science – Space Station

Cardiac Study, Robotics Work, and Light Duty Day for Astronauts

The SpaceX Dragon resupply ship approaches the station above the Indian Ocean near Madagascar on March 16, 2023.

Heart research and robotics were the top objectives for the Expedition 69 crew aboard the International Space Station on Friday. Cargo work and lab maintenance also kept the orbital residents busy despite a light-duty day for some of the crew members.

One of the orbiting lab’s newest experiments is looking at how microgravity affects cardiac cells and the drugs that may protect astronaut health. Flight Engineers Frank Rubio of NASA and Sultan Alneyadi of UAE (United Arab Emirates) took turns on Friday servicing heart cell and tissue samples for the Cardinal Health 2.0 study recently delivered aboard the newest SpaceX Dragon cargo mission. Results could help identify and prevent the cardiovascular risks of living in space as well as treat heart ailments on Earth.

The duo also continued unpacking some of the 6,200 pounds cargo the Dragon resupply ship delivered to the crew on April 16. In the midst of the science and cargo work, Rubio and Alneyadi also managed to relax for half-a-day on the orbiting lab.

NASA Flight Engineers Stephen Bowen and Woody Hoburg had the day off at the end of the week following a busy week of science activities. However, Bowen did spend a few moments after lunchtime reviewing procedures and gathering hardware for the Foam and Emulsions physics study that may benefit commercial Earth-bound and space industries.

The European robotic arm saw action on Friday as Roscosmos Flight Engineer Andrey Fedyaev trained on and tested its operations while attached to the Nauka multipurpose laboratory module. Flight Engineer Dmitri Petelin worked throughout Friday on life support maintenance tasks. At the end of the day he spent a few moments studying how international crews and mission controllers from around the world can communicate better with each other. Commander Sergey Prokopyev spent his day working on batteries, ventilation gear, and orbital plumbing components.

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

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Cargo, Research Work Ongoing as Commercial Crew Missions Announced

UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi poses with a free-flying AstroBee robotic helper inside the space station's Kibo laboratory module. — UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi poses with a free-flying AstroBee robotic helper inside the space station’s Kibo laboratory module.

The Expedition 69 crew members continue unpacking the SpaceX Dragon resupply ship in the midst of human research and pharmaceutical studies aboard the International Space Station. NASA and its commercial crew partners have also announced upcoming missions to the station.

Flight Engineers Frank Rubio of NASA and Sultan Alneyadi of UAE (United Arab Emirates) took turns working inside the SpaceX Dragon cargo craft on Thursday. The duo has been offloading some of the 6,200 pounds new research gear and crew supplies packed inside the Cargo Dragon. The U.S. commercial space freighter will remain docked to the Harmony module’s forward port until mid-April when it will return to Earth filled with completed science experiments and other cargo for retrieval and analysis.

Rubio started his day pedaling on the station’s exercise bike while attached to sensors to measure his aerobic capacity in microgravity. Afterward, he performed research work in the Columbus laboratory module to understand how the different gravity levels of the Moon, Mars, and beyond may affect the biomanufacturing of pharmaceuticals.

Alneyadi’s first task of the day was to install an incubator in the Kibo laboratory module and later activate it in the afternoon. He also collected surface samples throughout the space station for microbial analysis back on Earth.

Station Commander Sergey Prokopyev was joined by Rubio and Roscosmos Flight Engineer Dmitri Petelin during the morning checking their Soyuz launch and entry suits for leaks. Prokopyev and Petelin then tested communications with the ISS Progress 83 cargo craft docked to the Zvezda service module’s rear port. Flight Engineer Andrey Fedyaev worked throughout Thursday on computer maintenance and orbital plumbing tasks.

NASA and Boeing now are targeting no earlier than Friday, July 21, for the agency’s Boeing Crew Flight Test (CFT) to the International Space Station, pending coordination for the U.S Eastern Range availability. The new target date provides NASA and Boeing the necessary time to complete subsystem verification testing and close out test flight certification products and aligns with the space station manifest and range launch opportunities.

NASA and SpaceX are targeting mid-August for the launch of Crew-7, the next rotational mission to the International Space Station.

Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus space freighter attached to the Unity module’s Earth-facing port fired its engines today for over 15 minutes today boosting the station’s orbit. The orbital reboost is the first of three that is positioning the orbiting lab for the upcoming launch and docking of the ISS Progress 84 cargo craft planned for late May. The maneuver also continues the certification process for using the Cygnus vehicle as an additional reboost capability.

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

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Expedition 69 Officially Begins on Station

The official insignia of the Expedition 69 mission aboard the International Space Station.

The Expedition 69 mission is officially under way following the undocking of the Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft on Tuesday. The seven-member International Space Station crew split its day on Wednesday as the four astronauts conducted space research while the three cosmonauts had the day off.

The uncrewed Soyuz MS-22 space ship completed a six-month stay at the orbiting lab when it undocked from the Rassvet module at 5:57 a.m. EDT on Tuesday. The undocking marked the moment Expedition 69 began and Expedition 68 ended with Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Prokopyev continuing his command aboard the space station. The passengerless MS-22 parachuted to a safe landing in Kazakhstan less than two hours later.

Meanwhile, science and health checks filled the day for the astronauts belonging to the Expedition 69 crew. Flight Engineers Frank Rubio of NASA and Sultan Alneyadi of UAE (United Arab Emirates) worked on the BioFabrication Facility testing its ability to print knee cartilage tissue for treating injuries in space and remote environments on Earth. The pair also participated in neck, shoulder, and leg vein scans using the Ultrasound 2 medical device.

The station’s three cosmonauts, including Prokopyev and Flight Engineers Dmitri Petelin and Andrey Fedyaev, relaxed on Wednesday taking time out for their daily exercise sessions. The trio from Roscosmos having prepared the MS-22 vehicle for its departure the day before.

Uncrewed Soyuz Vehicle Departs Tuesday; New Space Science Kicks Off

The Soyuz MS-22 crew ship is pictured docked to the Rassvet module. In the background, the Prichal docking module is attached to the Nauka multipurpose laboratory module.

An uncrewed Soyuz crew ship will depart the International Space Station on Tuesday morning. In the meantime, the seven-member Expedition 68 crew focused on new science experiments and hardware recently delivered aboard the SpaceX Dragon cargo vehicle.

Three space station residents who arrived at the orbiting lab on Sept. 21 last year aboard the Soyuz MS-22 crew ship will continue their stay in space after their spacecraft departs at 5:57 a.m. EDT on Tuesday. The passengerless vehicle will parachute to a landing in Kazakhstan less than two hours later completing a six-month mission docked to the Rassvet module. NASA will provide live coverage only of undocking activities beginning at 5:30 a.m. on NASA TV, the agency’s app and website..

Station Commander Sergey Prokopyev with Roscosmos Flight Engineer Dmitri Petelin and NASA Flight Engineer Frank Rubio are extending their stay in space for a yearlong mission. The trio is due to return to Earth inside the Soyuz MS-23 crew ship, which arrived unoccupied in February, in September.

Meanwhile, the station’s crew members have begun activating new science experiments and servicing spacesuit gear delivered aboard the SpaceX Cargo Dragon vehicle on March 16.

Flight Engineer Woody Hoburg processed samples for a study exploring ways to produce new pharmaceuticals in space and isolated locations on Earth. UAE (United Arab Emirates) Flight Engineer Sultan Alneyadi unpacked a new spacesuit, or Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU), inside the recently-arrived Cargo Dragon space freighter.

Rubio checked on components inside the Fluid Science Laboratory located in the Columbus laboratory module before continuing to unload some of the 6,200 pounds of cargo packed inside the Cargo Dragon. Prokopyev readied the MS-22 for its undocking early Tuesday while his fellow cosmonauts Petelin and Andrey Fedyaev worked on normal orbital plumbing and lab maintenance tasks.

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

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Crew Bioprints Cells, Prepares for Final Plant Harvest, and Conducts Robotics Operations With Students

NASA astronaut and Expedition 68 Flight Engineer Frank Rubio checks tomato plants growing inside the International Space Station for the XROOTS space botany study on Oct. 14, 2022. Credit: Koichi Wakata/Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency

The Expedition 68 crew members conducted space health experiments and prepared for the final plant harvest aboard the International Space Station while inspiring the next generation of explorers in a virtual robotics competition.

NASA Flight Engineer Woody Hoburg spent most of his day installing tissue cassettes for the BFF-Meniscus-2, an investigation to print and culture a meniscus using the BioFabrication facility aboard the space station. Crew members who experience musculoskeletal injuries on future deep space missions may benefit from the capability to bioprint tissue to promote recovery. The research could lead to the ability to print complex tissues and organs that may be used to treat patients on Earth.

NASA Flight Engineer Frank Rubio conducted the Astrobee-Zero Robotics operations, a programming competition where students earn the opportunity to control an autonomous flying robot and observe its performance aboard the space station. Finalists have their code downloaded by NASA to the Astrobee platform and observe its performance. Rubio also continued to transfer the 6,200 pounds of research hardware and supplies between the orbital outpost and the uncrewed SpaceX CRS-27, which arrived at the space station on March 16.

Afterward, Rubio spent the rest of his day preparing for the final harvest of the Veg-05 plants by collecting plant swabs and water samples to be stored in cold stowage for later use in research. The plant botany study is the next step in addressing the need for a food production system in space. The Vegetable Production System supplies crew members with a continuous source of fresh food and a tool for relaxation and recreation.

NASA Flight Engineer Stephen Bowen installed Materials International Space Station Experiment-17-Commercial hardware onto the Japanese Experiment Module airlock slide table. The investigation tests how the space environment affects the durability of materials and components, including 3D-printed polymers, thermal protection systems, spacecraft materials, biopellets made from dried microbes, paraffin wax thermal protection, and thin solar cells.

Flight Engineer Sultan Alneyadi from UAE (United Arab Emirates) removed the Dry-EEG Headband and synchronized the unit to the European Physiology Module laptop for data transfer. The sleep monitoring technology investigates astronauts’ sleep quality by measuring duration, sleep stages, heart rate, and the number of awakenings. Alneyadi then positioned the Astrobee free flyer in the Japanese Experiment Module and conducted software test runs.

Flight Engineer Andrey Fedyaev of Roscosmos continued to replace the condensate evacuation lines that carry away excess moisture from the cabin atmosphere. Meanwhile, Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin prepared cargo to return in the Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft, slated to undock from the station’s Rassvet module on March 28.

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

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Crew Talk Space With Students, Investigate Fire Control, and Continue Heart Health and Cargo Return Activities

The big island of Hawaii and its two snow-capped volcanos, (from left) the active Mauna Loa and the dormant Mauna Kea, are pictured from the International Space Station as it orbited 260 miles above the Pacific Ocean on March 6, 2023.

Since the earliest days of the International Space Station expeditions, student groups in schools, camps, museums, and planetariums have had the opportunity to talk with astronauts aboard the orbital laboratory about career choices and science activities. On Thursday, NASA Flight Engineer Woody Hoburg conducted an ISS Ham Radio (ARISS) session with Lana’i High and Elementary School, in Lana’i City, Hawaii. Hoburg also bioprinted cells for the BFF-Meniscus-2, an investigation to print and culture a meniscus using the BioFabrication facility aboard the space station.

NASA Flight Engineer Frank Rubio replaced experiment samples in the Combustion Integrated Rack located in the U.S. Destiny module for the Solid Fuel Ignition and Extinction – Growth and Extinction Limit (SOFi) investigation. SOFi measures the amount of heating in a fuel sample to determine how fuel temperature affects material flammability in microgravity. Results could improve understanding of early fire growth behavior in space and help determine optimal fire suppression techniques.

Rubio also checked the Veg-05 plants and collected detached tomatoes to weigh. The plant botany study is the next step in addressing the need for a food production system in space. The Vegetable Production System supplies crew members with a continuous source of fresh food and a tool for relaxation and recreation.

NASA Flight Engineer Stephen Bowen spent his day wearing the Bio-Monitor garment and headband as part of a 48-hour session. The instrument is equipped with sensors to measure physiological parameters to assess the effect of space travel on heart health.

Flight Engineer Sultan Alneyadi from UAE (United Arab Emirates) injected the Cardinal Heart 2.0 with a preservative inside the Life Sciences Glovebox, a sealed work area in the space station where crew members perform developmental biology experiments. The investigation uses heart organoids to study the effects of clinical drugs on improving the function of heart cells exposed to microgravity.

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

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Crew Focuses on Experiments and Equipment to Maintain Health While in Space

The southern coast of Turkey on the Mediterranean Sea near Syria is pictured from the International Space Station as it orbited 264 miles above on Feb. 14, 2023.

The Expedition 68 crew members conducted experiments and maintained equipment aboard the International Space Station while activities for cargo transfers continued.

NASA Flight Engineer Frank Rubio performed microscopy and video recordings on eight BioCell tissue chambers for the Cardinal Heart 2.0 in the Life Sciences Glovebox. This investigation uses heart organoids to test whether clinically approved drugs reduce microgravity-induced changes in heart cell function. Rubio also removed the Advanced Resistive Exercise Device’s (ARED) cylinder flywheel and inspected the treadmill as part of monthly maintenance. The ARED exercises all major muscle groups while focusing on the primary resistive exercise: squats, deadlifts, and heel raises. Crew members exercise daily on ARED to maintain preflight muscle and bone strength during long periods in space.

Flight Engineer Sultan Alneyadi from UAE (United Arab Emirates) recorded a video of Cardinal Heart 2.0 tissue chambers. The investigation tests clinically approved pharmaceutical drugs to reverse the negative effects on heart cells and tissues caused by prolonged exposure to the space environment. Afterward, Alneyadi removed the Bio-Monitor garment and headband and synchronized the unit to the controller for data transfer. Alneyadi donned the Dry-EEG Headband overnight for sleep studies in space. Considering the central role of sleep in human behavior and health, sleep quality is a key factor for current and future exploration missions. The investigation monitors crew members’ quality of sleep by measuring duration, sleep stages, heart rate, and the number of awakenings.

Additionally, Rubio and Alneyadi spent the evening continuing to transfer the 6,200 pounds of research hardware and supplies between the space station and the uncrewed SpaceX CRS-27, which arrived at the orbital outpost on March 16.

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

Get weekly video highlights at: https://roundupreads.jsc.nasa.gov/videoupdate/

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Crew Spends Day Investigating Astrobiology and Continuing Cargo Operations

The northwestern coastal regions of Brittany and Normandy in France meet on the English Channel in this photograph from the International Space Station as it orbited 264 miles above on Feb. 12, 2023.

The Expedition 68 crew members are busy investigating astrobiology and continuing to transfer the 6,200 pounds of research hardware and supplies between the International Space Station and the uncrewed SpaceX CRS-27, which arrived to the space station on March 16.

NASA flight engineer Frank Rubio conducted the Cardinal Heart 2.0 media change and sample collection operations in the Life Sciences Glovebox, a sealed work area in the space station where crew members perform developmental biology experiments. The investigation will test whether clinically approved drugs reduce microgravity-induced changes. Microgravity exposure can cause changes in heart cell function and gene expression that may lead to long-term damage or muscle atrophy.

NASA flight engineer Woody Hoburg took over the operations after participating in a cell biology experiment and collecting water samples from the potable water dispenser. The water recycling system reclaims wastewater into potable drinking water aboard the orbiting laboratory.

Flight Engineer Sultan Alneyadi from UAE (United Arab Emirates) installed rhodium science chambers in the variable gravity simulator for the Rhodium DARPA Biomanufacturing 01 investigation. Results may help reduce the costs of future missions by improving space biomanufacturing, the process of using microbes in the space station to produce materials and biomolecules like biopolymers, food, and pharmaceuticals.

Flight Engineer Andrey Fedyaev of Roscosmos spent the evening replacing the condensate evacuation lines that carry away excess moisture from the cabin atmosphere. Meanwhile, Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin spent the day performing an eye ultrasound exam with a remote guide after gathering cargo items to return in the Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft, slated to undock from the station’s Rassvet module on March 28.

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

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Crew Spends Day Preparing for New Research and Operations Aboard the Space Station

This view of Mount Shasta in California was photographed from the International Space Station as it orbited 260 miles above on Feb. 12, 2023.

Following the arrival of the uncrewed SpaceX CRS-27 resupply vehicle last week, the Expedition 68 crew continues transferring the 6,200 pounds of research hardware and supplies between the International Space Station and the cargo vehicle.

NASA Flight Engineer Frank Rubio spent his day participating in a cell biology experiment and replacing the Advanced Resistive Exercise Device cable arm rope to ensure proper tension in the cable-pulley system. Rope routing is critical for crew members to exercise in space, allowing crew members to experience load or resistance to help maintain muscle strength and mass during long periods in space.

NASA flight engineers Woody Hoburg and Stephen Bowen and Flight Engineer Sultan Alneyadi from UAE (United Arab Emirates) inserted ice bricks into the station’s Minus Eighty Degree Laboratory for ISS (MELFI) for temperature conditioning. MELFI is a cold storage unit that maintains experiment samples at ultra-cold temperatures throughout a mission and supports a wide range of life science experiments by preserving biological samples (such as blood, saliva, urine, microbial or plant samples) collected aboard the space station for later return and analysis back on Earth.

Hoburg installed the Tanpopo-5 hardware and samples onto the slide table in the Japanese Experiment Module airlock. The investigation studies the possibility of the survival and growth of organisms in the space environment and on extraterrestrial planets, such as Mars. Hoburg also performed a hearing test with on-orbit hearing assessment headset and software, and took sound measurements using the acoustic monitor.

Alneyadi spent his day wearing the Bio-Monitor garment and headband for a 48-hour session. The instrument is equipped with sensors to measure physiological parameters to assess the effect of space travel on heart health.

Meanwhile, Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin spent their day gathering cargo items to return in the Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft, slated to undock from the station’s Rassvet module on March 28.

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

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Dragon Cargo Transfer, Installations, and Eye Exams Cap Crew Week

The waxing gibbous Moon is pictured above Earth's horizon from the International Space Station as it orbited 260 miles above eastern China near the Yellow Sea coast on Feb. 2, 2023. — The waxing gibbous Moon is pictured above Earth’s horizon from the International Space Station as it orbited 260 miles above eastern China near the Yellow Sea coast on Feb. 2, 2023.

The Expedition 68 crew members wrapped up their week aboard the International Space Station by removing payloads for a resupply mission, installing equipment for microgravity research, and performing eye exams for a routine checkup.

NASA Flight Engineers Frank Rubio and Woody Hoburg and Flight Engineer Sultan Alneyadi from UAE (United Arab Emirates) made progress transferring supplies from the SpaceX cargo Dragon. Flight Engineer Stephen Bowen from NASA gathered hardware delivered by the spacecraft for the Heart-Tissue 2 study. The investigation will test whether clinically approved drugs reduce microgravity-induced changes in heart cells and tissues.

Outside of Dragon cargo operations, Rubio migrated double-cold bags for transporting samples from the station’s Microgravity Experiment Research Locker Incubators (MERLIN) to the Space Automated Bioproduct Laboratory (SABL). He also harvested tomatoes from the Veggie Vegetable Production System (Veggie) for the Veg-05 space botany study.

Hoburg performed installations to the Nanoracks Nanod, which provides power and data transfer capabilities for carrying out studies in microgravity. Additionally, he made configurations to the HAM radio used to communicate with students on Earth, cleaned vents and removed cartridges in air quality monitors, and performed an inspection of the station’s bathroom.

Bowen completed a training session that teaches astronauts docking and grappling techniques. He also exercised using the advanced resistive exercise device (ARED) and Cycle Ergometer with Vibration Isolation and Stabilization (CEVIS) device.

Meanwhile, Alneyadi performed installations to a research facility called ICE Cubes, which hosts different experiments in microgravity with the aid of small, modular containers that slot into a rack drawer. He also recorded a video for a diabetes study inside the facility. Near the end of the day, Alneyadi installed 24 Kubik experiment containers for the ESA (European Space Agency) – Biofilms investigation, which analyzes bacterial biofilm formation and the antimicrobial properties of different metal surfaces in space.

Planning ahead, the cosmonauts aboard the station met for a conference to prepare for next week’s tasks. Later, Flight Engineer Andrey Fedyaev of Roscosmos spent time arranging tools and cleaning smoke detectors. Near the end of the day, Cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin completed a routine Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) eye exam, which uses an imaging technique analogous to ultrasound imaging with light instead of sound.

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

Get weekly video highlights at: https://roundupreads.jsc.nasa.gov/videoupdate/

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