Tag: spacewalk

The Expedition 72 crew took a break from spacewalk preparations on Thursday and focused on combustion and biology research. The seven orbital residents also worked on housecleaning duties and lab maintenance ensuring the upkeep of the International Space Station.

Station Commander Suni Williams turned her attention to cleaning crew quarters and filming an educational video following several days of preparing for her spacewalk with NASA Flight Engineer Butch Wilmore. Williams first cleaned ducts, fans, and air sensors inside the Harmony module’s port side crew quarters. Next, she filmed a video demonstrating how water moves and evaporates in microgravity for students and teachers on Earth.

Wilmore worked in the Unity module and inventoried tools that fellow NASA Flight Engineers Nick Hague and Don Pettit will use to support the spacewalkers next week. Williams and Wilmore are planning to begin a spacewalk at 8 a.m. EST on Jan. 30 to remove radio antenna hardware and search for microbes outside the orbital outpost. Hague and Pettit will help the spacewalking duo in and out of the spacesuits, in and out of the Quest airlock, and maneuver the Canadarm2 robotic arm during the planned six-and-a-half-hour excursion.

Hague had the first half of his day off before he spent the second part of his shift cleaning ducts, fans, and air sensors inside Harmony’s overhead crew quarters. Pettit worked throughout the day configuring research hardware inside the Combustion Integrated Rack for a spacecraft fire safety investigation.

Roscosmos Flight Engineers Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner began their day working on separate human research experiments. Ovchinin attached sensors to himself measuring how microgravity affects a crew member’s vascular function. Vagner participated in a breathing study that monitors crews for potential space-caused respiratory system issues.

Cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov inventoried hardware stowed throughout the space station’s Roscosmos segment then serviced an oxygen generator in the Zvezda service module. Next, he installed and configured observation hardware to image Earth’s nighttime atmosphere in near-ultraviolet wavelengths.

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Spacewalk preparations continue aboard the International Space Station to remove communications gear and search for microbes next week. The Expedition 72 crew members also worked on a host of advanced science experiments and housecleaning duties throughout the day on Wednesday.

Station Commander Suni Williams and Flight Engineer Butch Wilmore are slated to begin their spacewalk at 8 a.m. EST on Jan. 30 and spend about six-and-a-half hours removing a radio frequency group antenna assembly and searching for microbes on the orbital outpost. The duo kicked off their day inside the Quest airlock reviewing their spacewalk procedures and servicing their spacesuit helmets. Afterward, Williams and Wilmore checked the fuel and power capacity of their SAFER or Simplified Aid for EVA Rescue. A spacewalker would use the SAFER installed on their spacesuit to maneuver back to the station in the unlikely event they became untethered from the station.

NASA Flight Engineers Nick Hague and Don Pettit will assist the spacewalkers next week and studied on Wednesday the spacewalking tasks and the Canadarm2 robotic maneuvers they will use to support the removal of the radio communications gear. Hague, with Pettit as backup, will be at the controls of the Canadarm2 carefully guiding Williams, who will be attached to the robotic arm’s tip, or latching end effector. Pettit and Hague will also help the spacewalkers in and out of their spacesuits, guide the duo in and out of Quest, and monitor the spacewalking activities.

At the end of their shifts, the four NASA astronauts regrouped inside the Harmony module to clean up and reorganize cargo. The quartet disposed of trash, relocated hardware to gain more space, and conducted a photographic inspection of Harmony for analysis on the ground.

More Earth observations and advanced space piloting studies were on the schedule aboard the orbiting lab’s Roscosmos segment. Flight Engineer Aleksandr Gorbunov first set up a camera with a spectrometer and pointed it out a window on the Zvezda service module to photograph the effects of Earth disasters in numerous wavelengths. Next, he strapped on a sensor-packed cap that recorded his reactions as he practiced on a computer spacecraft and robotic piloting techniques crew members may use on future planetary missions.

Roscosmos Cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin began his shift servicing audio and ventilation systems in the Zvezda and Zarya modules then wrapped his day exploring 3D printing tools in microgravity. Flight Engineer Ivan Vagner spent his day activating video gear and uninstalling electronics hardware before taking a questionnaire documenting his experience communicating with international crews and mission controllers from around the world.

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The Expedition 72 crew members began the day preparing for the second spacewalk of 2025 outside the International Space Station, this time to remove communications gear and search for potential microbes. The orbital residents also kept up ongoing research studying advanced space navigation, analyzing microbial DNA, and exploring futuristic piloting techniques.

Station Commander Suni Williams and Flight Engineer Butch Wilmore worked throughout Tuesday organizing spacewalk tools such as tethers, stowage bags, foot restraints, and more inside the Quest airlock. The duo also reviewed procedures they will use to remove and stow a radio frequency group antenna assembly and swab external station surfaces to test whether microbes can live outside the orbital outpost. They are scheduled to set their spacesuits to battery power signifying the start of their spacewalk at 8 a.m. EST on Thursday, Jan. 30.

Flight Engineers Nick Hague and Don Pettit also took part in the spacewalk preparations. Hague started first as he studied the steps he will take when he helps the spacewalkers in and out of their spacesuits, guides them in and out of Quest, and monitors the duo during the science and maintenance excursion. Later, he joined Pettit and practiced installing the spacesuits’ jetpacks a spacewalker would use to maneuver back to the station in the unlikely event they became untethered from the orbital outpost.

Hague and Pettit were also on science duty keeping up advanced research benefitting humans living on and off the Earth. Hague worked inside the Columbus laboratory module installing the NAVCOM technology demonstration. The space navigation hardware is being tested as a backup solution to the Global Navigation Satellite System in support of future lunar missions. Pettit, in the Harmony module’s maintenance work area, sequenced the DNA of bacteria samples to quickly analyze and identify the microbes that live in space station water systems. The GISMOS biotechnology study increases DNA research on orbit without returning the samples to Earth for analysis and is critical to protecting crew health on spacecraft.

Working in the orbiting lab’s Roscosmos segment, Flight Engineer Alexey Ovchinin wore a sensor-packed cap and explored on a computer how crews may operate spacecraft and robots on future planetary missions. Flight Engineer Ivan Vagner spent his day servicing electronics hardware and unplugging cables inside the Zarya module. Flight Engineer Aleksandr Gorbunov pointed a camera installed with a spectrometer out a window in the Zvezda service module and photographed the effects of natural and man-made disasters on Earth in a variety of wavelengths.

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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.

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Two NASA astronauts have finalized preparations for the first spacewalk of 2025 to service astrophysics hardware on the International Space Station. The rest of the Expedition 72 crew split the day between assisting the upcoming spacewalkers and keeping up human research.

Flight Engineer Nick Hague and space station Commander Suni Williams, both from NASA, will set their spacesuits to internal battery power at 8 a.m. EST on Thursday beginning a six-and-a-half-hour spacewalk. They will exit the Quest airlock and patch light leaks in the NICER X-ray telescope then ready the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer for future upgrades. The experienced spacewalking duo will also replace advanced engineering hardware to maintain station orientation and provide navigation data. NASA+ begins its spacewalk coverage at 6:30 a.m. on Thursday.

Hague and Williams started Wednesday in Quest reviewing the procedures they will use to fulfill their spacewalking tasks. The pair also staged spacesuits and organized the specialized tools inside Quest. NASA Flight Engineers Don Pettit and Butch Wilmore assisted with the spacewalking preparations then joined Hague and Williams for a readiness review with mission controllers on the ground at the end of their shift.

Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner were back on human research duty on Wednesday attaching sensors to their forehead, fingers, and toes measuring how blood flows to the tiniest vessels in microgravity. Scientists want to understand how the human circulatory system in the limbs of crew members adapt to living long-term in microgravity. Flight Engineer Aleksandr Gorbunov took a fitness test pedaling on an exercise cycle while electrodes measured his aerobic and cardiovascular output ensuring his health in weightlessness. All three cosmonauts also continued their orbital maintenance tasks servicing a variety of life support gear throughout the orbital outpost’s Roscosmos segment.

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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.

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Spacewalk preparations continued aboard the International Space Station as two astronauts conducted health checks and installed hardware on their spacesuits. Biology, physics, and lab maintenance also rounded out the Expedition 72 schedule on Tuesday.

Flight Engineer Nick Hague and space station Commander Suni Williams, both from NASA, began their shifts on Tuesday with standard health exams taken prior to the start of a spacewalk. The duo measured their vital signs including heart rate, breathing rate, and temperature, and participated in a hearing test. Next, the two spacewalkers installed lithium-ion batteries and tested electrical and communication components on their spacesuits. Flight Engineer Butch Wilmore also assisted the pair and readied cameras the astronauts will carry with them into the vacuum of space.

Hague and Williams will set their spacesuits to battery power at approximately 8 a.m. EST on Thursday signifying the official start of the first spacewalk of 2025. The experienced spacewalkers will exit the Quest airlock and spend about six-and-a-half hours servicing astrophysics hardware including the NICER X-ray telescope and the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer.  Also on the task list, are the replacement of a rate gyro assembly to maintain station orientation and the replacement of a planar reflector to provide navigation data. NASA+ begins its spacewalk coverage at 6:30 a.m. on Thursday.

Earlier in his shift, Wilmore set up and calibrated genetic sequencing hardware that analyzes station water samples to identify bacteria and fungi species. NASA Flight Engineer Don Pettit started his day on orbital plumbing tasks before removing and processing research samples collected from the Gradient Heating Furnace that enables semiconductor crystal growth research.

Working in the orbital outpost’s Roscosmos segment, all three cosmonauts, including Flight Engineers Alexey Ovchinin, Ivan Vagner, and Aleksandr Gorbunov, studied how microgravity affects blood flow through the tiniest vessels in the human circulatory system. The trio also replaced electronics gear and serviced orbital plumbing hardware throughout the day on Tuesday.

Two NASA astronauts are gearing up this week for the first spacewalk of the year at the International Space Station. The Expedition 72 crew members also started the week working on botany, combustion, and human research and practicing departing the orbital outpost.

Flight Engineer Nick Hague and Commander Suni Williams are scheduled to set their spacesuit batteries to internal power at approximately 8 a.m. EST on Thursday to officially begin their science and maintenance spacewalk. They will exit the Quest airlock into the vacuum of space and spend about six-and-a-half hours servicing astrophysics gear including the NICER X-ray telescope and the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer. The pair on Monday organized and configured spacewalking tools inside Quest as NASA Flight Engineer Butch Wilmore charged and installed the lithium-ion batteries that will power their spacesuits. NASA+ begins its spacewalk coverage at 6:30 a.m. on Thursday.

Hague and Williams also spent the first half of their day focusing on research to improve spacecraft safety and sustain crews on long term missions. Hague opened up the Combustion Integrated Rack and swapped samples of materials to observe how they burn in weightlessness. Understanding how flames spread in space may improve fire safety on crew missions. Williams installed new hardware and supplied water to the Advanced Plant Habitat for a space botany study exploring how different water levels affect plant growth to provide food for crews on long-term space missions.

Wilmore had earlier started his shift collecting potable water samples for analysis then inspecting emergency gear such as fire extinguishers and breathing masks. NASA Flight Engineer Don Pettit joined cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner and conducted emergency training in the unlikely event the trio would have to evacuate the orbital outpost inside the Soyuz MS-26 crew ship and return to Earth.

Ovchinin and Vagner later attached sensors to themselves and measured how microgravity affects blood flow through the tiniest vessels in the human circulatory system for a Roscosmos human research investigation. Flight Engineer Aleksandr Gorbunov worked on life support maintenance throughout the orbital outpost’s Roscosmos segment on Monday.