Expedition 70 and Ax-3 Crews Working Together on Station

The SpaceX Dragon Freedom spacecraft carrying the Ax-3 crew is pictured approaching the space station above southern India.
The SpaceX Dragon Freedom spacecraft carrying the Ax-3 crew is pictured approaching the space station above southern India.

Eleven astronauts and cosmonauts from around the world are living and working together aboard the International Space Station today. The four Axiom Mission 3 (Ax-3) private astronauts met the seven Expedition 70 crew members on Saturday beginning two weeks of dual operations.

The Ax-3 crew spent the weekend getting familiar with space station systems and emergency procedures before starting Monday with a full schedule of science and media activities. Ax-3 Commander Michael López-Alegría joined Pilot Walter Villadei and studied how microgravity affects the biochemistry of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s to improve health on Earth and in space. The duo later inserted samples into a fluorescence microscope for a study seeking to prevent and predict cancer diseases to protect crews in space and humans on Earth.

Mission Specialist Alper Gezeravcı worked on a space botany experiment looking at ways to sustain spacecraft life support systems and improve crop yields on Earth. Mission Specialist Marcus Wandt explored plasma physics observing low temperature gaseous mixtures composed of ionized gas, neutral gas, and micron-sized particles. The foursome then called down to Earth at the end of the day talking to space professionals in Vienna, Austria, about their mission.

The Expedition 70 crew spent Monday on a variety of science and maintenance tasks while assisting the Ax-3 crew. The orbital residents are also preparing for an upcoming cargo mission.

NASA Flight Engineers Loral O’Hara and Jasmin Moghbeli partnered together Monday afternoon getting ready for a Cygnus cargo mission planned to launch next week. The duo reviewed Cygnus’ mission profile, rendezvous procedures, and command and control interfaces. Both astronauts will be on duty commanding the Canadarm2 robotic arm to capture Cygnus when it arrives at the orbital outpost.

Astronaut Satoshi Furukawa from JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) took turns with Moghbeli, astronaut Andreas Mogensen, and cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov for a vision test using the standard eye chart seen in doctors’ offices on Earth. Furukawa then organized food inside the Permanent Multipurpose Module and Unity module before servicing a variety of science and life support gear the rest of the day.

Mogensen worked in the Tranquility module cleaning the ventilation system before conducting a session for the VR Mental Care study exploring how virtual reality movies may improve crew morale. At the end of the day, the Expedition 70 Commander then assisted the Ax-3 crew members helping them get used to life in microgravity.

In the station’s Roscosmos segment, the three cosmonauts focused on their set of science and maintenance tasks. Borisov installed hardware for a pair of Earth observation experiments, one uses a student-controlled camera targeting landmarks on the ground, the other views the nighttime atmosphere in ultraviolet wavelengths. Veteran Flight Engineer Oleg Kononenko started his day updating computer software then studied piloting techniques future crew members may use on planetary missions. Flight Engineer Nikolai Chub attached sensors to his chest for a heart study, inventoried medical gear, then cleaned station cameras.

Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_station and @ISS_Research on X, 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/Q4vzmMo

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