Crew Videotapes, Photographs Station Activities and Hardware for Training and Inspection
Video and photography operations filled the Expedition 73 crew’s schedule on Wednesday helping mission controllers monitor robotic activities, train future crews, and verify lab inventories. Meanwhile, more exercise research and spacesuit checks rounded out the crew’s day aboard the International Space Station.
Station Commander Takuya Onishi of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) activated the Internal Ball Camera 2 inside the Kibo laboratory module at the beginning of his shift. Onishi set up a camera downlinking video in real time of the ball camera’s free-flying movements. Ground engineers were analyzing the ball camera as it performed several tasks to continue improving the accuracy of its automated maneuvers. The small, spherical camera is demonstrating the ability to autonomously take photographs and videos of the crew performing research and maintenance activities.
Afterward, Onishi joined NASA Flight Engineer Jonny Kim to configure and stage high-definition video cameras throughout the orbital outpost, recording the duo as they participated in a variety of daily tasks. Each took turns recording themselves performing duties such as research operations, life support maintenance, and biomedical activities. Onishi and Kim narrated their work then downloaded the videos to train future crews preparing for upcoming missions to the space station.
Kim began his day reconfiguring the sensor-packed Bio-Monitor vest and headband and reapplying sensors that he wore during his sleep shift measuring his health data. Next, while wearing the same biomedical device he exercised for two hours. First, on the advanced resistive exercise device and then on the COLBERT treadmill. Kim is wearing the health-monitoring hardware for a 48-hour session, testing its comfort while doctors review the downlinked data that includes heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature, and more.
NASA Flight Engineers Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers also focused on visual media as they videotaped and photographed cargo packed in crew transfer bags. The NASA duo documented the cargo, seeking to identify obsolete hardware for disposal and lost or unknown items for identification. Ayers also maneuvered throughout the station’s U.S. segment while filming the spacecraft’s internal configuration including science racks, life support hardware, and safety gear for mission controllers’ assessment.
Roscosmos Flight Engineer Sergey Ryzhikov was back on spacesuit operations inside the Poisk module on Wednesday. He first checked the oxygen pressure in Poisk where spacewalks in Roscosmos Orlan spacesuits are staged. Next, he inspected the suits’ life support components. Flight Engineer Kirill Peskov monitored Ryzhikov’s maintenance work once again continuing to familiarize himself with spacesuit operations.
Ryzhikov later pointed a camera toward Earth targeting mountains, lakes, and forests in different wavelengths for analysis. Peskov organized cargo space inside the Zarya module and searched for small electronics gear. Flight Engineer Alexey Zubritsky also participated in the standard cargo work inside the Rassvet module. He also serviced the Zvezda service module’s oxygen generator filling its condensate water tanks.
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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