progress – Space Station

Station Reaches 25 Years in Orbit, Crew Continues Advanced Space Research

Space shuttle Endeavour's Canadarm robotic arm was used to grapple the Zarya module and connect it to the Unity module stowed in the shuttle's payload bay on Dec. 6, 1998. — Space shuttle Endeavour’s Canadarm robotic arm was used to grapple the Zarya module and connect it to the Unity module stowed in the shuttle’s payload bay on Dec. 6, 1998.

25 years ago today, the first two modules of the International Space Station – Zarya and Unity – were mated during the STS-88 mission of space shuttle Endeavour. The shuttle’s Canadarm robotic arm reached out and grappled Zarya, which had been on orbit just over two weeks, and attached it to the Unity module stowed inside Endeavour’s payload bay. Endeavour would undock from the young dual-module station one week later beginning the space station assembly era.

The seven-member Expedition 70 crew called down to Earth today and discussed with NASA Associate Administrator Bob Cabana and International Space Station Program Manager Joel Montalbano the orbital outpost’s accomplishments since the assembly era began on Dec. 6, 1998. Cabana was the commander of Endeavour when both modules were robotically mated then outfitted during a series of spacewalks. Montalbano, NASA’s sixth station leader since the program’s inception, remarked today, “We want to celebrate today all the people who designed, built, and operate the International Space Station.”

Meanwhile, a host of space biology work continued aboard the orbital lab on Wednesday to improve human health on Earth and in space. Cargo operations and lab maintenance rounded out the day keeping the four astronauts and three cosmonauts busy during the middle of the week.

Aging studies are taking place on the orbital lab helping researchers understand space-caused accelerated aging symptoms at the molecular and cellular level. NASA Flight Engineers Loral O’Hara and Jasmin Moghbeli took turns processing liver stem samples for the Space AGE study taking place in the Kibo laboratory module. Kibo’s Life Science Glovebox is hosting the research operation that is exploring aging-like properties of immune cells and the regenerative capacity of liver cells.

Mental health and cognition are key concerns for NASA and its international partners as the space agencies plan longer human missions farther away from Earth. Commander Andreas Mogensen wore virtual reality goggles for the VR Mental Care experiment today and watched a 360-degree movie to understand its stabilizing effect on the nervous system. Flight Engineer Satoshi Furukawa took a computerized robotics test for a CIPHER investigation studying how in microgravity affects brain structure, sleep quality, stress, and immune function.

Mogensen from ESA (European Space Agency) and Furukawa from JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) also partnered with O’Hara and Moghbeli transferring payloads in and out of the SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft throughout the day. The foursome then spent the rest of Wednesday supporting a variety of other ongoing space research and life support activities.

Veteran cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko tended to eggs being incubated for a Roscosmos space biology study, deployed carbon dioxide monitors, and practiced using emergency masks. Flight Engineer Nikolai Chub worked on an immunity study and continued unpacking cargo from the Progress 86 resupply ship. Flight Engineer Konstantin Borisov started his morning replacing electrical plumbing gear then worked in the afternoon checking smoke detectors and charging a science laptop computer.

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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Space Research, Cargo Craft Operations Kick Off Week

A waning gibbous moon sets just beyond Earth's horizon in this photograph from the space station soared above the South Pacific Ocean. — A waning gibbous moon sets just beyond Earth’s horizon in this photograph from the space station soared above the South Pacific Ocean.

Science hardware, microbiology, and eye checks topped the research schedule aboard the International Space Station on Monday. The Expedition 70 crew also serviced a spacesuit and began unpacking a new cargo craft.

NASA astronauts Loral O’Hara and Jasmin Moghbeli took turns working in the Life Science Glovebox on Monday morning. O’Hara first disconnected cables and cameras that record activities inside the biology research facility located in the Kibo laboratory module. Moghbeli then swapped out the gloves that crew members wear when conducting science operations inside the device.

O’Hara also configured and stowed hardware supporting a space physics experiment that observes how microgravity affects the properties of metal alloys. Moghbeli inoculated cell samples for the Bacteria Adhesion and Corrosion study that is exploring how to identify and disinfect microbes that can contaminate spacecraft systems and affect crew health.

Astronaut Satoshi Furukawa started his day servicing a pair of science freezers before cleaning and connecting cables that support a 3D organ culture study. Furukawa from JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) then joined the NASA duo for eye exams at the end of the day with support from doctors on the ground. O’Hara operated the standard medical imaging gear viewing the optic nerves and retinas of Furukawa and Moghbeli.

Commander Andreas Mogensen of ESA (European Space Agency) reviewed procedures for an upcoming study to manufacture superior fiber optic cables in microgravity. Afterward, he uninstalled components on a spacesuit and prepared them for return to Earth aboard the SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft.

Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub began Monday unpacking the Progress 86 space freighter that docked to the Poisk module at 6:18 a.m. EST. on Sunday. Kononenko unloaded a new space biology experiment delivered inside the Progress and installed its egg samples inside a Nauka science module incubator. Chub worked on and photographed docking hardware inside Poisk. Flight Engineer Konstantin Borisov updated data files documenting operations with the newly docked vehicle.

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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Progress Docks to Station, Replenishes Crew

Dec. 3, 2023: International Space Station Configuration. Six spaceships are parked at the space station including the SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft, the SpaceX Dragon Endurance crew spacecraft, Northrop Grumman's Cygnus space freighter, the Soyuz MS-24 crew ship, and the Progress 85 and 86 resupply ships. — Dec. 3, 2023: International Space Station Configuration. Six spaceships are parked at the space station including the SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft, the SpaceX Dragon Endurance crew spacecraft, Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus space freighter, the Soyuz MS-24 crew ship, and the Progress 85 and 86 resupply ships.

An uncrewed Roscosmos Progress 86 spacecraft arrived at the International Space Station’s Poisk module at 6:18 a.m. EST. The spacecraft launched on a Soyuz rocket at 4:25 a.m. EST Friday, Dec. 1 (2:25 p.m. Baikonur time) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko manually docked the spacecraft to the orbital complex after the automated rendezvous system took Progress out of its expected orientation.

Progress is delivering almost three tons of food, fuel and supplies to the International Space Station for the Expedition 70 crew.

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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Live Coverage of Resupply Cargo Craft Docking Underway

The Progress 76 resupply ship is pictured approaching the station in July of 2020 packed with nearly three tons of food, fuel and supplies.

NASA coverage is live for the docking of the Roscosmos Progress 86 cargo spacecraft to the International Space Station.

Watch live coverage on the NASA+ streaming service via the web or the NASA app. Coverage is also live on NASA Television, YouTube, and on the agency’s website.

The uncrewed spacecraft launched on a Soyuz rocket at 4:25 a.m. EST Friday, Dec. 1 (2:25 p.m. Baikonur time) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

Watch Progress 86 dock live on the NASA+ streaming service via the web or the NASA app. Docking coverage also will air live on NASA Television, YouTube, and on the agency’s website. Learn how to stream NASA TV through a variety of platforms including social media.

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 Awaits Sunday Cargo Delivery, Works Bioprinting and DNA Extraction

The Roscosmos Progress 86 cargo craft ascends to Earth orbit after launching from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Credit: NASA TV

A cargo craft is in orbit today on its way to the International Space Station following its Friday morning launch. Meanwhile, advanced space biology is underway aboard the orbital outpost to improve life on Earth and in space.

The Roscosmos 86 space freighter is in Earth orbit and racing toward the space station after launching at 4:25 a.m. EST today from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The Progress 86 is on a two-day delivery mission carrying nearly 5,600 pounds of cargo to resupply the Expedition 70 crew. Cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub will be on duty Sunday morning monitoring the cargo craft’s automated docking to the Poisk module planned for 6:14 a.m.

Both cosmonauts, including Flight Engineer Konstantin Borisov, had a light-duty day at the end of the week. The trio spent Friday morning cleaning ventilation systems throughout the station’s Roscosmos segment then relaxed during the afternoon. Borisov will assist his cosmonaut coworkers on Sunday photographing the docking activities and deconfiguring docking gear after the vehicle’s arrival.

Bioprinting and DNA extraction were the main research activities on Friday as astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli and Satoshi Furukawa contributed to scientific knowledge advancing health for humans living on and off the Earth. Moghbeli from NASA kicked off her day in the Columbus laboratory module swapping cleaning syringes inside the BioFabrication Facility (BFF), a biological printer. Next, she removed a tissue cassette containing printed cardiac tissue samples from the BFF. The cassette was then installed into an advanced sample processor that can be configured for a variety of biological and physics investigations.

Furukawa from JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) spent Friday working in the Kibo laboratory module extracting DNA samples for the new uTitan investigation. He stowed those samples in a science freezer for later analysis to help researchers explore a method for automated nucleic acid extraction in microgravity. The method may inform DNA sample processing and sequencing techniques on spacecraft and remote locations on Earth.

NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara worked out in the Destiny laboratory module for an exercise study observing physical fitness in microgravity. She pedaled on an exercise cycle wearing breathing gear and sensors for the long-running study measuring a crew member’s aerobic and cardiovascular conditioning.

Commander Andreas Mogensen stowed the exercise cycle after O’Hara’s workout session and assisted Moghbeli as she serviced the printed cardiac tissue samples. Mogensen from ESA (European Space Agency) then spent the afternoon collecting microbe samples from station surfaces for incubation and analysis. O’Hara also worked in the afternoon collecting station air samples for microbial analysis.

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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Progress Launches, Cargo and Supplies Headed to Station

The Progress 86 cargo craft launches to the station from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 4:25 a.m. EST Friday, Dec. 1. Photo Credit: NASA TV

The uncrewed Roscosmos Progress 86 is safely in orbit headed for the International Space Station following launch at 4:25 a.m. EST Friday, Dec. 1 (2:25 p.m. Baikonur time) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

The resupply ship reached preliminary orbit, and deployed its solar arrays and navigational antennas as planned, on its way to meet up with the orbiting laboratory and its Expedition 70 crew members.

Progress will dock to the station’s Poisk module on Sunday, Dec. 3 at 6:14 a.m. EST. Live coverage on NASA TV of rendezvous and docking will begin at 5:30 a.m.

Progress will deliver almost three tons of food, fuel and supplies to the space station.

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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Resupply Cargo Craft Launching Live on NASA TV

he Progress 84 cargo craft is pictured shortly after undocking from the International Space Station's Poisk Module at 2:55 a.m. EST on Nov. 29, 2023. — The Progress 84 cargo craft is pictured shortly after undocking from the International Space Station’s Poisk Module at 2:55 a.m. EST on Nov. 29, 2023.

NASA is providing live launch coverage of the Roscosmos Progress 86 cargo spacecraft carrying about three tons of food, fuel, and supplies for the Expedition 70 crew aboard the International Space Station. The uncrewed Progress 86 is scheduled to lift off at 4:25 a.m. EST Friday, Dec. 1 (2:25 p.m. Baikonur time) on a Soyuz rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

Watch live coverage on the NASA+ streaming service via the web or the NASA app. Coverage also is live on NASA Television, YouTube, and on the agency’s website. Learn how to stream NASA TV through a variety of platforms including social media.

Progress will dock to the station’s Poisk module two days later, on Sunday, Dec. 3 at 6:14 a.m.

Watch Progress 86 launch live on the NASA+ streaming service via the web or the NASA app. Launch coverage also will air live on NASA Television, YouTube, and on the agency’s website. Learn how to stream NASA TV through a variety of platforms including social media.

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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Robotics, Physics, and Biology as Crew Awaits Next Cargo Mission

Astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli works on the BioFabrication Facility, a biological printer that is testing the printing of organ-like tissues in microgravity.

The Expedition 70 crew members turned their attention toward robotics and physics research today while continuing ongoing space biology studies. The orbital septet also will soon welcome a cargo craft due to launch to the International Space Station early Friday.

NASA Flight Engineer Jasmin Moghbeli turned on the Astrobee robotic free-flyers Thursday morning for a technology demonstration inside the Kibo laboratory module. In the afternoon, she installed components called CLINGERS on the Astrobees and monitored the cube-shaped robotic devices as they conducted docking maneuvers. The experiment seeks to prove new technology that may enable future satellites to rendezvous, dock, and undock autonomously.

Astronaut Satoshi Furukawa also worked in the Kibo lab swapping samples inside the Electrostatic Levitation Furnace. The high-temperature research facility allows safe observations of thermophysical properties such as density surface tension, and viscosity of materials difficult to achieve on Earth. Furukawa from JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) then worked in the afternoon setting up the new uTitan investigation in Kibo’s Life Science Glovebox to explore a method for extracting DNA samples in microgravity.

A variety of space biology investigations were also underway aboard the station seeking to improve life on Earth and in space. NASA Flight Engineer Loral O’Hara kicked off her day configuring the Advanced Plant Habitat for an upcoming botany study to explore how the plant immune system is affected by spaceflight conditions. Commander Andreas Mogensen peered at brain cell-like samples in a microscope for the Cerebral Aging study seeking a deeper understanding of ageing processes and neurodegenerative conditions. Afterward, Mogensen from ESA (European Space Agency) printed cardiac cells using the BioFabrication Facility that is demonstrating printing organ-like tissues in microgravity.

Back on Earth at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, the Roscosmos Progress 86 resupply ship stands ready to launch to the orbital outpost at 4:25 a.m. EST on Friday. The Progress 86 will orbit Earth for two days before docking to the station’s Poisk module at 6:14 a.m. on Sunday. Cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub will be on duty monitoring the resupply ship’s arrival and ready to unpack the nearly 5,600 pounds of cargo a few hours later.

Kononenko remained focus on research Thursday activating a 3D printer to learn how to print tools and supplies promoting self-sufficient crews in space. Chub studied how microgravity affects fluid systems then tested futuristic spacecraft and robotic piloting techniques on a computer. Cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov serviced ventilation systems in the Zvezda service module, loaded software on computer tablets, then wrapped up his shift deactivating Earth observation hardware.

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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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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Aging, Human Research Studies Ahead of Next Cargo Mission

Nov. 29, 2023: International Space Station Configuration. Five spaceships are parked at the space station including the SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft, the SpaceX Dragon Endurance crew spacecraft, Northrop Grumman's Cygnus space freighter, the Soyuz MS-24 crew ship, and the Progress 85 resupply ship. — Nov. 29, 2023: International Space Station Configuration. Five spaceships are parked at the space station including the SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft, the SpaceX Dragon Endurance crew spacecraft, Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus space freighter, the Soyuz MS-24 crew ship, and the Progress 85 resupply ship.

The International Space Station hosted numerous microgravity experiments on Wednesday investigating how the human body adapts to weightlessness and ways to live and work off the Earth. The Expedition 70 crewmembers also continued preparing for a cargo mission then conducted an emergency drill.

More aging research was underway aboard the orbital lab today as NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli processed samples inside the Kibo laboratory module for the Space AGE study. The biology work took place in Kibo’s Life Science Glovebox and may provide better insights into the aging process on cells and its effects on disease mechanisms both on Earth and in space.

Working in the Columbus laboratory module, NASA Flight Engineer Loral O’Hara configured and wore portable medical gear that is monitoring her blood pressure for the CIPHER human research study. She conducted other research activities throughout the day including inspecting microbial detection hardware and calibrating components inside the Combustion Integrated Rack.

Commander Andreas Mogensen began his day documenting his reactions to a new lighting system that may help astronauts maintain their circadian rhythms in outer space. The ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut then uploaded software for a technology experiment demonstrating how the Astrobee free-flying robotic helpers, and potentially future satellites, can rendezvous, dock, and undock autonomously.

Astronaut Satoshi Furukawa of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) was back on life support duty servicing Kibo’s Internal Thermal Control System (ITCS). The ITCS cools and rejects heat from equipment ensuring a safe operating environment aboard the space station.

The Roscosmos Progress 84 resupply ship ended its cargo mission today after six months docked to the Poisk module. The uncrewed and trash-packed Progress 84 departed the station at 2:55 a.m. EST then reentered the Earth’s atmosphere above the south Pacific Ocean for a fiery, but safe demise a few hours later.

The next cargo mission to resupply the Expedition 70 crew is counting down to launch at 4:25 a.m. on Friday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The Progress 86 resupply ship, carrying nearly 5,600 pounds of cargo, will take a two-day trip to the orbiting lab and dock to the same port vacated by the Progress 84. Cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub reviewed procedures today for monitoring the approaching cargo craft and practiced remotely controlling the Progress 86 if necessary.

Cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov watered plants and photographed them for a space botany study. Afterward, he checked Roscosmos tablet computers then worked in the Nauka science module maintaining its ventilation systems.

At the end of the day, all four astronauts joined the three cosmonauts and simulated an emergency with ground controllers practicing their roles and responsibilities during the drill. The orbital residents located emergency systems throughout the space lab while coordinating with mission controllers from around the world.

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 Works Advanced Physics, Biology Ahead of Cargo Missions

An aurora dances in the horizon of Earth's atmosphere as city lights shine through clouds cast over Mongolia. — An aurora dances in the horizon of Earth’s atmosphere as city lights shine through clouds cast over Mongolia.

Ultra-cold space physics and immunity research were the top science objectives aboard the International Space Station on Monday. The seven-member Expedition 70 crew is also stepping up its cargo operations this week while continuing to maintain lab systems.

The coldest place in the universe may just be the orbital outpost’s Cold Atom Lab, a quantum research device that chills atoms to near absolute zero, lower than the average temperature of space. NASA Flight Engineer Jasmin Moghbeli configured components and installed hardware for a controller test of the facility that provides unique observations of atomic wave functions seen at extremely low temperatures not possible on Earth.

Moghbeli also assisted Commander Andreas Mogensen inside the Columbus laboratory module setting up the Kubik incubator first thing Monday morning. Next, Mogensen from ESA (European Space Agency) collected and processed his blood and saliva samples for the Immunity Assay biology study that is exploring cellular immunity in space. Afterward, he placed a set of samples inside a science freezer and placed another set inside Kubik for later analysis.

Astronauts Loral O’Hara and Satoshi Furukawa focused mainly on maintenance throughout Monday. O’Hara spent the afternoon inspecting the COLBERT treadmill in the Tranquility module. She photographed and cleaned components, checked pin alignment and treadmill slats, and greased axles. Furukawa from JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) worked in the Kibo laboratory module servicing gear that cools and rejects heat from equipment to ensure a safe operating environment aboard the space station.

Furukawa later partnered with Mogensen and Moghbeli loading cargo inside the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft docked to the Harmony module’s forward port. The Dragon cargo spacecraft arrived on Nov. 11 carrying about 6,500 pounds of gear including advanced science hardware to study laser communications and atmospheric gravity waves. Dragon is due to return to Earth in mid-December packed with hardware and completed science experiments for retrieval and analysis.

The Roscosmos Progress 84 resupply ship will end its mission when it departs on Wednesday after six months docked to the Poisk module. Flight Engineer Nikolai Chub packed trash and discarded gear inside the departing Progress that will reenter the atmosphere above the south Pacific Ocean for a fiery, but safe disposal. It will be replaced when the Progress 86, packed with nearly 5,600 pounds of cargo, launches at 4:25 a.m. EST on Friday and automatically docks to Poisk at 6:14 a.m. on Sunday.

Veteran cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko started his day pointing a specialized camera toward Earth to gain atmospheric and climatic data. Next, he studied how fluid systems are affected by spaceflight conditions such as electrical and magnetic fields. First-time space flyer Konstantin Borisov began Monday servicing a variety of life support and communications gear. During the afternoon, he collected air samples throughout the station’s Roscosmos modules for chemical analysis.

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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