
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.
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.
NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, Boeing’s Crew Flight Test Commander and Pilot respectively, inspect safety hardware aboard the space station.
Advanced research hardware work took precedence aboard the International Space Station at the end of the week as the crew readied satellite gear and experimental communications components for placement in the vacuum of space.
NASA Flight Engineer Matthew Dominick spent Friday installing the Small Satellite Orbital Deployer onto the Kibo laboratory module’s multipurpose experiment platform (MPEP). He then loaded the MPEP into Kibo’s airlock where JAXA’s (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) robotic arm will grapple the device and position it away from the space station to release a series of CubeSats into Earth orbit for a variety of educational and research activities. NASA astronaut Suni Williams, Pilot for Boeing’s Crew Flight Test, assisted Dominick throughout the day and familiarized herself with CubeSat operations.
NASA Flight Engineer Tracy C. Dyson spent her entire shift on Friday conducting lab maintenance. She started the morning reorganizing cargo stowed in Kibo. After lunch, she inspected rack hardware throughout the Destiny, Unity, Harmony, and Tranquility modules, including the Quest airlock. At the end of the day, she swapped out a tank and a hose and on the orbital lab’s restroom, also known as the waste and hygiene compartment, located in Tranquility.
Cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub partnered Friday morning on inspections and hardware replacements in the aft end of the Zvezda service module. Kononenko also cleaned ventilation systems while Chub researched futuristic planetary and robotic piloting techniques. Roscosmos Flight Engineer Alexander Grebenkin downloaded data collected from a radiation detector then worked inside the Nauka science module checking its ventilation hardware.
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and leadership will hold an internal Agency Test Flight Readiness Review on Saturday, Aug. 24, for NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test. Afterward, NASA will host a news conference at 1 p.m. EDT from the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
The space station was orbiting above the Pacific Ocean when this photograph captured the first rays of an orbital sunrise illuminating Earth’s atmosphere.
Six of the nine crew members living and working aboard the International Space Station had a light duty day on Thursday fitting in some time for science equipment maintenance. Meanwhile, three cosmonauts stayed busy with their full schedule of Roscosmos space research and lab upkeep.
Thursday’s main research activity consisted of cleaning the Electrostatic Levitation Furnace (ELF) planned for Expedition 71 Flight Engineer Tracy C. Dyson and Crew Flight Test Pilot Suni Williams, both from NASA. The duo worked together swapping samples and cleaning the inside of the advanced space research furnace. The ELF heats material samples using a containerless technique to observe their thermophysical properties and reduce imperfections and contamination common in Earth’s gravity. The orbital outpost’s weightless environment may improve the manufacturing of semiconductors, alloys, and more benefitting both Earth and space industries.
Williams’ crewmate Starliner Commander Butch Wilmore of NASA assembled the Sphere Camera-2 during the afternoon. The ultra-high resolution video camera is being tested for its ability to film crew activities possibly leading to advances in lunar and planetary photography and external spacecraft inspections.
Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus space freighter fired its engine for over 19 minutes early Thursday afternoon boosting the orbital outpost’s altitude to 260 miles by 257.9 miles. The orbital reboosts counter atmospheric drag and prepare the space station for upcoming spacecraft activities.
Roscosmos station Commander Oleg Kononenko set up Earth observation hardware to study clouds in the Earth’s upper atmosphere then configured camera and video hardware during his shift on Thursday. Flight Engineer Nikolai Chub continued investigating how microalgae can be used to produce oxygen and consume carbon dioxide improving space life support systems. Flight Engineer Alexander Grebenkin strapped on a sensor-packed cap that recorded his reactions as he practiced futuristic planetary and robotic piloting techniques on a computer.
The Full Moon pictured above Earth’s horizon as the space station soared above the Indian Ocean south of the African island nation of Madagascar.
Manufacturing tools and medicine in space is a key objective for NASA and its international partners as crews train for longer missions farther away from Earth. Humans living in space habitats will need to be self-sufficient to stay heathy and run successful missions since launching supplies from Earth will be less feasible and uneconomical.
NASA astronauts Jeanette Epps of Expedition 71 and Suni Williams, Pilot for Boeing’s Crew Flight Test, joined each other in the Columbus laboratory module and configured the Metal 3D printer on Wednesday. The duo first uninstalled the device from Columbus’ European Drawer Rack-2 (EDR-2), a multipurpose experiment rack, to access an experimental sample printed with stainless steel. They replaced a substrate in the advanced manufacturing hardware then reinstalled the 3D printer back in the EDR-2. Researchers are exploring how the Metal 3D printer operates in the microgravity conditions of weightlessness and radiation as well as its ability to manufacture tools and parts on demand during space missions.
NASA Flight Engineer Mike Barratt explored how stem cells grow in microgravity to improve cell therapies on Earth and cell manufacturing in space. Working in the Kibo laboratory module, Barratt serviced stem cell samples inside the Life Science Glovebox. The cells are undergoing a cellular reprogramming process and the samples will be returned to Earth for further analysis. Scientists are pursuing the production of stem cells in space that can be regenerated into human cells or tissues for personalized medicine.
Flight Engineer Matthew Dominick partnered with Crew Flight Test Commander Butch Wilmore, both NASA astronauts, checking CubeSat configurations before they are deployed into Earth orbit. The duo ensured the shoebox-sized satellites were secured in their launch cases and clear of debris inside the Small Satellite Orbital Deployer they are packed in. Afterward, they installed the deployer onto a multipurpose experiment platform and loaded it inside Kibo’s airlock where it will soon be placed in the vacuum of space to release the CubeSats for a variety of research.
NASA Flight Engineer Tracy C. Dyson focused on housekeeping tasks as she cleaned the crew quarters in the starboard side of the Harmony module. She vacuumed dust collected on ventilation systems and wiped down surfaces inside the module where Boeing’s Starliner and the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft are docked.
Working in the Roscosmos segment of the orbiting lab, Commander Oleg Kononenko set up Earth observation gear, inspected the aft vestibule of the Zvezda service module, then explored futuristic planetary and robotic piloting techniques. Flight Engineer Nikolai Chub assisted Kononenko with the Zvezda checks then he explored how microalgae can be used to produce oxygen and consume carbon dioxide improving space life support systems. Flight Engineer Alexander Grebenkin spent his day on life support maintenance transferring from resupply tanks and performing coolant leak checks on the aur conditioning system.
NASA astronaut Suni Williams installs experimental life support hardware inside the Microgravity Science Glovebox located inside the Destiny laboratory module.
Space botany and lunar construction techniques once again dominated the science schedule aboard the International Space Station on Tuesday. The orbital crewmates are helping researchers plan future missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.
NASA Flight Engineer Jeanette Epps continued studying how microgravity and radiation affect thale cress plants at the molecular and cellular levels in the Kibo laboratory module. She collected and treated plant samples that were incubated inside the Plant Experiment Facility for preservation. At the end of the day’s two experiment runs, she preserved and stowed the samples in a science freezer where they will stay before being returned to Earth for further analysis. Results may inform space agricultural techniques to sustain crews venturing further into space and beyond low-Earth orbit.
NASA Flight Engineer Matthew Dominick explored ways to make cement on the lunar surface to help engineers learn how to build crew habitats in different gravity environments. He removed small simulated lunar cement sample bags that had cured overnight in a thermos and stowed them in a concrete kit for several weeks of hardening at ambient temperature. Afterward, he mixed more bags containing simulated lunar soil and other materials with a liquid solution, placed a bag with hot water in between them, then inserted the samples inside a thermos can for overnight incubation. The samples will be returned to Earth and examined to determine the space-created concrete’s microstructure and mechanical strength.
After the cement work, Dominick assisted NASA Flight Engineer Tracy C. Dyson in the Tranquility module relocating cargo to access the NanoRacks Bishop airlock. Next, Dominick mounted a pressure management device and connected power and data cables inside Tranquility ahead of Bishop’s depressurization. Bishop can be used for cargo stowage or external science operations. Dyson later removed sample cassettes from an advanced sample processor that supported a pair of pharmaceutical manufacturing studies.
NASA astronauts Mike Barratt from Expedition 71 and Butch Wilmore from Boeing’s Crew Flight Test had a light duty day spending a few moments on life support duties. NASA astronaut Suni Williams relaxed all day on Tuesday before joining her crewmate Wilmore at the end of their shift for a crew conference with Boeing flight controllers.
Station Commander Oleg Kononenko and Flight Engineer Nikolai Chub started their morning on maintenance tasks in the Zvezda service module. The duo then moved on transferring water delivered aboard the Progress 89 cargo craft and performing leak checks on the resupply ship. Flight Engineer Alexander Grebenkin also had most of the day off taking time out for medical checks and updating operational documents shipped on Progress.
Astronaut Matthew Dominick displays a bag containing simulated lunar cement to explore how cement materials could be used to build infrastructure on the lunar surface.
Space botany, lunar construction, and science maintenance were the top research tasks at the beginning of the week for the orbital residents living and working aboard the International Space Station.
Expedition 71 Flight Engineer Jeanette Epps of NASA spent all day Monday carefully treating thale cress plant samples growing inside the Plant Experiment Unit. The botany research device located in the Kibo laboratory module’s Cell Biology Experiment Facility housed the growing plants for 10 days before Epps picked the samples with forceps, washed them in a specialized saline solution, then exposed them to high ultraviolet light for one hour. She is helping researchers understand how plants grow in the radiation and microgravity environment to inform space agriculture techniques for missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.
Scientists are also exploring ways to build crew habitats on lunar and planetary surfaces without launching supplies on fuel-consuming cargo missions from Earth. NASA Flight Engineer Matthew Dominick mixed and prepared small bags of simulated lunar cement on Monday for a 24-hour incubation period inside a thermos can. Afterward, the samples will be stowed for several more weeks of hardening at ambient temperatures on the orbital outpost. The space-created cement samples will be returned to Earth for scientists to analyze their microstructure and mechanical strength.
NASA astronauts Tracy C. Dyson and Mike Barratt worked throughout Monday servicing a variety of research hardware ensuring ongoing space science operations produce high-quality results. Dyson worked in the Columbus laboratory module during Monday troubleshooting components on the MARES exercise rack, also known as the Muscle Atrophy Research and Exercise System. MARES enables scientists to gain detailed insights on the effects of weightlessness on an astronaut’s musculoskeletal system. Barratt swapped sample cartridges inside the Materials Science Laboratory, a research furnace facilitating discoveries of new and improved materials as well as new uses for existing materials such as metals, alloys, polymers, and more.
NASA astronaut and Boeing Starliner Pilot Suni Williams assisted Dyson with the MARES troubleshooting work throughout Monday. Afterward, she and Starliner Commander Butch Wilmore from NASA called down to Boeing flight controllers for an hourlong crew conference. Earlier, Wilmore was on life support duty transferring and draining fluids from resupply tanks as well as collecting water samples for microbial analysis.
Cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub have begun unpacking some of the nearly three tons of food, fuel, and supplies that arrived aboard the Progress 89 cargo craft at 1:53 a.m. EDT on Saturday. The duo was on duty early Saturday monitoring Progress during its automated docking to the Zvezda service module’s aft port for six months of cargo activities. Flight Engineer Alexander Grebenkin updated operations documents for the orbiting lab’s Roscosmos segment. He also joined Dominick, Barratt, and Epps and trained for emergency scenarios and an upcoming crew departure aboard the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft.
The Progress 88 resupply ship approaches the space station on June 1, 2024, packed with about three tons of food, fuel, and supplies for the Expedition 71 crew.
NASA Flight Engineer Tracy C. Dyson started her day installing 3D-mapping gear on the Astrobee robotic free-flying assistant in the Kibo laboratory module. The cube-shaped, toaster-sized Astrobee will use the imaging device’s lasers and lenses to autonomously navigate and maneuver on the station and conduct docking operations. Afterward, she powered up the KERMIT state-of-the-art microscope in the Destiny laboratory module and imaged stem cell samples for a cancer treatment investigation.
NASA Flight Engineer Matthew Dominick reviewed emergency procedures in the unlikely event it would be necessary to evacuate the orbital outpost and undock in the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft. Next, he joined Dyson, Barratt, and Epps for a half-hour space-to-ground conference with specialists and discussed methods to counteract the effects of living in space for months at a time.
The space station’s three cosmonauts went to bed early on Friday to get ready for the overnight arrival of the Progress 89 resupply ship. Commander Oleg Kononenko and Flight Engineer Nikolai Chub called down to flight controllers and discussed their readiness for the cargo mission’s arrival. The duo will be on duty monitoring Progress’ arrival as it approaches the aft port on the space station’s Zvezda service module for an automated docking at 1:56 a.m. EDT on Saturday. Flight Engineer Alexander Grebenkin spent his morning cleaning ventilation systems and water tanks before completing his short shift inspecting electrical components inside the Nauka science module.
