Blogs

Payloads: Cerebral Ageing: Sampling and media exchanges were performed on the experiment BioCells. The Impact of Spaceflight on Human Brain Ageing Using Cerebral Organoids (Cerebral Ageing) investigation studies the effect of spaceflight and the durability in space of cerebral organoids.  Cerebral organoids are 3D human-derived structures that closely resemble a developing human brain at the …

The Expedition 70 crew members are picking up the pace as they load a U.S. cargo craft for its upcoming departure. The seven International Space Station residents are also staying focused on an array of microgravity science to improve human health and commercialize low Earth orbit. The SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft is nearing the end …

Ivona Cetinić is a biological oceanographer in the Ocean Ecology Lab at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. What is your favorite ocean or atmospheric related book or movie? I’m a science fiction fan. Definitely “Abyss.” I don’t know why, but it’s been my favorite ever since I was a kid. I’m sure …

Engineers are working to resolve an issue with one of Voyager 1’s three onboard computers, called the flight data system (FDS). The spacecraft is receiving and executing commands sent from Earth; however, the FDS is not communicating properly with one of the probe’s subsystems, called the telemetry modulation unit (TMU).

Editor’s note: A previous version of this post identified the TMU as the telecommunications unit. It is the telemetry modulation unit. Engineers are working to resolve an issue with one of Voyager 1’s three onboard computers, called the flight data system (FDS). The spacecraft is receiving and executing commands sent from Earth; however, the FDS …

NASA’s Starling spacecraft are getting in formation: the mission team has spent the last two months troubleshooting issues and commissioning the four spacecraft, nicknamed Blinky, Pinky, Inky, and Clyde. Pinky, Inky, and Clyde have successfully completed their propulsion system commissioning and have executed maneuvers to get into their swarm operations configuration, maintaining a range between …

Payloads: Boeing Environment Responding Antimicrobial Coatings-2 (Antimicrobial Coatings-2): The crew performed the routine periodic touching of the six experiment placards deployed in various locations throughout the ISS, and took photos. Boeing Environment Responding Antimicrobial Coatings tests an antimicrobial coating on several different materials that represent high-touch surfaces. Some microbes change characteristics in microgravity, which could …

Space physics, aging research, and science hardware filled the schedule at the beginning of the week for the Expedition 70 crew. The International Space Station residents are also packing a U.S. cargo craft for its departure and return to Earth at the end of the week. Space manufacturing is the next big step toward commercializing …

Announcing HelioCloud – a new, collaborative, cloud-based tool for heliophysics scientists and students to rapidly access and analyze high-volume datasets from a web browser. With an easy-to-navigate interface and generous data storage, HelioCloud offers a streamlined approach to conduct research. Work in the Cloud, Download Results This free and open-source platform offers a virtual software …

Payloads: Aquamembrane-3: The Aquamembrane-3 Test run was initiated. A crewmember was present during the run to check the Water Processor Assembly (WPA) Sample Bags. After a maximum of 20 minutes of run, the experiment is terminated and equipment is stowed. The Testing Contaminant Rejection of Aquaporin Inside® Hollow-Fiber Forward Osmosis (HFFO) Module (Aquamembrane-3) investigation examines …