The Expedition 72 crew kept up its space research activities on Tuesday while also preparing to split up after the SpaceX Crew-10 mission arrives this week. Spacesuit checks and lab maintenance duties rounded out the day aboard the International Space Station as the orbital outpost reached a milestone 150,000 orbits around the Earth.
The SpaceX Falcon rocket that will launch the Crew-10 mission aboard the Dragon crew spacecraft to the International Space Station stands at its launch pad at Kennedy Space Center in Florida today. Crew-10 is counting down to its liftoff targeted for 7:48 p.m. EDT on Wednesday with NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov. For an on-time launch, the Crew-10 foursome would dock to the International Space Station at 6 a.m. on Thursday and begin their long-duration mission as Expedition 72 flight engineers.
Expedition 72 changed commanders today as a new crew prepares to launch to the International Space Station and four orbital residents get ready to return to Earth. Meanwhile, human research, fluid physics, and spacesuits wrapped up the end of the week aboard the orbital outpost.
The Expedition 72 crew will change commanders on Friday as four crewmates prepare for their return to Earth. Meanwhile, the International Space Station residents continued their ongoing human research activities while unpacking supplies from a new cargo craft.
Vein scans and muscle stimulation were the primary research activities aboard the International Space Station on Wednesday to learn how to keep crews healthy in space. The Expedition 72 crewmates also continued preparing for an upcoming crew departure while unpacking a cargo craft.
Crew departure preparations and cargo unloading topped the scheduled for the Expedition 72 crew aboard the International Space Station on Tuesday. The orbital residents also kept up their human research activities ensuring crews stay healthy while living in space.
Metal 3D printing and cardiovascular health kicked off the research schedule at the beginning of the week for the Expedition 72 crew. Crew arrival preparations are also underway at the International Space Station as a new cargo craft is being unloaded.
The unpiloted Progress 91 spacecraft arrived at the aft port of the orbiting laboratory’s Zvezda Service module at 6:02 p.m. EST, March 1. The spacecraft launched at 4:24 p.m. EST (2:24 a.m. Baikonur time) Feb. 27, on a Soyuz rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
Exercise research and muscle stimulation were the main research topics aboard the International Space Station on Friday to keep crews fit in weightlessness and in the confinement of a spacecraft. The Expedition 72 crew also prepared for Saturday’s arrival of a cargo mission while working on spacesuit maintenance and housekeeping duties.
The unpiloted Roscosmos Progress 91 spacecraft is safely in orbit headed for the International Space Station following a launch at 4:24 p.m. EST (2:24 a.m. Baikonur time) Feb. 27, on a Soyuz rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
