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Station Trio Works Spacesuits, Science as SpaceX Readies Crew Launch

The three-member Expedition 63 crew aboard the International Space Station
The three-member Expedition 63 crew aboard the International Space Station with (from left) NASA astronaut and Commander Chris Cassidy and Roscosmos cosmonauts and Flight Engineers Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner.

Spacesuits, photo inspections and pilot studies kept the Expedition 63 crew busy aboard the International Space Station today. Meanwhile, the Commercial Crew Program is getting ready to launch its first crewed mission.

Commander Chris Cassidy of NASA spent most of Tuesday inside the Quest airlock where spacewalks in U.S. spacesuits are staged. The veteran space visitor serviced the spacesuits today replacing components and cleaning cooling loops. NASA is planning a series of spacewalks later this year to upgrade power and science systems on the orbiting lab.

Flight Engineer Anatoly Ivanishin of Roscosmos, a veteran of two previous station missions, spent his morning photographing the interior condition of the Zarya and Pirs modules. Russian mission controllers will inspect the photos to determine areas necessary for repair as well locations for the installation of future science experiments.

First-time space station resident Ivan Vagner began his day exploring ways crews might pilot spacecraft and robotic rovers on future planetary missions. In the afternoon, the Roscosmos cosmonaut moved on and serviced a variety of communications and life support gear.

Back on Earth, the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft is being processed at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley will be the first crew since 2011 to launch aboard an American spacecraft.

The duo will be inside the Crew Dragon atop the Falcon 9 rocket when it lifts off May 27 for a 19-hour trip to the space station. The experienced NASA astronauts will join the Expedition 63 crew for several weeks to ramp up science activities aboard the orbiting lab.