Expedition 69, Ax-2 Crews Study Ways to Improve Life on Earth and in Space

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 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 laboratory module’s Life Science Glovebox (LSG) for a study observing their inflammatory response to microgravity. Barnawi then spent the afternoon servicing stem cell samples in the LSG with Rubio for a study that seeks to improve regenerative cell therapies on Earth. Alqarni began the stem cell study during the morning inserting the samples into a fluorescence microscope for imaging inside the Destiny laboratory module.

At the end of the day, Alneyadi got together again with Barnawi and Alqarni for the Bio-Data investigation helping the private astronauts measure their blood pressure, blood oxygen, heart rate levels, and investigate changes in brain blood flow and function in microgravity. The human research study is assessing different tools that monitor brain and eye health and may offset the long-term effects of living in weightlessness.

Ax-2 Commander Peggy Whitson and Pilot John Shoffner also worked on different biomedical research studies exploring ways to improve life on Earth and in space. Whitson removed tumor cell samples from a research incubator and placed them in the fluorescence microscope for imaging to learn how cancers form and possibly develop ways to predict and treat cancer on Earth. Shoffner exercised while wearing a specialized skinsuit to demonstrate its ability to prevent space-caused and Earth-bound back problems.

NASA Flight Engineers Stephen Bowen and Woody Hoburg had their hands full on Friday reviewing spacewalk procedures and organizing cargo for return to Earth. The duo first took turns studying maneuvers on a computer for an upcoming spacewalk to install a roll-out solar array on the orbital outpost’s truss structure. Bowen and Hoburg then spent the afternoon together collecting and prepacking gear that will be stowed inside the SpaceX Dragon cargo vehicle after it arrives in June.

The space station’s three cosmonauts spent their day on cardiac research, cargo duties, and life support maintenance. Commander Sergey Prokopyev first attached sensors to himself measuring his heart activity for a long-running Roscosmos cardiac study. Afterward, he replaced components inside the Vozdukh carbon dioxide removal device then checked its performance. Flight Engineers Dmitri Petelin and Andrey Fedyaev partnered together in the morning updating station data files to account for Wednesday’s arrival of the ISS Progress 84 resupply ship. The duo then split up for the rest of the day working on orbital plumbing and ventilation systems.

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/1AgPkNF

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Station Wraps Busy Week Before Cygnus Cargo Mission Launches

Image
This high exposure photograph from the International Space Station shows Earth’s atmospheric glow and a starry sky as the orbital complex soared above the Pacific Ocean. The Expedition 70 crew is looking ahead to the arrival of a U.S. cargo craft due to arrive at the International Space Station next week. Meanwhile, the Axiom Space 3 (Ax-3) crew finished its first week in orbit with a busy schedule of research, education, and media activities. Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus cargo craft will take its first ride atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket when it lifts off at 12:29 p.m. EST on Monday from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The private space freighter will be carrying over 8,200 pounds of science experiments, crew supplies, and lab hardware to the orbiting outpost. NASA Flight Engineer Jasmin Moghbeli is due to capture Cygnus with the Canadarm 2 robotic arm at 3:35 a.m. on Wednesday. She will be on duty that morning along with fellow NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara who will monitor Cygn...
Read more

Dream Chaser Undergoes Testing at NASA Test Facility in Ohio

Image
NASA and Sierra Space are making progress on the first flight of the company’s Dream Chaser spacecraft to the International Space Station. The uncrewed cargo spaceplane is planned to launch its demonstration mission in 2024 to the orbital complex as part of NASA’s commercial resupply services. Credit: Sierra Space/Shay Saldana NASA and Sierra Space are preparing for the first flight of the company’s Dream Chaser spacecraft to the International Space Station. Dream Chaser and its companion cargo module, called Shooting Star, arrived at NASA’s Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky, Ohio, for environmental testing, scheduled to start in mid-December, ahead of its first flight, scheduled for the first half of 2024. The Neil Armstrong Test Facility, part of NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, is home to multiple test facilities, including the Space Environments Complex and the In-Space Propulsion Facility, both stops for Dream Chaser. The complex is home to the Mechanical Vib...
Read more

Crew Dragon Suit Checks as Station Begins Orbital Reboosts

Image
This long-exposure photograph from the space station reveals the Milky Way glittering above a bright but exaggerated atmospheric glow blanketing the Earth’s horizon. The Expedition 63 crew checked out SpaceX Crew Dragon suits today and stayed busy with a full slate of space research. The International Space Station also completed the first of three orbital reboosts to get ready for the next crew mission in October. Flight Engineers Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken inspected the suits they will wear when they return to Earth aboard the Crew Dragon spaceship. The duo tried on their suits for a fit check and ensured the components are in good condition. They are scheduled to depart the station on Saturday and splashdown the following day. NASA TV will cover all the departure activities live. The homebound-duo started the day replacing environmental control system (ECS) hardware aboard the orbiting lab. That work required temporarily removing a plant habitat from the Unity module to...
Read more