Crews Handing Over Responsibilities and Continuing Research

From left, Expedition 70 crewmates Konstantin Borisov, Andreas Mogensen, Jasmin Moghbeli, and Satoshi Furukawa are due to return to Earth aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft.
From left, Expedition 70 crewmates Konstantin Borisov, Andreas Mogensen, Jasmin Moghbeli, and Satoshi Furukawa are due to return to Earth aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft.

A pair of commercial crews is preparing to switch places onboard the International Space Station next week. The orbital residents are also continuing more space health studies and cargo activities.

Flight Engineers Matthew Dominick, Mike Barratt, Jeanette Epps, and Alexander Grebenkin are in the first week of a six-month space research mission. They spent a good portion of Thursday focusing on adapting to life in microgravity. The quartet joined each other midday and familiarized themselves with the locations and operations of emergency hardware throughout the orbital lab. The foursome then split up taking time to learn how to prepare food and drinks, use the restroom, and avoid cables and gear when maneuvering through passageways.

Barratt and Epps also joined homebound astronaut Satoshi Furukawa of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) as he demonstrated station systems such as crew quarters, radiation detectors, and ventilation maintenance. Grebenkin met with cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov who is handing over responsibility for the maintenance and control of the European robotic arm.

Dominick was back on human research checking the eyes of NASA Flight Engineer Loral O’Hara on Thursday afternoon. The duo worked in the Columbus laboratory module with Dominick using medical imaging hardware to view O’Hara’s retinas, cornea, and optic nerve for the CIPHER suite of 14 human research experiments. The eye portion of the CIPHER study is exploring how weightlessness affects eye structure and function and ways to protect vision on future planetary missions.

At the end of their shift, Furukawa and Borisov joined crewmates Jasmin Moghbeli of NASA and Andreas Mogensen of ESA (European Space Agency) preparing for their return to Earth next week. The homebound foursome spent a couple of hours coordinating with mission controllers from SpaceX and NASA and simulating undocking techniques. The quartet is targeted to depart the space station on Monday aboard the SpaceX Dragon “Endurance” spacecraft and parachute to a splashdown off the coast of Florida.

The departing crew has spent the week packing Dragon with station cargo and personal items for return. The “Endurance” crewmates have also been handing over mission responsibilities to their replacements to continue space research and maintain lab systems.

Moghbeli also spent a couple of hours Thursday on cardiac research processing cell samples in the Life Science Glovebox to learn how to treat space-caused and Earthbound heart conditions. Mogensen took turns with O’Hara swapping cargo in and out of Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus resupply ship.

Cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub, who will be staying in space a few more months, worked on electronics and battery maintenance and studied the dynamic forces the space station experiences orbiting Earth. Chub also partnered with Borisov testing a specialized suit that may help crews adapt quicker when returning to Earth’s gravity environment after several months in space.


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

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Crew Swap Underway Amid Advanced Space Science

The SpaceX Crew-8 members are pictured inside the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft shortly after the hatch opened to the station. From left are, Alexander Grebenkin, Mike Barratt, Jeanette Epps, and Matthew Dominick.
The SpaceX Crew-8 members are pictured inside the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft shortly after the hatch opened to the station. From left are, Alexander Grebenkin, Mike Barratt, Jeanette Epps, and Matthew Dominick.

Four new flight engineers are adapting to life aboard the International Space Station as a quartet of Expedition 70 crew members nears the end of its mission. Meanwhile, the expanded crew still found time for a variety of biology and physics studies while maintaining the upkeep of the orbital outpost.

First time space-flyers Matthew Dominick, Jeanette Epps, and Alexander Grebenkin along with veteran station resident Michael Barratt are in their first full day on the orbital outpost. They will spend a few hours each day for about a week familiarizing themselves with space station systems and getting up to speed with life in weightlessness. The new foursome will be conducting advanced space research and orbital lab maintenance activities for the next six months.

The Expedition 70 crew will soon return to seven residents again as another quartet that has been on the station since Aug. 27, 2023, prepares for its departure. NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli will command Pilot Andreas Mogensen, and Mission Specialists Satoshi Furukawa and Konstantin Borisov back to Earth no earlier than Monday, March 11. The foursome will undock from the Harmony module’s space-facing port inside the SpaceX Dragon “Endurance” spacecraft and parachute to a splashdown off the coast of Florida ending a six-and-a-half-month mission orbiting Earth.

The four homebound crew members on Wednesday checked the pressure suits they will wear inside “Endurance” during the ride back to Earth. At the end of the day, they joined the seven other orbital residents and reviewed everyone’s roles and responsibilities in the unlikely event of an emergency aboard the station.

There was still time for science in space as Dominick set up medical hardware including an ultrasound scanner and blood pressure measurement gear. He then conducted scans on NASA Flight Engineer Loral O’Hara and measured her blood pressure collecting data for the CIPHER suite of 14 human research experiments. CIPHER is documenting an astronaut’s health during a long-term spaceflight.

Furukawa installed science hardware in the Destiny laboratory module for a semiconductor manufacturing study that could support production in space and more efficient technologies on Earth. Epps set up a microscope to observe the growth of cell cultures for an investigation that may promote the creation of artificial organs for transplant patients on Earth. Finally, Grebenkin attached sensors to himself recording his heart activity in microgravity.

In the Roscosmos segment of the station, cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub continued installing cargo containers inside the Zarya module. The duo earlier checked out carbon dioxide monitors and cleaned fan screens inside the Progress 86 cargo craft.


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

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Expedition 70 Welcomes Four New Crewmates, Quickly Gets to Work

 The SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft, with the Crew-8 quartet aboard, is pictured approaching the International Space Station as it orbited 268 miles above the Indian Ocean.
The SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft, with the Crew-8 quartet aboard, is pictured approaching the International Space Station as it orbited 268 miles above the Indian Ocean.

11 crew members now reside aboard the International Space Station following the arrival of the SpaceX Crew-8 mission early Tuesday morning. The four new Crew-8 members will spend the next few days getting used to life on orbit as four Expedition 70 crewmates pack up for their return to Earth.

The SpaceX Dragon “Endeavour“ spacecraft docked to the forward port of orbital outpost’s Harmony module at 2:28 a.m. EST on Tuesday. About an hour-and-a-half later, Crew-8 Commander Matthew Dominick, Pilot Mike Barratt, and Mission Specialists Jeanette Epps and Alexander Grebenkin opened Dragon’s hatch and entered Harmony officially becoming station flight engineers. Soon after, the new quartet, with the Expedition 70 septet, called down to Earth for welcome remarks.

Afterward, the entire crew quickly got to work first conducting a safety briefing, then unpacking new science and supplies, conducting health checks, and more. The crewmates transferred Dragon freezers containing research samples and installed them into science racks throughout the station. Tuesday’s health studies included testing the inner-ear balance system, conducting eye scans with an ultrasound device, and evaluating a specialized suit’s ability to help a crew member readjust to Earth’s gravity.

The foursome will live aboard the space station for a six-month space research mission. They will take advantage of the microgravity environment to explore the mechanisms behind neurodegenerative disorders, how spaceflight affects plant growth to sustain crews, countering space-caused fluid shifts that create head and eye pressure in astronauts, and the potential for algae to improve spacecraft life support systems.

While Crew-8 gets up to speed with space station systems, four Expedition 70 crewmates are nearing their departure after a six-and-a-half-month mission on orbit. NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli will lead Andreas Mogensen of ESA (European Space Agency), Satoshi Furukawa of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) and Konstantin Borisov of Roscosmos back to Earth inside the SpaceX Dragon “Endurance” spacecraft. The homebound quartet has been aboard the station since Aug. 27, 2023, and is expected to undock from Harmony’s space-facing port no earlier than Monday, March 11.

The station’s other three crewmates, NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara and cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub, have been aboard the station since Sept. 15, when they docked to the Rassvet module inside the Soyuz MS-24 crew ship. O’Hara is due to return to Earth in April while Kononenko and Chub will stay in space for a few more months.


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

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Four Crew-8 Members Enter Station for Six-Month Mission

The four SpaceX Crew-8 members (front row) join the Expedition 70 crew (back row) for welcome remarks shortly after docking and entering the space station. Credit: NASA TV
The four SpaceX Crew-8 members (front row) join the Expedition 70 crew (back row) for welcome remarks shortly after docking and entering the space station. Credit: NASA TV

NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, and Jeanette Epps, as well as Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin aboard the SpaceX Dragon, named Endeavour, have arrived at the International Space Station.

Crew-8 joins the space station’s Expedition 70 crew of NASA astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli and Loral O’Hara, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Konstantin Borisov, Oleg Kononenko, and Nikolai Chub.

NASA+ and NASA Television will continue live coverage through the crew welcome remarks aboard station.


More details about the Crew-8 mission can be found by following the Crew-8 blog, the commercial crew blog, @commercial_crew on X, and commercial crew 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.

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SpaceX Dragon with Crew-8 Aboard Docks to Station

March 5, 2024: International Space Station Configuration. Six spaceships are parked at the space station including the SpaceX Dragon crew spacecraft Endurance and Endeavour, Northrop Grumman's Cygnus space freighter, the Soyuz MS-24 crew ship, and the Progress 86 and 87 resupply ships.
March 5, 2024: International Space Station Configuration. Six spaceships are parked at the space station including the SpaceX Dragon crew spacecraft Endurance and Endeavour, Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus space freighter, the Soyuz MS-24 crew ship, and the Progress 86 and 87 resupply ships.

NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, and Jeanette Epps, as well as Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin arrived at the International Space Station, as the SpaceX Dragon, named Endeavour, docked to the complex at 2:28 a.m. EST while the station was 260 statute miles over Newfoundland.

Following Dragon’s link up to the Harmony module, the astronauts aboard the Dragon and the space station will begin conducting standard leak checks and pressurization between the spacecraft in preparation for hatch opening scheduled for 4:13 a.m.

Crew-8 will join the space station’s Expedition 70 crew of NASA astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli and Loral O’Hara, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Furukawa Satoshi, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Konstantin Borisov, Oleg Kononenko, and Nikolai Chub. For a short time, the number of crew aboard the space station will increase to 11 people until Crew-7 members Moghbeli, Mogensen, Satoshi, and Borisov return to Earth.

NASA+, NASA Television, and the agency’s website are continuing to provide live continuous coverage of the agency’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission.


More details about the Crew-8 mission can be found by following the Crew-8 blog, the commercial crew blog, @commercial_crew on X, and commercial crew 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.

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SpaceX Crew-8 Approaching Station Live on NASA TV

The crew of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission to the International Space Station poses for a photo during their Crew Equipment Interface Test at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Credit: SpaceX
The crew of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission to the International Space Station poses for a photo during their Crew Equipment Interface Test at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Credit: SpaceX

NASA+, NASA Television, and the agency’s website are continuing to provide live coverage of the agency’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission carrying NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, and Jeanette Epps, as well as Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin to the International Space Station.

The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, named Endeavour, is scheduled to dock about 2:30 a.m. EST Tuesday, March 5. Dragon is designed to dock autonomously, but the crew aboard the spacecraft and the space station will monitor the performance of the spacecraft as it approaches and docks to the forward port of the station’s Harmony module.

When the hatches open at about 1 hour and 45 minutes after docking, the Crew-8 astronauts will join the Expedition 70 crew of NASA astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli and Loral O’Hara, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Furukawa Satoshi, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Konstantin Borisov, Oleg Kononenko, and Nikolai Chub.


More details about the Crew-8 mission can be found by following the Crew-8 blog, the commercial crew blog, @commercial_crew on X, and commercial crew 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.

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Expedition 70 Awaits New Crew Before Next Quartet Departs

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Dragon spacecraft launches NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission to the International Space Station. Credit: NASA/Bill Stafford
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company’s Dragon spacecraft launches NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission to the International Space Station. Credit: NASA/Bill Stafford

The seven-member Expedition 70 crew is awaiting the arrival of four new crewmates who are orbiting Earth today and on their way to the International Space Station. The orbiting lab residents will welcome their new crewmates early Tuesday.

The SpaceX Crew-8 mission lifted off aboard the Dragon “Endeavour” spacecraft at 10:53 p.m. EST on Sunday from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Commercial Crew quartet, led by Commander Matthew Dominick with Pilot Mike Barratt and Mission Specialists Jeanette Epps and Alexander Grebenkin, is taking a 28-hour automated ride aboard Endeavour and will dock to the Harmony module’s forward port at 3 a.m. on Tuesday.

Less than two hours later, the Dragon and station hatches will open and the Crew-8 members will fly into Harmony where they will be greeted by the four astronauts and three cosmonauts representing Expedition 70. Crew-8 will officially become station flight engineers about 45 minutes later, participating in welcome remarks from family members and mission officials back on Earth. They will stay onboard the orbital outpost for a six-month space research mission.

The station crew will remain at 11 crew members for a few days before another quartet ends its mission after six-and-a-half months. NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli will command the Dragon Endurance spacecraft bringing home Andreas Mogensen from ESA (European Space Agency), Satoshi Furukawa from JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), and Konstantin Borisov from Roscosmos. The Crew-7 members launched on Aug. 26, 2023, and docked to Harmony’s space-facing port the next day.

During their stay on the space station, the homebound foursome explored a wide variety of space phenomena to benefit humans living on and off the Earth. The crew researched advanced science topics including how microgravity affects the human immune system, the aging process and its effect on disease mechanisms, more effective space exercise techniques, and ways to ensure clean water on long term space missions among other beneficial research.

The station’s other three crewmates, NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara and cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub, have been aboard the station since Sept. 15, when they docked to the Rassvet module inside the Soyuz MS-24 crew ship. O’Hara is due to return to Earth in April while Kononenko and Chub will stay in space for a few more months.


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

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Orbital Plumbing, Foam Physics Wrap Week as Crew-8 Nears Launch

The SpaceX Dragon "Endurance" spacecraft, circular star trails, and Earth's atmospheric glow are pictured as the station orbited 263 miles above the north Atlantic Ocean.
The SpaceX Dragon “Endurance” spacecraft, circular star trails, and Earth’s atmospheric glow are pictured as the station orbited 263 miles above the north Atlantic Ocean.

More lab maintenance was on deck for the Expedition 70 crew as they worked on orbital plumbing and cleaned crew quarters throughout Friday. The seven orbital residents aboard the International Space Station also serviced a variety of science and electronics hardware while continuing to focus on the upcoming Commercial Crew swap.

NASA Flight Engineer Loral O’Hara spent most of her day inside the Tranquility module swapping out advanced hydraulic components inside the orbital outpost’s restroom, also known as the Waste and Hygiene Compartment. She was assisted by astronauts Andreas Mogensen, Jasmin Moghbeli, and Satoshi Furukawa helping uninstall then reinstall the station’s toilet returning it to operational status.

Moghbeli from NASA wrapped up her day cleaning her crew quarters inside the Harmony module. Earlier, Furukawa from JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) cleaned his crew quarters on the opposite side of Harmony from Moghbeli’s. The duo each spent about two-and-a-half hours cleaning the quarters’ vents, fans, air ducts, and sensors.

Mogensen of ESA (European Space Agency) began his shift in the Columbus laboratory module processing samples for a foam physics study potentially revealing phenomena not possible in Earth’s gravity. The experiment takes place inside Columbus’ Fluid Science Laboratory and explores the coarsening and coalescing of foams that may improve fire safety, water cleaning, and other space and Earthbound applications.

Mogensen, Moghbeli, and Furukawa, along with cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov, also continued packing personal items and station hardware throughout the day ahead of their upcoming departure aboard the SpaceX Dragon “Endurance” spacecraft. The quartet is planned to undock from the Harmony module’s space-facing port about a week after the SpaceX Crew-8 mission arrives aboard the SpaceX Dragon “Endeavour” spacecraft.

Crew-8 is targeting its liftoff for 11:16 p.m. EST on Saturday from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. The Commercial Crew quartet, with Commander Matthew Dominick, Pilot Mike Barratt, and Mission Specialists Jeanette Epps and Alexander Grebenkin, is due to arrive at the station at 2:15 p.m. on Sunday for an automated docking to Harmony’s forward port. The foursome will become station flight engineers living and working in space for a six-month research mission.

In the station’s Roscosmos segment, Borisov and fellow cosmonaut Nikolai Chub tried on a unique suit being tested for its ability to draw fluids pooled in a crew member’s upper body toward the legs and feet. Space-caused fluid shifts toward the upper body are known to create eye and head pressure, as well as the more familiar space condition known as “puffy-face.” Balancing body fluids in space may also help a crew member’s heart rate and blood pressure adjust more quickly to the return to Earth’s gravity.

Chub later joined veteran cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko testing video cameras being downlinked to mission controllers on Earth. The duo also familiarized themselves with hardware that measures the aerodynamic forces the station experiences while orbiting Earth and when spaceships dock and undock.


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

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Maintenance Day Aboard Station as Crew-8 Launch Moves

The SpaceX Crew-8 members (from left) Alexander Grebenkin, Mike Barratt, Matthew Dominick, and Jeanette Epps are pictured in their pressure suits at the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center. Credit: SpaceX
The SpaceX Crew-8 members (from left) Alexander Grebenkin, Mike Barratt, Matthew Dominick, and Jeanette Epps are pictured in their pressure suits at the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center. Credit: SpaceX

The Expedition 70 crew members will wait one more day to welcome the SpaceX Crew-8 mission due to unfavorable weather conditions forecasted at launch time. Meanwhile, the seven International Space Station residents stayed busy Thursday on orbital maintenance tasks while planning for the upcoming departure of four crewmates.

The SpaceX Dragon “Endeavour” spacecraft is now targeted to launch at 11:16 p.m. EST Saturday, March 2. Crew-8 Commander Matthew Dominick, Pilot Mike Barratt, and Mission Specialists Jeanette Epps and Alexander Grebenkin will take a short, automated trip to the station aboard Dragon and dock to the Harmony module’s forward port at 2:15 p.m. on Sunday.

The Dragon and station hatches will open less than two hours later and the Crew-8 members will enter the Harmony module where the Expedition 70 septet will greet them. Shortly after that, the 11 astronauts and cosmonauts will call down to Earth to share welcome remarks with mission officials and family members. The Crew-8 foursome will officially become space station flight engineers beginning a six-month research mission aboard the orbital lab.

Back on the space station, lab maintenance topped the schedule on Thursday ensuring the orbital outpost remains in tip-top shape. The station crew also had time for some science work while also training to depart aboard the SpaceX Dragon “Endurance” spacecraft.

NASA Flight Engineers Loral O’Hara and Jasmin Moghbeli finalized air conditioning work inside the Quest airlock. They completed swapping components on the Common Cabin Air Assembly, a life support device that circulates, cools, and dehumidifies the station’s air. Afterward, they stowed tools and packed the obsolete gear for return to Earth. O’Hara then moved on and processed fiber optic samples being produced inside the Microgravity Science Glovebox.

Afterward, Moghbeli joined her Crew-7 crewmates Andreas Mogensen, Satoshi Furukawa, and Konstantin Borisov and prepared their return to Earth about a week after the Crew-8 mission arrives. The Crew-7 quartet practiced Dragon undocking procedures on computer tablets inside the spacecraft. The four crewmates also tried on a specialized garment that may ease their adjustment to Earth’s gravity after living for six months in weightlessness.

Earlier in the day, Mogensen cleaned his crew quarters inside Harmony then called down to Earth for a conference with mission managers from ESA (European Space Agency). Furukawa from JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) organized emergency equipment to get ready for the Crew-8 mission. Borisov studied spacecraft and robotic piloting techniques future crews may use on planetary missions.

Cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub began their morning reviewing procedures for an experiment to measure the aerodynamic forces the station experiences while orbiting Earth. The duo from Roscosmos then spent the rest of the day working inside the Zarya module continuing to assemble cargo containers.

Space-Caused Eye, Head Pressure Research as Crew-8 Preps for Launch

The seven-member Expedition 70 crew gathers for a dinner time portrait inside the International Space Station's Unity module.
The seven-member Expedition 70 crew gathers for a dinner time portrait inside the International Space Station’s Unity module.

Eye checks and “anti-gravity” suits were the main human research topics for the Expedition 70 crew on Wednesday. The International Space Station residents also worked on standard maintenance tasks while getting ready for the next Commercial Crew swap.

Doctors are constantly monitoring astronauts’ health to ensure long-term mission success and ease their return to Earth’s gravity after months or years in space. Vision is a critical parameter as researchers explore space-caused pressure on the eyes due to fluids shifting toward the head. The same fluid shifts quickly reverse when an astronaut reenters Earth’s atmosphere causing blood pressure and stability issues. Doctors are studying methods to offset these symptoms and reduce the time it takes for crews to adapt to gravity.

NASA Flight Engineer Loral O’Hara had her optical nerve, retina, and cornea scanned on Wednesday using standard medical imaging hardware. JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) Flight Engineer Satoshi Furukawa led the eye exams operating the optical gear in the Harmony module with assistance from doctors and technicians on the ground.

Earlier in the day, O’Hara wore a sensor-packed vest and headband, the Bio-Monitor gear from the Canadian Space Agency, being evaluated for their ability to comfortably monitor an astronaut’s health data. Furukawa continued setting up biology hardware for upcoming research inside the Kibo laboratory module.

Two cosmonauts, Nikolai Chub and Konstantin Borisov, tried on the lower body negative pressure suit again in the middle of the week exploring its potential to decrease fluid pressure in the head triggered by weightlessness. Doctors theorize the downward fluid shifts may help maintain a crew member’s heart rate and blood pressure when returning to Earth.

Meanwhile, astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli from NASA and Andreas Mogensen from ESA (European Space Agency) joined forces and spent the day inside the Quest airlock replacing advanced air conditioning equipment. The duo swapped hoses, seals, and a heat exchanger on the Common Cabin Air Assembly, a life support device that circulates, cools, and dehumidifies the station’s air.

Moghbeli and Mogensen, Commander and Pilot of the SpaceX Crew-7 mission, also continued packing gear for their return to Earth inside the SpaceX Dragon “Endurance” spacecraft. The duo along with Furukawa and Borisov are scheduled to depart the station ending their mission about one week after the SpaceX Crew-8 mission arrives.

Crew-8, led by Commander Matthew Dominick with Pilot Michael Barratt and Mission Specialists Jeanette Epps and Alexander Grebenkin, have been given the go to launch to the station at 12:04 a.m. EST on Friday aboard the SpaceX Dragon “Endeavour” spacecraft. The Commercial Crew quartet will take an automated ride aboard Dragon for a docking to Harmony’s forward port at 7 a.m. on Saturday.

NASA and SpaceX are also targeting no earlier than mid-March for launch of the company’s 30th commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station. Liftoff of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon cargo spacecraft is scheduled from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

During the NASA Administrator’s Briefing from Kennedy Space Center today, NASA’s International Space Station Program Manager Joel Montalbano discussed the upcoming crew and cargo missions.


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

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