Four Expedition 74 crew members enjoyed an off-duty day on Friday relaxing ahead of a robotics repair spacewalk planned for next week. The rest of the crew focused on artificial intelligence and virtual reality studies aboard the International Space Station at the end of the week.
Life science topped the research schedule on Thursday as the Expedition 74 crew studied how space affects vision and sequenced DNA collected from microbes. More spacewalk preparations, a virtual reality investigation, and exercise gear maintenance rounded out the day aboard the International Space Station.
The Expedition 74 crew members continued their spacewalk preparations on Wednesday reviewing robotics activities and configuring tools. The orbital residents also kept up their ongoing biomedical research and advanced technology studies aboard the International Space Station.
Spacewalk preparations filled the schedule aboard the International Space Station on Tuesday as a pair of astronauts gear up for next week’s external robotics repair job. CubeSat maintenance and eye checks rounded out the day for the Expedition 74 crew.
Bioengineering cartilage tissues and manufacturing advanced materials kicked off the week aboard the International Space Station. The Expedition 74 crew members also ramped up preparations for a spacewalk and conducted vision tests on Monday.
The Expedition 74 crew explored how weightlessness affects cartilage growth and the digestive system on Thursday to protect crew health and improve patient care on Earth. The orbital residents are also gearing up for a robotics maintenance spacewalk at the end of the month on the International Space Station.
Biomedical tests using augmented and virtual reality tools to advance space health dominated the research schedule aboard the International Space Station on Wednesday. The Expedition 74 crew is also turning its attention to a spacewalk at the end of the month following the departure of a U.S. cargo spacecraft.
At 5:11 a.m. PDT (8:11 a.m. EDT), the unpiloted SpaceX Dragon spacecraft splashed down off the coast of California near Oceanside, marking the return of the 34th SpaceX commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station for NASA.
At 12:25 p.m. EDT, the unpiloted SpaceX Dragon spacecraft undocked from the forward‑facing port of the International Space Station’s Harmony module after a command from SpaceX ground controllers. Flight controllers delayed the undocking slightly to power‑cycle a navigation sensor and restore full redundancy before departure.
The unpiloted SpaceX Dragon spacecraft will undock at approximately 12:05 p.m. EDT from the forward-facing port of the station’s Harmony module and fire its thrusters to move safely away from the orbital complex.
