SpaceX-6(SpX-6) Status: Dragon has successfully completed several burns today on its way to station. Cristoforetti and Virts are scheduled to capture Dragon tomorrow morning at approximately 06:00 CDT. Space Aging and Nematode Muscle Familiarization: Kelly reviewed overview messages on 2 JAXA experiments currently onboard SpX-6. Both experiments will study the impacts of the zero-gravity environment …
The Effect of Long-Term Microgravity Exposure on Cardiac Autonomic Function (Biological Rhythms): Kelly set up and donned a Holter Electrocardiogram (ECG). He will record his ECG data for 48 hours, synching and downlinking the data between 21 and 24 hours after starting. Biological Rhythms studies the effects of long-term microgravity exposure on heart function by …
SpaceX (SpX-6) Launch: Dragon successfully launched today at 3:10 PM CDT. Capture is planned for Friday April 17th at ~6:00 AM CDT. European Modular Cultivation System (EMCS) Rotor Based Life Support System (RBLSS) and Water Reservoir Removal: Cristoforetti successfully removed all four EMCS RBLSS Modules and two Water Reservoirs and packed them for return on …
Russian Cosmonautics Day: Today was a crew holiday in honor of Russian Cosmonautics Day. SpaceX (SpX)-6 Launch: The Dragon vehicle launch for today was scrubbed due to a weather violation. The next launch opportunity will be Tuesday April 14, 2015 at 03:10 PM CDT, with a Dragon capture on Friday April 17th. Today the USOS …
Ocular Health: Virts and Cristoforetti completed their Return-30 day (R-30) Ocular Health activities today. They each performed ocular ultrasounds and Virts performed a cardiac ultrasound. This week’s Ocular Health sessions were shared payload and medical requirements. Ocular Health protocol calls for a systematic gathering of physiological data to characterize the risk of microgravity-induced visual impairment/intracranial …
Rodent Research (RR) preparations: In advance of the delivery of RR-2 science on SpaceX-6 (SpX-6), Virts configured the Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG) Life Science Ancillary Hardware (LSAH). He installed life science filters, covers, and the tools, supplies and equipment needed for sample collections. The LSAH installation activity took longer than expected and the last hour …
Integrated Resistance and Aerobic Training Study (Sprint) Ultrasound: Kelly, with Cristoforetti’s assistance, donned reference marks on his thigh and calf and performed an ultrasound scan with remote guidance from the ground team. The Sprint investigation evaluates the use of high intensity, low volume exercise training to minimize loss of muscle, bone, and cardiovascular function in …
Human Research Program (HRP) Collections: Kelly continues with sample collection this week for HRP experiments. Today’s collections are in support of Microbiome and Twins Study experiments. The Microbiome experiment investigates the impact of space travel on both the human immune system and an individual’s microbiome (the collection of microbes that live in and on the …
Blood Pressure Regulation (BP Reg) Experiment: Virts set up a video camera and configured hardware in preparation for leg cuff and re-breathing protocol tomorrow. This Canadian Space Agency (CSA) investigation tests the effectiveness of in-flight manipulation of arterial blood pressure (BP) as an indicator of post-flight response to a brief stand test, since space flight …
Ocular Health (OH): Kelly and Kornienko performed the last of the activities for their Flight Day (FD) 10 Ocular Health session, completing ocular and cardiac ultrasound scans. The ultrasound images will be used to identify changes in globe morphology, including flattening of the posterior globe, and document optic nerve sheath diameter, optic nerve sheath tortuosity, …
