Tag: Soyuz

NASA Astronaut Frank Rubio and Crewmates Land in Kazakhstan

The Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft deploys its parachute for landing in Kazakhstan. Credit: NASA TV
The Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft deploys its parachute for landing in Kazakhstan. Credit: NASA TV

NASA astronaut Frank Rubio ended his record-breaking time in space with a parachute-assisted landing in the Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft on the steppe of Kazakhstan, southeast of the remote town of Dzhezkazgan, at 7:17 a.m. EDT (5:17 p.m. Kazakhstan time) Wednesday, Sept. 27. Rubio, along with Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin, began the journey back to Earth at 3:54 a.m. when the Soyuz undocked from the International Space Station.

Rubio arrived at the International Space Station on Sept. 21, 2022, spending 371 days in low Earth orbit, and breaking the previous American record held by NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei by 16 days.

During his 371 days aboard the station, Rubio experienced:

  • Approximately 5,936 orbits of Earth
  • Approximately 157,412,306 statute miles traveled (equivalent of approximately 328 round trips to the Moon and back)
  • Fifteen spacecraft visiting the International Space Station, including four Roscosmos Progress cargo ships, two Northrop Grumman Cygnus cargo spacecraft, two Roscosmos Soyuz, four crewed SpaceX Dragons, and three uncrewed SpaceX Dragons.

Expedition 70 now is underway on the space station with NASA astronauts Loral O’Hara and Jasmin Moghbeli, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut and new station commander Andreas Mogensen, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa and Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko, Nikolai Chub, and Konstantin Borisov.

 

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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NASA Astronaut Frank Rubio and Crewmates Returning to Earth Live on NASA TV

(From left) NASA astronaut Frank Rubio and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin are pictured. The three have undocked from the space station and are headed back to Earth.
(From left) NASA astronaut Frank Rubio and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin are pictured. The three have undocked from the space station and are headed back to Earth.

NASA Television coverage of NASA astronaut Frank Rubio and two Roscosmos cosmonauts’ return to Earth is underway.

Rubio, along with Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin, began the journey back to Earth in the early morning hours when the Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft undocked from the International Space Station’s Prichal module at 3:54 a.m. EDT. The trio are heading for a parachute-assisted landing on the steppe of Kazakhstan, southeast of the remote town of Dzhezkazgan, at 7:17 a.m. (5:17 p.m. Kazakhstan time).

Expedition 70 officially began aboard the station at the time of undocking with NASA astronauts Loral O’Hara and Jasmin Moghbeli, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut and new station commander Andreas Mogensen, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa and Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko, Nikolai Chub, and Konstantin Borisov.

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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Soyuz Undocks, Crew Headed Back to Earth

The Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft undocks from the space station's Prichal module. Aboard are NASA astronaut Frank Rubio and cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin.
The Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft undocks from the space station’s Prichal module. Aboard are NASA astronaut Frank Rubio and cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin.

At 3:54 a.m. EDT NASA astronaut Frank Rubio, along with Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin, undocked from the International Space Station in the Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft to begin the journey back to Earth. The Soyuz is heading for a parachute-assisted landing Wednesday, Sept. 27, on the steppe of Kazakhstan, southeast of the remote town of Dzhezkazgan.

NASA coverage of the crew’s deorbit burn and landing will begin at 6 a.m. on NASA Television, the agency’s website, and the NASA app with landing scheduled at 7:17 a.m. (5:17 p.m. Kazakhstan time).

After landing, the Soyuz MS-23 crew will split up, as per standard crew return practice, with Rubio returning to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Expedition 70 officially began aboard the station at the time of undocking with NASA astronauts Loral O’Hara and Jasmin Moghbeli, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut and new station commander Andreas Mogensen, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa and Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko, Nikolai Chub, and Konstantin Borisov.

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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Crewed Soyuz Spacecraft Undocking Live on NASA TV

The Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft, docked to the station's Prichal module, orbits Earth as crew prepares to undock. Credit: NASA TV
The Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft, docked to the station’s Prichal module, orbits Earth as crew prepares to undock. Credit: NASA TV

NASA Television coverage of NASA astronaut Frank Rubio and two Roscosmos cosmonauts’ departure from the International Space Station is underway.

Rubio, along with Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin, closed the hatch to the Roscosmos Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft about 12:41 a.m. EDT. The Soyuz spacecraft will undock at 3:54 a.m. from the Prichal module, heading for a parachute-assisted landing at 7:17 a.m. (5:17 p.m. Kazakhstan time) on the steppe of Kazakhstan, southeast of the remote town of Dzhezkazgan.

Rubio arrived at the International Space Station on Sept. 21, 2022, spending 371 days in low Earth orbit, and breaking the previous American record held by NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei by 16 days.

While clocking the single longest spaceflight by a NASA astronaut, Rubio has contributed to dozens of scientific studies.

Rubio helped nurture and monitor vegetables harvested with the space station’s Vegetable Production System, or Veggie. The Veggie study evaluates protocols for growing produce in space, and whether plants grown in microgravity can help satisfy the dietary needs of astronauts on more distant spaceflight missions.

In addition, Rubio provided biological samples, completed surveys, and performed tests for a study that collects a core set of measurements from astronauts, called Spaceflight Standard Measures. The measurements serve as a baseline for how multiple systems in the body react to spaceflight, from human cognition to the immune system. Other biological samples will be frozen and archived for future life science studies.

Rubio also became the first astronaut to participate in a study examining how exercising with limited gym equipment affects the human body. Recognizing that crew members traveling to the Moon and elsewhere will not have enough room in their spacecraft for a treadmill, researchers are eager to determine whether other exercise regimens could keep crews healthy on long missions. So rather than running on the space station’s treadmill, Rubio exercised only on the space station’s bicycle and weightlifting machine.

At the time of undocking, Expedition 70 will formally begin aboard the station with NASA astronauts Loral O’Hara and Jasmin Moghbeli, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut and new station commander Andreas Mogensen, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa and Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko, Nikolai Chub, and Konstantin Borisov.

 

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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NASA TV Live With Crew Farewell and Hatch Closure

The Soyuz MS-23 crew ship approaches the International Space Station's Prichal docking module after undocking earlier from the Poisk module.
The Soyuz MS-23 crew ship approaches the International Space Station’s Prichal docking module after undocking earlier from the Poisk module.

NASA Television coverage of NASA astronaut Frank Rubio and two Roscosmos cosmonauts’ end of mission aboard the International Space Station is underway.

Rubio, along with Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin, will close the hatch to the Roscosmos Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft at 12:40 a.m. EDT Wednesday, Sept. 27, to begin the journey back to Earth. The Soyuz will undock from the Rassvet module, heading for a parachute-assisted landing at 7:17 a.m. (5:17 p.m. Kazakhstan time) on the steppe of Kazakhstan, southeast of the remote town of Dzhezkazgan.

Mission coverage will air live on NASA TV, the agency’s website, and the NASA app at the following times (all EDT):

  • 3:30 a.m. – Undocking coverage begins (undocking scheduled at 3:54 a.m.)
  • 6 a.m. – Deorbit burn and landing coverage begins (landing scheduled at 7:17 a.m. / 5:17 p.m. Kazakhstan time)

Rubio, Prokopyev, and Petelin launched Sept. 21, 2022, on Soyuz MS-22, and will wrap up a 371-day mission spanning 5,936 orbits of Earth and more than 150 million miles. During the year-long mission, Rubio broke the record for the longest single spaceflight by an American astronaut, previously held at 355 days. This was the first space flight for Rubio and Petelin, and the second space flight for Prokopyev who is ending the mission with 568 cumulative days spent in space.

Following the undocking of the Soyuz with the trio aboard, Expedition 70 will formally begin aboard the station with NASA astronauts Loral O’Hara and Jasmin Moghbeli, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut and new station commander Andreas Mogensen, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa and Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko, Nikolai Chub, and Konstantin Borisov.

After landing, the Soyuz MS-23 crew will split up, as per standard crew return practice, with Rubio returning to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

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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Expanded Station Crew Works Together Before Next Trio Departs

The Moon's image is refracted due to Earth's atmosphere in this photograph from the space station as it orbited above the Pacific Ocean.
The Moon’s image is refracted due to Earth’s atmosphere in this photograph from the space station as it orbited above the Pacific Ocean.

Ten people are living aboard the International Space Station following Friday’s arrival of three crewmates aboard the Soyuz MS-24 spacecraft. However, at the end of the month another trio of orbital lab residents will return to Earth after a year in space.

NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara is in her first week aboard the space station along with Roscosmos cosmonauts Nikolai Chub and Oleg Kononenko. O’Hara and Chub are getting used to life in space for the first time as they familiarize themselves with station operations and systems. O’Hara also worked throughout the day on life support tasks while Chub installed Earth imaging hardware in the Harmony module.

Kononenko is beginning his record fifth mission as a space station crew member. The experienced cosmonaut spent Monday on a variety of activities including charging video camera batteries and unpacking cargo delivered aboard the new Soyuz crew ship. Kononenko will stay in space for a year with Chub, while O’Hara will live aboard the station until spring for a six-month mission.

Meanwhile, NASA Flight Engineer Frank Rubio is nearing a year in space with his crewmates Commander Sergey Prokopyev and Flight Engineer Dmitri Petelin, both from Roscosmos. The trio is now turning its attention to parachuting back to Earth inside the Soyuz MS-23 crew ship on Sept. 27. The threesome joined each other midday on Monday and checked out the Sokol launch and entry suits they will wear inside the Soyuz during the ride home. Prokopyev and Petelin also tested the lower body negative pressure suit that may help their bodies adjust quicker to Earth’s gravity.

The station’s other four Expedition 69 flight engineers are in their fourth week aboard the orbital lab having arrived on Aug. 27 aboard the SpaceX Dragon Endurance spacecraft. The quartet has completed its familiarization and orientation activities and are working full-time on space research and lab maintenance.

Astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli of NASA and Andreas Mogensen of ESA (European Space Agency) kicked off Monday with life science in the Columbus laboratory module. Moghbeli set up a pair of Kubik incubators that Mogensen used to stow blood samples. The duo later conducted a vision test in the Destiny laboratory module using similar tools found in a doctor’s office.

JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa spent Monday on housekeeping tasks cleaning up the Harmony module, reorganizing food packs, and transferring cargo in and out of the Cygnus space freighter. Cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov primarily spent his day on electronics maintenance and wiping down surfaces for microbes in the Roscosmos segment of the orbiting lab.

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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Soyuz Hatch Opens, Expedition 69 Expands to 10 Crewmates

The 10-person Expedition 69 crew is now aboard the space station. Front row from left are, Roscosmos cosmonauts Konstantin Borisov, Nikolai Chub, and Oleg Kononenko, and NASA astronaut Loral O'Hara. In the back are, ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen, NASA astronaut Frank Rubio, cosmonauts Dmitri Petelin and Sergey Prokopyev, NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, and JAXA astronaut Satoshi Furukawa. Credit: NASA TV
The 10-person Expedition 69 crew is now aboard the space station. Front row from left are, Roscosmos cosmonauts Konstantin Borisov, Nikolai Chub, and Oleg Kononenko, and NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara. In the back are, ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen, NASA astronaut Frank Rubio, cosmonauts Dmitri Petelin and Sergey Prokopyev, NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, and JAXA astronaut Satoshi Furukawa. Credit: NASA TV

The hatches between the International Space Station and the newly arrived Soyuz MS-24 spacecraft officially opened at 5:16 p.m. EDT. The arrival of three new crew members to the existing seven people already aboard for Expedition 69 temporarily increases the station’s population to 10.

NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara and Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub joined the space station’s Expedition 69 crew of NASA astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli and Frank Rubio, Roscosmos cosmonauts Dmitri Petelin, Konstantin Borisov, and Sergey Prokopyev, as well ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa. O’Hara will spend six months aboard the orbital laboratory, while Kononenko and Chub will both spend one year on the orbital outpost.

On Sept. 27, Rubio, Petelin, and Prokopyev will return to Earth on the Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft. The trio have been aboard the orbital laboratory since arriving Sept. 21, 2022.

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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Soyuz Docks to Space Station with New Crew

The Soyuz MS-24 spacecraft with NASA astronaut Loral O'Hara and Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub aboard approaches the space station for a docking. Credit: NASA TV
The Soyuz MS-24 spacecraft with NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara and Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub aboard approaches the space station for a docking. Credit: NASA TV

NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara and Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub on the Soyuz MS-24 spacecraft docked to the International Space Station at 2:53 p.m. EDT while the station was traveling 260 miles over Ukraine, south of Kiev. Coverage of hatch opening will resume at 4:45 p.m. and will be available on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website.

Once aboard station, the trio will join the space station’s Expedition 69 crew of NASA astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli and Frank Rubio, Roscosmos cosmonauts Dmitri Petelin, Konstantin Borisov, and Sergey Prokopyev, as well ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa. O’Hara will spend six months aboard the orbital laboratory, while Kononenko and Chub will both spend one year on the orbital outpost.

On Sept. 27, the Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft will return carrying NASA astronaut Frank Rubio and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin back to Earth.

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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Soyuz Spacecraft with Three Crewmates Heads to Station

The Soyuz MS-24 rocket with one NASA astronaut and two Roscosmos cosmonauts aboard blasts off toward the International Space Station. Credit: NASA TV
The Soyuz MS-24 rocket with one NASA astronaut and two Roscosmos cosmonauts aboard blasts off toward the International Space Station. Credit: NASA TV

NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara and Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub are safely in orbit on the Soyuz MS-24 spacecraft after launching at 11:44 a.m. EDT from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan (8:44 p.m. Baikonur time).

The Soyuz will dock to the space station’s Rassvet module at 2:56 p.m. A short time after docking, hatches between the Soyuz and the station will open.

NASA coverage of docking will begin at 2 p.m. on NASA TV, the NASA app, and the agency’s website.

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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New Crew Launching Soon to Station Live on NASA TV

NASA astronaut Loral O'Hara walks to the launch pad where she will launch aboard the Soyuz MS-24 spacecraft with cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub.
NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara walks to the launch pad where she will launch aboard the Soyuz MS-24 spacecraft with cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub.

NASA coverage now is underway for the launch of a crewed Roscosmos Soyuz spacecraft to the International Space Station with NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara and Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub. The Soyuz MS-24 spacecraft will launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 11:44 a.m. EDT (8:44 p.m. Baikonur time). Launch and docking activities will air live on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website.

After a two-orbit, three-hour journey, the Soyuz will dock to the space station’s Rassvet module at 2:56 p.m. A short time later, hatches between the Soyuz and the station will open and the crew members will greet each other.

Once aboard station, the trio will join the space station’s Expedition 69 crew of NASA astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli and Frank Rubio, Roscosmos cosmonauts Dmitri Petelin, Konstantin Borisov, and Sergey , as well ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa.

O’Hara will spend six months aboard the orbital laboratory, and Kononenko and Chub will both begin a year long stay on the orbital outpost. This will be O’Hara and Chub’s first spaceflight and the fifth flight for Kononenko.

Soyuz-24 mission coverage is as follows (all times Eastern):

  • 10:45 a.m. – Coverage begins for 11:44 a.m. launch.
  • 2 p.m. – Coverage begins for 2:56 p.m. docking.
  • 4:45 p.m. – Coverage begins for hatch opening and welcome remarks.

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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