Space life

The SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft approaches the space station for an automated docking loaded with over 7,000 pounds of science experiments, station hardware, and crew supplies on June 9. A SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft splashed down at 10:30 a.m. EDT Friday, June 30, off the coast of Jacksonville, Florida, marking the return of the company’s 28th contracted cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station for NASA. The spacecraft carried approximately 3,600 pounds of valuable scientific experiments and other cargo back to Earth. Scientific hardware and samples returning on the mission include the GRIP – Dexterous Manipulation in Microgravity chair used in the ESA (European Space Agency)-sponsored neurology experiments GRIP and GRASP (Gravitational References for Sensimotor Performance: Reaching and Grasping). GRIP studies how microgravity affects the manipulation of objects, while GRASP provides further insight into how the central nervous system adapts to the microg...

A SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft undocks from the station on June 29, 2023, to bring 3,600 pounds of science back to Earth. Credit: NASA TV Following commands from ground controllers at SpaceX in Hawthorne, California, the company’s Dragon cargo spacecraft undocked at 12:30 p.m. EDT from the space-facing port of the station’s Harmony module. At the time of undocking the station was flying at an altitude about 260 miles northeast of the Indian Ocean west of Indonesia. After re-entering Earth’s atmosphere, the spacecraft will make a parachute-assisted splashdown off the coast of Florida on Friday, June 30. NASA will not broadcast the splashdown, but updates will be posted on the agency’s space station blog. Dragon arrived at the station June 6 as SpaceX’s 28th  Commercial Resupply Services  mission for NASA, delivering more than 7,000 pounds of research investigations, crew supplies, and station hardware, including two  IROSAs , or International Space Station Roll-Out...

The SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft is pictured departing the vicinity of the space station following its undocking from the Harmony module’s space-facing port on January 9, 2023. Live coverage of the departure of a SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft from the International Space Station  is underway on NASA Television, the agency’s website , and the NASA app . Following commands from ground controllers at SpaceX in Hawthorne, California, Dragon will undock at 12:30 p.m. EDT from the space-facing port of the station’s Harmony module and fire its thrusters to move a safe distance away from the station. After re-entering Earth’s atmosphere, the spacecraft will make a parachute-assisted splashdown off the coast of Florida about 10:30 a.m. Friday, June 30. NASA will not broadcast the splashdown, but updates will be posted on the agency’s space station blog. Learn more about station activities by following the  space station blog ,  @space_station  and  @ISS_Resea...

The SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft is pictured approaching the International Space Station on June 6 above a cloudy Sea of Japan in this photograph from the orbital outpost. Mission managers have given the go for the undocking of the SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft from the International Space Station on Thursday. As Dragon nears its departure, the Expedition 69 crew also worked on advanced science hardware while conducting cardiac research and immunity studies. Flight Engineers Woody Hoburg , Stephen Bowen , and Sultan Alneyadi took turns on Wednesday loading some of the 3,600 pounds of cargo that will return to Earth inside Dragon. The trio will get back together on Thursday for final cargo activities as they pack critical research samples inside Dragon’s return science freezers before closing its hatch. Dragon is scheduled to undock from the Harmony module’s space-facing port at 12:05 p.m. EDT on Thursday. It will parachute to a splashdown off the coast of Florida early Frida...

The SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft approaches the space station for an automated docking loaded with over 7,000 pounds of experiments, hardware, and crew supplies on June 9, 2023. A U.S. cargo craft is being packed and readied for its undocking from the International Space Station and its retrieval on Earth at the end of the week. The Expedition 69 crew members also focused their Tuesday research activities on space botany, robotics, and human research. The SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft is nearing the end of its stay at the orbital lab and is scheduled to undock at 12:05 p.m. EDT on Thursday . NASA TV will begin its live undocking and departure coverage at 11:45 a.m. on the agency’s app and website . NASA Flight Engineers Frank Rubio , Woody Hoburg , and Stephen Bowen along with UAE (United Arab Emirates) Flight Engineer Sultan Alneyadi worked throughout Tuesday continuing to load Dragon with some of the 3,600 pounds of cargo that will return to Earth. Dragon is due to splas...

Astronaut Woody Hoburg is pictured loading cargo inside the SpaceX Dragon cargo vehicle. Space botany, microbiology, and future piloting techniques were the main experiments aboard the International Space Station on Monday. The Expedition 69 crew members are also readying a cargo vehicle for its departure and continuing to clean up after last week’s spacewalk. Following a busy period of spacewalks at the orbital outpost, the station’s residents returned their attention to microgravity research on Monday benefitting humans living on and off the Earth. NASA Flight Engineer Woody Hoburg worked in the Kibo laboratory module preparing the Advanced Plant Habitat for upcoming research operations. Hoburg installed and replaced components inside the botany science facility for the Plant Habitat-03 experiment that will observe space-caused genetic adaptations in plants. NASA Flight Engineer Stephen Bowen started his day installing research hardware on an experiment platform and pla...

Expedition 69 Flight Engineers (from left) Sultan Alneyadi, Dmitri Petelin, and Frank Rubio pose for a portrait after the arrival of the SpaceX Dragon cargo vehicle on June 6. The Expedition 69 crew is wrapping its work week loading a cargo craft for its upcoming return to Earth and cleaning up following Thursday’s spacewalk. Other activities scheduled for the International Space Station residents on Friday included a robotics competition and life support maintenance. The SpaceX Dragon cargo vehicle will end its stay at the orbital outpost on June 29 after delivering two roll-out solar arrays and several tons of science gear, crew supplies, and station hardware on June 6 . NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen and Woody Hoburg began finalizing the cargo work inside the Dragon cargo spacecraft on Friday. At the end of the day, NASA Flight Engineer Frank Rubio joined Hoburg transferring research samples from the station’s science freezers into Dragon’s science transport freezers . Ear...

Cosmonaut Dmitri Petelin is pictured behind a solar array during a spacewalk to remove and replace science and communications hardware on the Roscosmos’ segment of the International Space Station. Credit: NASA TV Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin concluded their spacewalk June 22 at 4:48 p.m. EDT after 6 hours and 24 minutes. Prokopyev and Petelin completed their major objectives, which were to retrieve  several experiment packages from the Zvezda and Poisk modules and install communications equipment outside the International Space Station. This was the seventh spacewalk in Prokopyev’s career, and the fifth for Petelin. It was the ninth spacewalk at the station in 2023 and the 266th spacewalk  for space station assembly, maintenance, and upgrades. 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 Inst...

Roscomos cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin are seen at work during a spacewalk on Nov. 17, 2022. Prokopyev is in the suit with red stripes and Petelin is in blue. Credit: NASA TV. Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin began a spacewalk at 10:24 a.m. EDT to retrieve  several experiment packages from the Zvezda and Poisk modules and install communications equipment outside the International Space Station. Coverage of the spacewalk continues on NASA Television, the  NASA app , and the agency’s  website . Prokopyev is wearing an Orlan spacesuit with red stripes, while Petelin is wearing the suit with blue stripes. This is the seventh spacewalk in Prokopyev’s career, and the fifth for Petelin. It is the ninth spacewalk at the station in 2023 and the 266th spacewalk  for space station assembly, maintenance, and upgrades. Learn more about station activities by following the  space station blog ,  @space_station  and  @ISS_Research...

Expedition 69 Commander Sergey Prokopyev (left) and Flight Engineer Dmitri Petelin (right) are conducting their fifth spacewalk together today. NASA coverage is underway for today’s spacewalk with Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin. The duo will retrieve  several experiment packages from the Zvezda and Poisk modules and install communications equipment. Coverage of the spacewalk is on NASA Television, the NASA app , and the agency’s website . Prokopyev and Petelin will exit out of the Poisk module about 10:20 a.m. EDT. Prokopyev is wearing the Orlan spacesuit with red stripes, while Petelin is wearing the suit with blue stripes. This will be the seventh spacewalk in Prokopyev’s career, and the fifth for Petelin. It will be the ninth spacewalk at the station in 2023 and the 266th spacewalk  for space station assembly, maintenance, and upgrades. Learn more about station activities by following the  space station blog ,  @space_station  and...

Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Prokopyev works outside the International Space Station during a spacewalk on May 3, 2023. Preparations continue for Thursday’s spacewalk to replace hardware on the International Space Station . The Expedition 69 crew also stayed focused on ongoing cargo transfers while conducting a variety of lab maintenance on Wednesday. Two cosmonauts are completing their task reviews and spacesuit configurations ahead of a spacewalk set to begin about 10:20 a.m. EDT on Thursday . Commander Sergey Prokopyev and Flight Engineer Dmitri Petelin will spend about seven hours in the vacuum of space replacing science and communications hardware on the Zvezda and Poisk modules. NASA TV will begin its live spacewalk coverage at 9:45 a.m. on the agency’s app and website . The duo started Wednesday morning reviewing the spacewalk timeline and the steps necessary to complete the hardware replacement work and the photographic inspections afterward. Following the timeline rev...

Astronaut Stepehen Bowen rides the Canadarm2 robotic arm and carrying a roll-out solar array to its installation point on the space station’s starboard truss structure during a spacewalk on June 15, 2023. Cargo operations are under way aboard the International Space Station amidst a variety of physics and microbiology research activities. The Expedition 69 crew members are also preparing for another spacewalk later this week as they cleanup following last week’s spacewalk. The SpaceX Dragon cargo vehicle is due to undock from the orbital outpost and return to Earth at the end of June. In the meantime, three NASA flight engineers took turns on Tuesday transferring cargo in and out of the vehicle. Astronaut Stephen Bowen resupplied the station with medical supply kits from inside Dragon then loaded the cargo vehicle with expired supplies for disposal. Woody Hoburg and Frank Rubio each spent about two-and-a-half hours throughout the day moving supplies and hardware in and out of ...

NASA astronaut and Expedition 68 Flight Engineer Woody Hoburg points the camera toward himself and takes an out-of-this-world “space-selfie” during a five-hour and 35-minute spacewalk to install a roll-out solar array on the International Space Station’s truss structure. The International Space Station residents are going into the weekend following a busy week of spacewalk activities. The Expedition 69 crew members finished one spacewalk this week and are gearing up for another one next week. NASA astronauts Woody Hoburg and Stephen Bowen completed installing the orbital outpost’s sixth roll-out solar array during a spacewalk on Thursday . The pair spent five hours and 35 minutes in the vacuum of space completing the installation job. On June 9 , Hoburg and Bowen installed the other roll-out solar array that was delivered inside the SpaceX Dragon cargo vehicle on June 6 . The very first roll-out solar array was installed exactly two years ago on June 16, 2021 , by Expedition 65...

A view of the new roll-out solar array unfolding after NASA astronauts Steve Bowen and Woody Hoburg successfully installed it to the 1B power channel on June 15, 2023. Credit: NASA TV Expedition 69 Flight Engineers Woody Hoburg  and Steve Bowen of NASA concluded their spacewalk at 2:17 p.m. EDT after 5 hours and 35 minutes. Hoburg and Bowen completed their major objective to install an IROSA (International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Array) to augment power generation for the 1B power channel on the station’s starboard truss structure. The new array is 60 feet long by 20 feet wide (18.2 meters by 6 meters) and is shading a little more than half of the original array, which is 112 feet long by 39 feet wide. Each new IROSA produces more than 20 kilowatts of electricity and together enable a 30% increase in power production over the station’s current arrays. NASA and Boeing have a plan in place for a fourth set of roll-out arrays to further augment the International Spa...

Astronaut Woody Hoburg points the camera toward himself and takes an out-of-this-world “space-selfie” during a spacewalk on June 9, 2023. Expedition 69 Flight Engineers Woody Hoburg  and Steve Bowen of NASA began a spacewalk at 8:42 a.m. EDT to install an IROSA (International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Array) to augment power generation for the 1B power channel on the station’s starboard truss structure. Hoburg, designated extravehicular crew member 1 (EV1), is wearing a suit with red stripes. Bowen, designated extravehicular crewmember 2 (EV 2), is in an unmarked suit. Coverage of the spacewalk continues on NASA Television, the  NASA app , and the agency’s  website . 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.go...

NASA astronauts (from left) Stephen Bowen and Woody Hoburg will install a set of new roll-out solar arrays on the space station during today’s spacewalk. NASA Television coverage of today’s spacewalk with NASA astronauts Woody Hoburg and Steve Bowen is now underway and is also available on the  NASA app , the  space station blog  and the agency’s  website . The crew members of Expedition 69 are preparing to exit the  International Space Station ‘s Quest airlock for a spacewalk expected to begin about 8:55 a.m. EDT and last about six hours. Hoburg and Bowen will install an IROSA (International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Array) to augment power generation for the 1B power channel on the station’s starboard truss structure. The new array is 60 feet long by 20 feet wide (18.2 meters by 6 meters) and will shade a little more than half of the original array, which is 112 feet long by 39 feet wide. Each new IROSA will produce more than 20 kilowatts of electri...

Astronaut Woody Hoburg points the camera toward himself and takes an out-of-this-world “space-selfie” during a spacewalk on June 9, 2023. Wednesday was a busy day for the Expedition 69 crew’s astronauts and cosmonauts as they continued preparing for two different spacewalks at the International Space Station . The first spacewalk will see two astronauts install another roll-out solar array on Thursday. The second spacewalk will take place a week later when two cosmonauts replace hardware and conduct photographic inspections. Mission managers gave the “go” for Thursday’s spacewalk with NASA astronauts Woody Hoburg and Stephen Bowen . The duo will set their spacesuits to battery power at 8:55 a.m. signifying the official start of their second spacewalk together. The duo will spend about six hours installing a roll-out solar array on the opposite side of the starboard truss segment where they installed the previous roll-out solar array on Friday, June 9 . NASA TV begins its live br...

Astronaut Frank Rubio (right) assists astronaut Woody Hoburg during a fit check of his spacesuit inside the space station’s Quest airlock. Four Expedition 69 astronauts practiced simulated robotic maneuvers on a computer today to support a spacewalk scheduled for Thursday. Three cosmonauts are gearing up for another spacewalk planned to take place next week from the Roscosmos segment of the International Space Station . NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen and Woody Hoburg are preparing for their second spacewalk together set to start at 8:55 a.m. EDT on Thursday. The spacewalkers will install the orbital outpost’s sixth roll-out solar array on the opposite side of the starboard truss segment opposite where they installed the fifth roll-out solar array on Friday, June 9 . NASA TV will begin its live broadcast of the spacewalk at 7:30 a.m. on the agency’s app and website . Bowen and Hoburg joined Flight Engineers Frank Rubio of NASA and Sultan Alneyadi of UAE (United Arab Emirates)...

NASA astronaut Woody Hoburg rides the Canadarm2 robotic arm while maneuvering a roll-out solar array during a spacewalk on June 9, 2023, 257 miles above the Pacific Ocean. The International Space Station ’s sixth roll-out solar array will be installed this week after last week’s installation of its fifth roll-out solar array. The Expedition 69 crew spent Monday preparing for the installation spacewalk while also continuing research, cargo, and maintenance activities. NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen and Woody Hoburg will once again exit the space station’s Quest airlock at 9:20 a.m. EDT on Thursday for their second roll-out solar array installation spacewalk together. The spacewalkers will install another roll-out solar array on the opposite side of the starboard truss structure where they installed the orbital outpost’s fifth roll-out solar array . Thursday’s spacewalk will represent the completion of the power upgrade work ultimately increasing the station’s power-generating ca...

Astronaut Woody Hoburg watches as a new roll-out solar array deploys after he and fellow NASA spacewalker Stephen Bowen (out of frame) successfully installed it on the space station. Credit: NASA TV Expedition 69 Flight Engineers Steve Bowen and Woody Hoburg of NASA concluded their spacewalk at 3:28 p.m. EDT after 6 hours and 3 minutes. Bowen and Hoburg completed all of their objectives to install an IROSA (International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Array) to augment power generation for the 1A power channel on the station’s starboard truss structure. The crew members also completed several get ahead tasks setting the stage for the duo to go back outside Thursday, June 15, to install the sixth in the series of IROSAs on the starboard 6 truss of the station for the 1B power channel. The new arrays are 60 feet long by 20 feet wide (18.2 meters by 6 meters) and will shade a little more than half of the original arrays, which are 112 feet long by 39 feet wide. Each new IROSA will pr...

NASA astronauts (from left) Stephen Bowen and Woody Hoburg will install a set of new roll-out solar arrays on the space station during today’s spacewalk. Expedition 69 Flight Engineers  Steve Bowen and Woody Hoburg of NASA began a spacewalk at 9:25 a.m. EDT today to install an IROSA (International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Array) to augment power generation for the 1A power channel on the station’s starboard truss structure. Bowen, designated extravehicular crew member 1 (EV1), is wearing a suit with red stripes. Hoburg, designated extravehicular crewmember 2 (EV 2), is in an unmarked suit. Coverage of the spacewalk continues on NASA Television, the  NASA app , and the agency’s  website . 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://r...

Astronaut Stephen Bowen is pictured exiting the space station’s Quest airlock and beginning a spacewalk on April 28, 2023. NASA Television coverage of today’s spacewalk with NASA astronauts  Steve Bowen and Woody Hoburg is now underway and is also available on the  NASA app , the  space station blog  and the agency’s  website . The crew members of Expedition 69 are preparing to exit the  International Space Station ‘s Quest airlock for a spacewalk expected to begin about 9:15 a.m. EDT and last about seven hours. Bowen and Hoburg will install an IROSA (International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Array) to augment power generation for the 1A power channel on the station’s starboard truss structure. The new arrays are 60 feet long by 20 feet wide (18.2 meters by 6 meters) and will shade a little more than half of the original arrays, which are 112 feet long by 39 feet wide. Each new IROSA will produce more than 20 kilowatts of electricity, and once all...

NASA astronauts (from left) Woody Hoburg, Frank Rubio, and Stephen Bowen talk to elementary and junior high school students on Earth. Four Expedition 69 astronauts are making final preparations ahead of Friday’s spacewalk to continue upgrading the International Space Station ’s power generation system. Meanwhile, the orbital outpost’s three cosmonauts focused on heart research and plasma physics while ensuring station systems remain in tip-top shape. NASA Flight Engineers Stephen Bowen and Woody Hoburg are scheduled to set their Extravehicular Mobility Units (EMUs), or spacesuits, to battery power at 9:15 a.m. EDT on Friday officially beginning a spacewalk to install a roll-out solar array on the station’s starboard truss structure. Ahead of the spacewalk, the duo staged their EMUs and spacewalking tools inside the Quest airlock where they will exit the station into the vacuum of space. The two astronauts were also joined by Flight Engineers Frank Rubio of NASA and Sultan Aln...

The SpaceX Dragon cargo craft approaches the station for an automated docking above the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Japan on June 6, 2023. Expedition 69 crew members have opened the hatch to the SpaceX Dragon cargo craft and begun unpacking several tons of cargo packed inside. Stowed inside the resupply ship is a pair of roll-out solar arrays that will soon be removed for installation on the International Space Station during the next spacewalk. Dragon craft docked to the orbital outpost’s Harmony module at 5:54 a.m. EDT on Monday less than a day after launching from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Dragon’s hatch was opened less than two hours later following the completion of standard air and pressure leaks. Soon after, Flight Engineers Frank Rubio , Stephen Bowen , and Woody Hoburg , all from NASA, and Sultan Alneyadi from UAE (United Arab Emirates) entered Dragon and began offloading some of the more than 7,000 pounds of science experiments , station hardware, and crew sup...