Spacewalk preparations are continuing aboard the International Space Station as the Expedition 68 crew ensures the operations of research hardware in microgravity. Flight Engineers Nicole Mann of NASA and Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) are scheduled for their first spacewalk together at the end of the week. The astronauts spent a …
Payloads: Combustion Integrated Rack (CIR): Preparations were made to support a Fuel Oxidizer Management Assembly (FOMA) calibration. The FOMA calibration is performed periodically and helps to verify accurate readings from the various measurement systems in the CIR. The CIR facility includes an optics bench, combustion chamber, fuel, and oxidizer control, and five different cameras for …
Payloads: Human Research Facility (HRF) Veggie: Profile of Mood States (POMS) questionnaires were completed by the crew. The Pick-and-Eat Salad-Crop Productivity, Nutritional Value, and Acceptability to Supplement the ISS Food System (Veggie) investigation is a phased research project that includes Veg-04A, Veg-04B, Veg-05, and HRF Veg including HRF Veggie POMS questionnaires. This work addresses the …
Payloads: Actiwatch Plus (AWP): The crew connected the AWP devices to a Human Research Facility (HRF) Rack 1 Universal Serial Bus (USB) hub to charge them and transfer data for subsequent downlink. The Actiwatch is a waterproof, non-intrusive, sleep-wake activity monitor worn on the wrist of a crewmember. It contains a miniature uniaxial accelerometer that …
Spacewalk preparations continue onboard the International Space Station as the Expedition 68 crew begins it weekend. The orbital residents also worked on space botany and robotics while maintaining orbital lab operations on Friday. Astronauts Nicole Mann of NASA and Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) worked throughout Friday familiarizing themselves with an …
The seven Expedition 68 crew members split their day between spacesuits and space science. A spacewalk to upgrade the International Space Station’s power system is planned soon as advanced microgravity research is ongoing aboard the orbital lab. Astronauts Nicole Mann of NASA and Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) partnered together inside …
Payloads: Combustion Integrated Rack/Solid Fuel Ignition and Extinction (CIR/SoFIE): The crew replaced the 21% O2/79% N2 manifold bottle with a new bottle containing 85% O2/15% N2. This was performed in support of the upcoming SoFIE Growth and Extinction Limit (SoFIE-GEL) experiment. SoFIE-GEL studies burning in microgravity, measuring the amount of heating in a fuel sample …
NASA and Roscosmos are adjusting the International Space Station flight plan after completing an investigation into a coolant leak on the Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft docked to the station. NASA hosted a joint media briefing Wednesday about the Roscosmos-led investigation to update the public on the Soyuz status and the forward strategy. As a part of the work, Roscosmos engineers …
Payloads: Confocal Space Microscope (COSMIC): The crew performed the necessary steps to replace the Light Emitting Diode (LED) fluorescent source in the COSMIC facility. The Confocal Space Microscope (Confocal Microscope) is a JAXA facility that provides fluorescence images of biological samples aboard the ISS. Confocal microscopy uses spatial filtering techniques to eliminate out-of-focus light or …
SpaceX’s uncrewed Dragon cargo spacecraft splashed down at 5:19 a.m. EST Wednesday, Jan. 11, off the coast of Tampa, Florida, marking the return of the company’s 26th contracted cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station for NASA. The spacecraft carried approximately 4,400 pounds of valuable scientific experiments and other cargo back to Earth. Some …
