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Week Ends with Dragon Preps, Space Physics, and Human Research

A green and red aurora streams across Earth’s horizon above the city lights of Europe in this photograph, which looks north across Italy toward Germany. The International Space Station was orbiting 262 miles above the Mediterranean Sea at approximately 10:02 p.m. local time when the image was captured.
A green and red aurora streams across Earth’s horizon above the city lights of Europe in this photograph, which looks north across Italy toward Germany, from the International Space Station.
NASA/Chris Williams

Expedition 74 wrapped up the week with more preparations for the upcoming launch and arrival of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 mission. The orbital trio also studied space physics and human research while resupplying and inventorying lab supplies and tools aboard the International Space Station.

NASA Flight Engineer Chris Williams kicked off his shift with SpaceX Dragon operations. Williams first transferred some completed experiments, used hardware, and trash inside a Dragon spacecraft that arrived on August 25, 2025. Next, he staged a variety of gear that will be used by the four Crew-12 members shortly after their arrival to the space station following their launch targeted for no earlier than Thursday, Feb. 11.

After lunchtime, Williams focused on science hardware first injecting gas into physics experiment hardware installed inside the Microgravity Science Glovebox. He was testing ways to control spacecraft fuel tank pressure due to cryogenic fuel propellants evaporating as a result of the surrounding heat. Next, he resupplied Human Research Facility kits with DNA oral swabs, blood sample tubes, and gloves to ensure ongoing biomedical research.

Station Commander Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Flight Engineer Sergei Mikaev, both Roscosmos cosmonauts, joined each other for a respiratory test at the beginning of their shift on Friday. The duo took turns wearing tracheal acoustic sensors that recorded their exhalation rate as they performed controlled breathing maneuvers. Researchers will use the sound data to assess how the lack of gravity affects a crew member’s respiratory function.

Afterward, Kud-Sverchkov inventoried tools throughout the station’s Roscosmos segment. Next, he refreshed his Soyuz spacecraft piloting skills familiarizing himself with return to Earth operations using a computer simulator. Mikaev configured data and processing hardware that controls a variety of research projects including material science, plasma physics, and advanced technology demonstrations. Finally, he joined Kud-Sverchkov for the Soyuz descent simulations before ending his shift swapping cargo in and out of the Progress 92 cargo craft.

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

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