science – Space Station

Station Crew Works Science Installs and Spacewalk Cleanup Before Holidays

NASA astronauts Don Pettit and Suni Williams pose for a fun holiday season portrait while speaking on a ham radio inside the Columbus laboratory module.

Science hardware installations wrapped up the week for the Expedition 72 crew members aboard the International Space Station. The cosmonauts also slept in on Friday following a spacewalk the day before.

NASA Flight Engineers Don Pettit and Nick Hague finalized the installation of the European Enhanced Exploration Exercise Device that provides advanced bicycling, rowing, and resistive capabilities in the Columbus laboratory module. The astronauts checked the fit of the workout gear’s vibration isolation system, installed grounding brackets, greased rails, and tested the device’s motion. The small and compact futuristic exercise hardware will be evaluated in the orbital outpost’s microgravity environment before being used on longer term missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.

Hague also joined Commander Suni Williams and Flight Engineer Butch Wilmore, both NASA astronauts, in the Tranquility module for more installation work. The trio outfitted the Nanoracks Bishop airlock with a variety of hardware after it was berthed to Tranquility and pressurized following robotic transfers for scientific work at the beginning of the week. Wilmore completed the Bishop configurations at the end of the day after he installed computer hardware.

The orbiting lab’s three cosmonauts from Roscosmos slept in on Friday following a seven-hour and 17-minute spacewalk on Thursday. Flight Engineers Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner installed a celestial X-ray investigation and removed older experiments for disposal during the spacewalk. Flight Engineer Aleksandr Gorbunov remained inside the space station monitoring the spacewalkers and maneuvering Ovchinin with the European robotic arm (ERA). The trio spent Friday cleaning spacesuits and returning the ERA to its stowage position on the Nauka science module.

The seven astronauts and cosmonauts will spend Christmas and New Year’s Day orbiting Earth taking time to relax, open gifts, share a meal, and talk to family. The orbital septet will go into 2025 continuing more advanced space research benefitting humans on and off the Earth. The next space station blog is planned to publish on Jan. 6.

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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Spacewalkers Exit Station for Science and Robotics Work

Two cosmonauts work outside the space station to activate a radiator on the Nauka science module during a spacewalk on May 12, 2023. At top, is the European robotic arm attached to Nauka.

Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner began a spacewalk at 10:36 a.m. EST to install an experiment package designed to monitor celestial x-ray sources and new electrical connector patch panels and remove several experiments for disposal. The two cosmonauts will also relocate a control panel for the European robotic arm, which is attached to the Nauka multipurpose laboratory module. Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexsandr Gorbunov will operate the arm during the spacewalk from inside the station.

Coverage will continue on NASA+. Learn how to watch NASA content through a variety of platforms, including social media.

Ovchinin is wearing an Orlan spacesuit with red stripes, while Vagner is wearing the suit with blue stripes. This is the second spacewalk in Ovchinin’s career, and the first for Vagner. It is the 272nd 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 X, as well as the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.

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Crew Works Advanced Exercise and Space Tech, Gets Ready for Thursday Spacewalk

Astronaut Suni Williams installs the European Materials Ageing experiment hardware inside the Nanoracks Bishop airlock that will expose a variety of materials to the vacuum of space for about a year.

A new exercise system, spacecraft fire safety, and advanced life support gear were the main research priorities aboard the International Space Station on Wednesday. The Expedition 72 crew is also ready for a spacewalk to conduct science and robotics work on Thursday.

Commander Suni Williams and Flight Engineer Butch Wilmore, both from NASA, were back inside the Columbus laboratory module continuing to install futuristic exercise gear for space crews. The duo is spending the rest of the week assembling the workout hardware in Columbus where it will be tested by the station crew using its advanced bicycling, rowing, and resistive capabilities. The small and compact European Enhanced Exploration Exercise Device will be evaluated in the orbital outpost’s microgravity environment before being used on longer term missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.

Working from the Destiny laboratory module, NASA Flight Engineer Nick Hague swapped samples of thin plastic sheets inside the Combustion Integrated Rack. Those samples are being observed for how they burn in weightlessness to learn how to prevent fires on spacecraft. NASA Flight Engineer Don Pettit spent his day in the Harmony module setting up the Microgravity Sediment Trap hardware. The advanced technology demonstration gear will test new filters to protect and extend the life of spacecraft cooling systems.

Two cosmonauts are ready to exit the space station’s Poisk airlock at 10:10 a.m. EST on Thursday for a planned six-hour and 40-minute spacewalk to remove science experiments and relocate robotic hardware. The duo from Roscosmos wrapped up their spacewalk procedure reviews, completed the installation of Orlan spacesuit components, and finished charging the video cameras they will wear on their suits to record their spacewalk activities. NASA+ will begin its live spacewalk coverage at 9:45 a.m. Learn how to watch NASA content through a variety of platforms, including social media.

Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov will assist the spacewalkers in and out of the airlock as well as their Orlan spacesuits on Thursday. Gorbunov will also be at the controls of the European robotic arm as the spacewalkers relocate a robotics control panel on the device attached to the Nauka science module.

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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Life Science, Spacewalk Preps on Station as Dragon Splashes Down

Astronauts Suni Williams and Don Pettit take a break from science maintenance activities and pose for a selfie-portrait aboard the station's Harmony module. — Astronauts Suni Williams and Don Pettit take a break from science maintenance activities and pose for a selfie-portrait aboard the station’s Harmony module.

The Expedition 72 crew continued its life science research and spacewalk preparations on Tuesday as a U.S. resupply spacecraft splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico. The orbital residents also serviced advanced exercise gear and reconfigured a science airlock on the International Space Station.

NASA Flight Engineers Don Pettit and Nick Hague worked on two different space biology experiments Tuesday each exploring different facets of microgravity’s effects on humans. Pettit cleaned up a research incubator that earlier housed biological samples exposed to the stresses of space that cause muscle and bone loss. Those samples have been returned to Earth aboard the SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft for analysis. Hague strapped on a sensor-packed headband and vest that recorded his heart and breathing activity as he pedaled on an exercise bike. The data will be downlinked to researchers to learn how the body adapts to microgravity conditions.

Commander Suni Williams and Flight Engineer Butch Wilmore, both NASA astronauts, joined each other in the Columbus laboratory module and began installing new exercise gear. Combining bicycling, rowing, and resistive capabilities, the small and compact European Enhanced Exploration Exercise Device will be tested for its effectiveness aboard the space station before being used for longer term missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.

Wilmore partnered with Hague near the end of their shift and reconfigured the Nanoracks Bishop airlock. Bishop will be repressurized after being reattached to the Tranquility module following a weekend of transfer activities with the Canadarm2 robotic arm. Bishop had earlier contained the Euro Materials Ageing experiment hardware that was robotically maneuvered to the Bartolomeo research platform attached to the outside of Columbus.

Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner are nearing a spacewalk that will see the duo remove external science experiments and relocate European robotic arm hardware. The pair organized their spacewalking tools and conducted photographic inspections inside the Poisk airlock where they will exit into the vacuum of space at 10:10 a.m. EST on Thursday. Ovchinin and Vagner will spend about six hour and 40-minutes wearing their Orlan spacesuits while tethered to the outside of the orbital outpost.

Flight Engineer Aleksandr Gorbunov split his day on Earth observations and life support maintenance inside the station’s Roscosmos segment. Gorbunov tested new imaging hardware in the Nauka science module that can view the effects of natural and man-made disasters on Earth in different wavelengths. The first-time space flyer also worked an orbital plumbing and ventilation system cleaning throughout the day.

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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Dragon Returns to Earth, Cargo Mission Ends

The SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft is pictured departing the vicinity of the space station following its undocking from the International Space Station on January 9, 2023.

At 1:39 p.m. EST, the unpiloted SpaceX Dragon spacecraft splashed down off the coast of Florida, marking the return of the company’s 31st commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station for NASA.

The spacecraft carried back to Earth thousands of pounds of supplies and scientific experiments designed to take advantage of the space station’s microgravity environment after undocking at 11:05 a.m. Dec. 16, from the forward port of the space station’s Harmony module.

Filled with nearly 6,000 pounds of crew supplies, science investigations, and equipment, the spacecraft arrived to the orbiting laboratory Nov. 5 after it launched Nov. 4 on a Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

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 Studies Physics and Biology, Preps for Spacewalk, Dragon Undocking Adjusted

An orbital sunrise crowns Earth's horizon in this photograph from the International Space Station as it orbited 261 miles above Brazil. — An orbital sunrise crowns Earth’s horizon in this photograph from the International Space Station as it orbited 261 miles above Brazil.

A space exposure experiment, a micro-algae study, and eye exams topped the research schedule for the Expedition 72 crew members at the end of the week. The orbital residents also continue to gear up for a spacewalk planned for next week at the International Space Station.

NASA astronaut and station Commander Suni Williams spent most of her day inside the Tranquility module working on the Nanoracks Bishop airlock. She was joined at the beginning of her shift by NASA Flight Engineer Butch Wilmore who helped her prepare the Euro Materials Aging (EMA) experiment for installation inside Bishop. Afterward, she inspected one portion of the EMA study that will observe organic molecules and how they adapt to the external space environment.

NASA Flight Engineer Don Pettit looked at another segment of the EMA hardware that will expose a variety of materials to outer space to monitor how they age over time. Finally, NASA Flight Engineer Nick Hague inspected the Bishop airlock with the EMA experiment inside, closed its hatch, and prepared the airlock for its upcoming depressurization.

On Monday, the Canadarm2 robotic arm will detach Bishop with the EMA inside from Tranquility and maneuver it toward the Columbus laboratory module. Next, the EMA will be robotically installed on the Bartolomeo research platform attached to the outside of Columbus. The external investigation will operate outside Columbus for about a year.

Hague at the beginning of his shift on Friday, swapped samples of micro-algae inside the BioLab incubator located in Columbus. Researchers are exploring the potential of micro-algae as a way to remove carbon dioxide, produce oxygen, and grow food on spacecraft. At the end of the day, Williams partnered with Pettit and Wilmore for eye exams using standard medical imaging hardware found in a doctor’s office on Earth. The trio were joined by ground doctors monitoring in real-time who want to understand how living in weightlessness affects vision and the human eye.

Two cosmonauts continue their preparations for a spacewalk on Thursday, Dec. 19, to remove external science experiments and relocate European robotic arm hardware. Roscosmos Flight Engineers Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner began Friday installing components on their Orlan spacesuits. Next, the duo pedaled on an exercise bicycle for a pre-spacewalk fitness assessment. Finally, the cosmonauts wrapped up the day’s suit work installing lights, batteries, and video cameras they will wear on their spacesuits during the planned six-hour and 40-minute spacewalk next week.

Roscosmos Flight Engineer Aleksandr Gorbunov trained to use the European robotic arm reviewing the laptop computers that support the robotic arm attached to the Nauka science module. Following that work, the first-time space flyer swapped out life support hardware then installed Earth observation gear to view the effects of natural and human-caused catastrophes in different wavelengths.

Mission managers waved off the planned return of a Dragon resupply spacecraft on Saturday, Dec. 14, due to forecasted unfavorable weather conditions at the splashdown sites off the coast of Florida. NASA and SpaceX now are targeting no earlier than Sunday, Dec. 15, for the next undocking opportunity of NASA’s SpaceX 31st commercial resupply services spacecraft.

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 Packs Science for Exposure, Studies Immune System, and Preps for Spacewalk

A vivid aurora streams over the Earth as the space station orbited 273 miles above the southern Indian Ocean in between Australia and Antarctica.

The Expedition 72 crew prepared a science experiment for placement outside the International Space Station and studied space-caused cellular stress and tissue damage on Thursday. Spacewalk preparations are also ongoing to remove and relocate hardware on the orbital outpost next week.

Three NASA astronauts including Commander Suni Williams and Flight Engineers Don Pettit and Butch Wilmore opened up the hatch to the Nanoracks Bishop airlock and readied the removable module for the loading of the Euro Materials Aging (EMA) experiment. On Monday, the Canadarm2 robotic arm will detach Bishop with the EMA inside from the Tranquility module and maneuver it toward the Columbus laboratory module. Next, the EMA will be robotically installed on the Bartolomeo research platform attached to the outside of Columbus.

EMA will expose a variety of materials to the space environment to learn how to improve the development of space hardware and applications for missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. The external investigation will operate outside Columbus for about a year.

NASA Flight Engineer Nick Hague continued his cellular immunity research processing blood samples in the Harmony module. He removed the samples from the Kubik research incubator after overnight stowage and spun them inside the Human Research Facility’s centrifuge. Afterward, Hague stowed the blood specimens inside a science freezer then powered down and uninstalled Kubik. Doctors on the ground will analyze the samples to understand the effects of living in space on the human immune system.

All four NASA astronauts relaxed and took a half-a-day off at the end of their shifts on Thursday. The quartet will have a busy day on Friday as they prepare the Bishop airlock and the Euro Materials Aging experiment for their robotic move next week.

Roscosmos Flight Engineers Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner continued their preparations for a spacewalk planned to begin at 10:10 a.m. EST on Thursday, Dec. 19, for science and robotics hardware transfers. The cosmonauts wore their pressurized Orlan spacesuits and practiced maneuvering to the Poisk airlock where they will exit into the vacuum of space. Fellow cosmonaut and flight engineer Aleksandr Gorbunov joined the duo afterward and reviewed procedures to depressurize and repressurize the airlock when the spacewalkers exit and enter the station.

Ovchinin and Vagner also had time for a cardiac study wearing electrodes and arm cuffs measuring their heart activity and blood pressure. Gorbunov focused on orbital plumbing tasks before the spacewalk reviews. At the end of his shift, he joined his cosmonaut crewmates for a test to learn how international crews and mission controllers from around the world can communicate better.

Crew Works Biomedical, Robotics Research and Waits for Dragon Departure

The SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft is pictured from an external space station camera approaching the orbital outpost above Argentina. Credit: NASA+

Disease detection, cellular immunity, and free-flying robotics were the top advanced research topics aboard the International Space Station on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the Expedition 72 crew members wait to send off a U.S. cargo spacecraft while preparing for the year’s final spacewalk.

Scientists on the ground are using the orbital outpost’s microgravity environment to learn how to detect genetic mutations and viruses that can cause illnesses, such as cancer and other diseases, on Earth and in space. NASA Flight Engineer Don Pettit processed samples of RNA, a nucleic acid, in the Harmony module’s maintenance work area for visualization in a handheld fluorescence viewer. Results may enable the quick identification of genetic sequences that can affect human health to better protect astronauts on missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.

NASA Flight Engineer Nick Hague began his day collecting his blood and saliva samples. He processed the specimens and stowed some of the samples in a science freezer and placed others inside the Kubik research incubator for later analysis. Doctors will study the samples to understand and prevent space-caused cellular stress and tissue damage. Hague also took off the Bio-Monitor headband and vest and downloaded the health data collected over two days from the biomedical wearables.

Working in the Kibo laboratory module, NASA Flight Engineer Butch Wilmore outfitted the toaster-sized Astrobee robotic free-flyer with a small docking mechanism for the Clingers technology demonstration. Engineers on the ground monitored the Astrobee as it tested autonomous navigation, docking, and undocking techniques using the Clingers device. Insights may boost space industry standardization of in-space refueling, repair, and manufacturing operations.

Station Commander Suni Williams from NASA opened up the Materials Science Laboratory (MSL) inside the Columbus laboratory module troubleshooting its components. The MSL enables safe, high-temperature observations of materials such as metals, polymers, semiconductors, and more in weightlessness to discover new applications and create new materials.

Mission managers waved off the planned return of a Dragon resupply spacecraft on Thursday, Dec. 12, due to forecasted unfavorable weather conditions at the splashdown site off the coast of Florida. NASA and SpaceX now are targeting Saturday, Dec. 14, for the next undocking opportunity of NASA’s SpaceX 31^st commercial resupply services spacecraft.

NASA’s live coverage of Dragon’s undocking and departure begins at 10:50 a.m. EST on NASA+ as the spacecraft autonomously undocks from the Harmony module’s forward port around 11:05 a.m. on Saturday. Learn how to watch NASA content through a variety of platforms, including social media.

Roscosmos Flight Engineers Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner continued their spacewalk preparations on Wednesday. The duo checked their suits for leaks, tested communications and medical hardware, and installed spacewalking gear inside the Poisk module. The cosmonauts will exit Poisk into the vacuum of space at 10:10 a.m. EST on Thursday, Dec. 19, and spend about six hours and 40 minutes removing science experiments and relocating robotic hardware.

Cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov began his day working on video and computer hardware throughout the station’s Roscosmos segment. Afterward, he entered the Nauka science module activating the European robotic arm (ERA) and verifying mission data uploaded to the ERA.

Spacesuits and Space Biology Fill Day Aboard Space Station

Astronaut Suni Williams displays science hardware housing bacteria and yeast samples for a biomanufacturing experiment that may enable the production of food and medicine in space.

Spacesuits and space biology were the main focus on Tuesday as the Expedition 72 crew aboard the International Space Station gets ready for a spacewalk and keeps up critical research.

Flight Engineers Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner from Roscosmos worked throughout the day inside the Poisk module where they are getting ready for the year’s final spacewalk. Vagner first conducted leak checks on Poisk’s airlock hatch where the cosmonauts will exit into the vacuum of space at 10:10 a.m. EST on Thursday, Dec. 19. Next, the duo paired up activating and inspecting their individual Orlan spacesuits, installing batteries, and removing excess gasses and liquids from the suits they will wear during the spacewalk. The cosmonauts are expected to spend about six hours and 40 minutes removing external science experiments and relocating European robotic arm hardware.

Station Commander Suni Williams was back inside the Quest airlock on Tuesday checking out and replacing components on a U.S. spacesuit. Afterward, she joined NASA Flight Engineer Butch Wilmore for eye exams with the Ultrasound 2 device. The duo took turns scanning each other’s eyes as doctors on the ground monitored in real-time the condition of each astronaut’s cornea, lens, and optic nerve. Wilmore also transferred cargo between the Kibo and Columbus laboratory modules then installed air quality sensors inside Quest.

NASA Flight Engineer Don Pettit started his day reconfiguring and cleaning a pair of research incubators, one of which can generate artificial gravity, inside the Kibo lab module. He later joined Wilmore who scanned Pettit’s eyes with the Ultrasound 2 then assisted him with the cargo transfers between Kibo and Columbus. Pettit also reviewed procedures for an upcoming cancer and disease detection study.

Flight Engineer Nick Hague of NASA explored the potential of micro-algae as a way to remove carbon dioxide, produce oxygen, and grow food on spacecraft. Hague processed sample containers for installation inside the BioLab research facility to understand the effects of radiation and microgravity on the micro-algae and learn how to sustain crews on missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.

Hague, who is also the commander of the SpaceX Crew-9 mission, joined his crewmates Williams, Wilmore, and cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov inside the Dragon crew spacecraft for a departure training session at the end of the day. Hague and Gorbunov launched together on Dragon to the orbital outpost on Sept. 28. They will return to Earth in the spring with Williams and Wilmore.

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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Week Begins with Spacewalk Preps, Physics, and Biology Research

The International Space Station is pictured from the SpaceX Dragon crew spacecraft by a SpaceX Crew-8 member shortly after undocking on Oct. 23, 2024.

Spacesuits topped the schedule for the Expedition 72 crew on Monday as a pair of cosmonauts get ready for a spacewalk planned for next week. The International Space Station residents also kicked off the workweek focusing their research activities on physics and biology.

Flight Engineers Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner of Roscosmos are gearing up for a spacewalk expected to begin at approximately 10:10 a.m. EST on Dec. 19. The duo will open the Poisk module’s hatch and spend about six hours and 40 minutes removing external science experiments and relocating European robotic arm hardware.

Ovchinin and Vagner took turns at the beginning of their shift on Monday assessing their hand grip strength due to the dexterity required to complete their spacewalk tasks inside the pressurized Orlan spacesuits. Afterward, the cosmonauts installed a variety of life support components and other gear on their individual Orlan suits.

Current space station Commander Suni Williams and Flight Engineer Don Pettit, both from NASA, also worked on spacesuit maintenance but on the other side of the space station inside the Quest airlock. The duo scrubbed suit and airlock cooling loops, inspected life support gear, and checked out radio communications hardware ahead of more spacewalks planned for early next year.

Williams and Pettit had more tasks planned Monday including a vision test using a standard eye chart with NASA Flight Engineer Butch Wilmore. Williams also inserted samples of colloids, or particles mixed inside a substance to create a gel, inside a fluorescence microscope for imaging. Pettit with assistance from Wilmore reorganized a variety of orbital plumbing tools relocating them from the Permanent Multipurpose Module and stowing them in the Zarya module. Wilmore earlier photographed a set of CubeSats deployed into Earth orbit outside the Kibo laboratory module for education research.

NASA Flight Engineer Nick Hague spent his day on space biology research. He first worked out on the advanced resistive exercise device then jogged on the COLBERT treadmill before wearing the Bio-Monitor headband and vest for a 48-hour health monitoring session. Afterward, Hague set up a pair of research incubators inside the Columbus laboratory module.

Roscosmos Flight Engineer Aleksandr Gorbunov checked out gas supply valves for the Plasma Kristall-4 space physics experiment that may improve fundamental research methods and spacecraft designs. Gorbunov later explored futuristic spacecraft and robotic piloting techniques future crew members may use on planetary 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.