Space life

Astronaut Stephen Bowen is pictured exiting the space station’s Quest airlock and beginning a spacewalk on April 28, 2023. The seven Expedition 69 crew members are turning their attention to a pair of spacewalks and a cargo mission after saying goodbye to their Axiom Mission-2 (Ax-2) guests on Tuesday. Meanwhile, a pair of experiments onboard the International Space Station on Wednesday looked at monitoring health and 3D printing. The four astronauts and three cosmonauts that comprise Expedition 69 are resuming their standard mission activities today following the departure of four Ax-2 astronauts. Next up in June for the orbital residents are a pair of spacewalks to upgrade the station’s power generation system and a commercial resupply mission. Mission managers will preview the upcoming power upgrade spacewalks during a news conference live on NASA TV at 12 p.m. EDT on Thursday . The first spacewalk will begin at 9:15 a.m. on June 9 with NASA Flight Engineers Stephen Bowen an...

May 30, 2023: International Space Station Configuration. Four spaceships are docked at the space station including the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour crew ship and Roscosmos’ Soyuz MS-23 crew ship and Progress 83 and 84 resupply ships. The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft undocked from the space-facing port of the International Space Station’s Harmony module at 11:05 a.m. EDT to complete the second all-private astronaut mission to the orbiting laboratory, Axiom Mission 2 (Ax-2). Dragon is slowly maneuvering away from the orbital laboratory into an orbital track that will return the astronaut crew and its cargo safely to Earth, targeting a splashdown off the coast of Panama City, Florida, targeted about 11:04 p.m. EDT Tuesday, May 30. Ax-2 Commander Peggy Whitson, John Shoffner, Ali Alqarni and Rayyanah Barnawi will complete 9 days in space at the conclusion of their mission. The SpaceX Dragon will return to Earth with more than 300 pounds of science and supplies, including NASA experiments and h...

Ax-2 Commander Peggy Whitson (foreground) and Pilot John Shoffner (background) are suited up and seated inside the SpaceX Dragon Freedom spacecraft preparing to undock from the space station. Credit: NASA TV At 9:20 a.m. EDT, the hatch closed between the Dragon spacecraft and the   International Space Station  in preparation for undocking and return to Earth of the Axiom Mission 2 (Ax-2) with astronauts Peggy Whitson, John Shoffner, Ali Alqarni and Rayyanah Barnawi. NASA Television will air   live coverage   resuming at 10:45 a.m. in advance of the planned departure of Dragon with undocking about 11:05 a.m. and will continue until about 30 minutes after undocking when joint operations with the Axiom and SpaceX mission teams ends. Today’s undocking will begin the Ax-2 mission’s journey home with splashdown off the coast of Tampa, Florida, no earlier than approximately 11 p.m. EDT Tuesday, May 30. Learn more about station activities by following the  space station blog , ...

The Axiom Mission-2 (Ax-2) and Expedition 69 crew members join each other for a Crew Farewell Ceremony on May 29, 2023. In the front row (from left) are, Expedition 69 Flight Engineer Frank Rubio with Ax-2 crew mates Peggy Whitson, Ali Alqarni, John Shoffner, and Rayyanah Barnawi. In the back (from left) are, Expedition 69 crew mates Andrey Fedyaev, Sultan Alneyadi, Dmitri Petelin, Sergey Prokopyev, Woody Hoburg, and Stephen Bowen. NASA Television, the NASA app , and the agency’s website are providing live coverage from the International Space Station for the closure of the hatches between the station and the Dragon spacecraft to prepare for undocking and departure of the second private astronaut mission to the station, Axiom Mission 2 (Ax-2). Hatch closure is expected at about 9:10 a.m. EDT. The four-member private astronaut crew is scheduled to undock at 11:05 a.m. Tuesday, May 30, to begin the journey home with splashdown off the coast of Florida. NASA coverage will break foll...

The Axiom Mission-2 (Ax-2) and Expedition 69 crew members pose for a portrait together aboard the space station. In the center front row, is Expedition 69 crew member Sultan Alneyadi flanked by (from left) Ax-2 crew mates Peggy Whitson, Ali Alqarni, John Shoffner, and Rayyanah Barnawi. In the back (from left) are, Expedition 69 crew mates Dmitri Petelin, Stephen Bowen, Andrey Fedyaev, Sergey Prokopyev, and Woody Hoburg. Not pictured is astronaut Frank Rubio. Life science for the benefit of human beings living on and off the Earth once again filled the research schedule aboard the International Space Station for the Expedition 69 and Axiom Mission-2 (Ax-2) crew members. Flight Engineers Frank Rubio of NASA and Sultan Alneyadi of UAE (United Arab Emirates) worked on a pair of space biology studies with Ax-2 Mission Specialists Ali Alqarni and Rayyanah Barnawi throughout Friday. Alneyadi partnered with Barnawi during the morning treating human cell samples inside the Kibo laborato...

The Axiom Mission-2 (Ax-2) and Expedition 69 crew members pose for a portrait together aboard the space station. In the center front row, is Expedition 69 crew member Sultan Alneyadi flanked by (from left) Ax-2 crew mates Peggy Whitson, Ali Alqarni, John Shoffner, and Rayyanah Barnawi. In the back (from left) are, Expedition 69 crew mates Dmitri Petelin, Stephen Bowen, Andrey Fedyaev, Sergey Prokopyev, and Woody Hoburg. Not pictured is astronaut Frank Rubio. The Expedition 69 and Axiom Mission-2 (Ax-2) crews worked throughout Thursday conducting a multitude of space research aboard the International Space Station . Meanwhile, the orbiting lab’s three cosmonauts started unpacking a new cargo ship and worked on the European robotic arm controller. Science is moving full speed ahead aboard the orbital outpost as four Expedition 69 astronauts and four Ax-2 private astronauts focused their research activities on a variety of space biology studies on Thursday. The life science and human...

Progress 84 approaches the space station before docking at 12:19 EDT on May 24, 2023. The uncrewed Roscosmos Progress 84 spacecraft arrived at the International Space Station’s Poisk module at 12:19 p.m. EDT Wednesday, May 24, following launch on a Soyuz rocket at 8:56 a.m. (5:56 p.m. Baikonur time) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Progress is delivering about three tons of food, fuel, and supplies to the space station for the Expedition 69 crew. Learn more about station activities by following the  space station blog ,  @space_station  and  @ISS_Research  on Twitter, as well as the  ISS Facebook  and  ISS Instagram  accounts. Get weekly video highlights at:  https://roundupreads.jsc.nasa.gov/videoupdate/ Get the latest from NASA delivered every week. Subscribe here:  www.nasa.gov/subscribe from Space Station https://ift.tt/Kf1Mrbu

The Progress 81 cargo craft approaches the International Space Station on June 3, 2022 for a docking to the Zvezda service module’s rear port. NASA Television, the NASA app , and the agency’s website now are providing live coverage of the rendezvous and docking of a Roscosmos cargo spacecraft to the International Space Station. An automatic docking to the Poisk module is planned at 12:20 p.m. EDT. The uncrewed Progress 84 launched on a Soyuz rocket at 8:56 a.m. EDT Wednesday, May 24 (5:56 p.m. Baikonur time) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Learn more about station activities by following the  space station blog ,  @space_station  and  @ISS_Research  on Twitter, as well as the  ISS Facebook  and  ISS Instagram  accounts. Get weekly video highlights at:  https://roundupreads.jsc.nasa.gov/videupdate/ Get the latest from NASA delivered every week. Subscribe here:  www.nasa.gov/subscribe from Space Station https:/...

Russia’s Progress 76 resupply ship is pictured approaching the station in July of 2020 packed with nearly three tons of food, fuel and supplies. NASA Television, the NASA app , and the agency’s website now are providing live coverage of the launch of a Roscosmos cargo spacecraft to the International Space Station. The uncrewed Progress 84 is scheduled to lift off on a Soyuz rocket at 8:56 a.m. EDT Wednesday, May 24 (5:56 p.m. Baikonur time) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. After a two-orbit journey, Progress will dock to the station’s Poisk module at 12:20 p.m. NASA coverage will resume at 11:30 a.m. for rendezvous and docking Learn more about station activities by following the  space station blog ,  @space_station  and  @ISS_Research  on Twitter, as well as the  ISS Facebook  and  ISS Instagram  accounts. Get weekly video highlights at:  https://roundupreads.jsc.nasa.gov/videupdate/ Get the latest from NASA deliver...

The SpaceX Freedom Dragon crew ship with four Axiom Mission-2 private astronauts aboard is pictured approaching the International Space Station. 11 crew members are living aboard the International Space Station with four spaceships now docked to the orbiting lab. A fifth spaceship is due to launch Wednesday and arrive a few hours later with cargo to replenish the Expedition 69 crew. Two SpaceX Dragon crew ships are docked adjacent to each other on the station’s Harmony module after the arrival of Axiom Mission-2 (Ax-2) aboard Dragon Freedom on Monday at 9:12 a.m. EDT . The four private astronauts from Axiom Space opened Freedom’s hatch at 11 a.m. and entered the station beginning eight days of docked operations. The private quartet consisting of Commander Peggy Whitson, Pilot John Shoffner, and Mission Specialists Al Alqarni and Rayyanah Barnawi spent Tuesday getting familiar with station operations. They practiced preparing food and drinks, conducting hygiene practices, perfo...

JAXA (Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa was named a mission specialist for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 mission. Photo credit: NASA Astronaut Satoshi Furukawa from JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) has been selected as a mission specialist for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 mission – the agency’s seventh rotational mission to the International Space Station. Furukawa joins NASA astronaut  Jasmin Moghbeli  and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut  Andreas Mogensen , who will serve as spacecraft commander and pilot, respectively. An additional crew member will be assigned at a later date. Furukawa spent 165 days aboard the orbiting laboratory in 2011 as a flight engineer with Expeditions 28 and 29. As part of his duties, he helped support the final space shuttle mission, STS-135. This will be the first spaceflight for Moghbeli, who became a NASA astronaut in 2017, and the first long-duration mission for Mogensen. He previously served a...

The four Axiom Mission-2 crew members join the seven-member Expedition 69 crew aboard the station and gather together for a crew greeting ceremony. Credit: NASA TV Axiom Mission 2 (Ax-2) astronauts Peggy Whitson, John Shoffner, Ali Alqarni and Rayyanah Barnawi now are aboard the International Space Station following Dragon’s hatch opening at 11 a.m. EDT Monday, May 22. Ax-2 docked to the orbital complex at 9:12 a.m. on the second mission with an entirely private crew to arrive at the orbiting laboratory. The Axiom Space crew are joining Expedition 69 crew members aboard station, including NASA astronauts Frank Rubio, Woody Hoburg, and Stephen Bowen, UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi, as well as Roscosmos cosmonauts Dmitri Petelin, Andrey Fedyaev, and Sergey Prokopyev. Next up, the station crew members will take part in a welcome ceremony aboard the International Space Station. Axiom Space astronauts are expected to depart the space station May 30, pending wea...

Four spaceships are docked at the space station including the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour and Freedom crew ships and Roscosmos’ Soyuz MS-23 crew ship and Progress 83 resupply ship. Axiom Mission 2 astronauts Peggy Whitson, John Shoffner, Ali Alqarni and Rayyanah Barnawi arrived at the International Space Station at 9:12 a.m. EDT Monday, May 22, on the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. Live coverage continues on NASA Television, the  NASA app , and the agency’s  website for hatch opening and the welcome ceremony. Live coverage continue on NASA Television, the  NASA app , and the agency’s  website for hatch opening and the welcome ceremony. Learn more about station activities by following the  space station blog ,  @space_station  and  @ISS_Research  on Twitter, as well as the  ISS Facebook  and  ISS Instagram  accounts. Get weekly video highlights at:  https://roundupreads.jsc.nasa.gov/videupdate/ Get the latest from NAS...

From left, Mission Specialist Rayyanah Barnawi, Pilot John Shoffner, Commander Peggy Whitson, and Mission Specialist Ali Alqarni are pictured inside the SpaceX Dragon Freedom crew ship. Credit: SpaceX NASA Television, the NASA app , and the agency’s  website  are providing live coverage for the arrival of the Axiom Mission 2 (Ax-2) to the International Space Station. Ax-2 astronauts Peggy Whitson, John Shoffner, Ali Alqarni and Rayyanah Barnawi are scheduled to dock at approximately 9:10 a.m. Monday, May 22, to the space-facing port of the station’s Harmony module. The NASA, Axiom Space, and SpaceX teams now are conducting integrated operations, which begins during the spacecraft’s approach to the International Space Station. NASA maintains mission responsibility during integrated operations, which continues during the crew’s stay aboard the orbiting laboratory conducting science, education, and commercial activities, and concludes once Dragon exits the area of the sp...

The SpaceX Dragon crew ship launches four Axiom Mission-2 astronauts to the space station from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on May 21, 2023. Credit: SpaceX Four private astronauts are in orbit following the successful launch of Axiom Mission 2 (Ax-2), the second all private astronaut mission to the International Space Station. Axiom Space astronauts lifted off at 5:37 p.m. EDT on Sunday, May 21, from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket propelled the company’s Dragon spacecraft carrying Ax-2 crew members Commander Peggy Whitson, Pilot John Shoffner, and Mission Specialists Ali Alqarni and Rayyanah Barnawi into orbit on a mission to conduct scientific research, outreach, and commercial activities on the space station. “Congratulations to Axiom, SpaceX, and the Axiom Mission 2 crew on a successful launch! During their time aboard the International Space Station, the Ax-2 astronauts will carry out more than...

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the Dragon crew ship atop blasts off on April 9, 2022, carrying the first private astronauts to the space station during Axiom Mission-1. Credit: SpaceX NASA TV coverage is underway for the launch of Axiom Mission 2 (Ax-2) – the second all private astronaut mission to the International Space Station . Launch is targeting liftoff at 5:37 p.m. EDT from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The live launch broadcast is carried on NASA TV , the NASA app , and the agency’s website . The broadcast will end after orbital insertion approximately 15 minutes after launch. SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft will carry Commander Peggy Whitson, Pilot John Shoffner, and Mission Specialists Ali Alqarni and Rayyanah Barnawi to the orbital complex. The Ax-2 crew will dock about 9:16 a.m. Monday, May 22, to the space-facing port of the station’s Harmony module . At 7 p.m., the agency’s website will air the Ax-2 Postlaunch Media Briefing (targeted about one hour following...

The SpaceX Dragon Endeavour carrying four Axiom Mission 1 astronauts approaches the space station above the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Morocco on April 9, 2022. The seven-member Expedition 69 crew split up on Wednesday with four astronauts enjoying some time off and three cosmonauts staying busy with cargo transfers and lab maintenance. The astronauts did have some time for spacewalk safety training and preparations for the arrival of four private astronauts to the International Space Station . NASA Flight Engineers Stephen Bowen and Woody Hoburg each put on a pair of virtual reality goggles on Friday and practiced controlling the jet packs attached to Extravehicular Mobility Units, or spacesuits. The jetpacks, also called SAFERs (Simplified Aid for EVA Rescue), would provide an astronaut the ability to maneuver back to the station in the unlikely event they became untethered during a spacewalk. The duo also reviewed the Enhanced Caution and Warning System that monitors the...

The SpaceX Dragon Endeavour carrying four Axiom Mission 1 astronauts approaches the International Space Station on April 9, 2022, with the first quarter Moon in the background. The Expedition 69 crew members continue preparing the International Space Station for the arrival four private astronauts early next week. Meanwhile, the orbital residents also stayed focused on their life science activities and lab maintenance tasks. The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, with the Dragon Freedom crew ship attached, rolled out to its launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Thursday morning. It is scheduled to launch four Axiom Mission-2 (Ax-2) astronauts at 5:37 p.m. EDT on Sunday to the orbital outpost. Former NASA astronaut and Ax-2 Commander Peggy Whitson will lead first-time space flyers Pilot John Shoffner and Mission Specialists Ali Alqarni and Rayyanah Barnawi aboard Dragon during its space flight. Dragon will automatically approach and dock to the space-facing port on the Harmony...

Astronaut Woody Hoburg works replaces life support system components inside the International Space Station’s Destiny laboratory module. The Expedition 69 crew spent Wednesday servicing an array of science gear, maintaining orbital lab systems, and readying gear for the next private astronaut mission. The International Space Station crew members also joined each other at the end of the day and practiced responding to a variety of emergency scenarios. NASA Flight Engineers Frank Rubio and Woody Hoburg worked during the morning on science hardware supporting different space biology experiments. Rubio uninstalled video components inside the Cell Biology Experiment Facility, a research incubator that generates artificial gravity. Hoburg deployed a computer on the Tranquility module ’s life support rack before ground controllers loaded network security software into the device. Rubio later joined UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi and returned the station’s Tread...

Cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin work outside the space station to deploy and activate a radiator on the Nauka science module during a spacewalk on May 12, 2023. Mission managers have given the go for the launch of the second private astronaut mission to the International Space Station on Sunday. The Expedition 69 crew is preparing to meet the new astronauts while also keeping up its human research, maintaining orbital lab systems, and stowing spacewalk tools. Axiom Space, SpaceX, and NASA managers met on Monday and agreed to launch four Axiom Mission-2 (Ax-2) crew members to the space station at 5:37 p.m. EDT on Sunday. Veteran astronaut and commander Peggy Whitson will lead first-time space flyers Pilot John Shoffner and Mission Specialists Ali Alqarni and Rayyanah Barnawi aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and guide it to an automated docking at 9:24 a.m. on Monday. The private astronauts will enter the station through the Harmony module ’s space-facing port and...

Astronauts (from left) Sultan Alneyadi and Woody Hoburg show off the tools they used to successfully open a hatch on the Unity module. The seven-member Expedition 69 crew began its week studying microgravity’s effects on human immunity, replacing critical life support gear, and cleaning up after last week’s spacewalk. Axiom Space is also counting down to its second private mission to the International Space Station . The orbital lab’s main purpose is gaining scientific knowledge not possible in Earth’s gravity to gain new insights benefitting humans on and off the Earth. Human research and physics are a key part of the microgravity science program helping NASA and its international partners plan missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. NASA Flight Engineer Stephen Bowen started Monday processing blood samples that will be analyzed to understand how living in space affects cellular immune function to promote healthier astronauts. At the end of the day, Bowen put on a vest and hea...