Space life

The waxing gibbous Moon is pictured above Earth’s horizon as the space station orbited 271 miles over southern Argentina. Four Expedition 68 crew members took Monday off following a busy weekend of spacewalk activities. The rest of the International Space Station crew focused on electronics, life support, and Orlan spacesuit maintenance. NASA astronauts Josh Cassada and Frank Rubio are relaxing today following a spacewalk on Saturday that saw the successful installation of a roll-out solar array on the station’s Starboard-4 truss segment . The duo then spent Sunday cleaning up after the spacewalk in the Quest airlock and discussing the results of the excursion with specialists on the ground. Flight Engineers Nicole Mann of NASA and Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) also took Monday off having assisted the spacewalkers over the weekend. The next spacewalk is planned later this month to relocate a radiator from the Rassvet module to the Nauka mu...

NASA spacewalker Josh Cassada rides the Canadarm2 robotic arm carrying the roll-out solar array to its installation site on the Starboard-4 truss segment. Credit: NASA TV Expedition 68 Flight Engineers Josh Cassada and Frank Rubio of NASA concluded their spacewalk at 2:21 p.m. EST after 7 hours and 5 minutes. Cassada and Rubio completed their major objectives for today to install an International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Array (iROSA) and disconnect a cable to ensure the 1B channel can be reactivated. They also completed an additional task to release several bolts for the upcoming iROSA installation on the 4A power channel on the port truss. It was the 256th spacewalk in support of space station assembly, upgrades and maintenance, and was the second spacewalk for both astronauts. Cassada and Rubio are in the midst of a planned six-month science mission living and working aboard the microgravity laboratory to advance scientific knowledge and demonstrate new technologies f...

Astronaut Josh Cassada is pictured during a spacewalk on Nov. 15, 2022, to ready the space station for future rollout solar array installation work. Expedition 68 Flight Engineers Josh Cassada and Frank Rubio of NASA began a spacewalk at 7:16 a.m. EST to install an International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Array (iROSA) to augment power generation for the 3A power channel on the station’s starboard truss structure. In addition to installing an iROSA, the spacewalkers will disconnect a cable to allow the 1B power channel to be reactivated after it was shut down due to a power trip in its electrical system. The disconnection of the cable will isolate the affected portion of the array and restore the channel to 75% of its normal operating capacity. Cassada, designated extravehicular crew member 1 (EV1), is wearing a suit with red stripes. Rubio, designated extravehicular crewmember 2 (EV 2), is in an unmarked suit. Coverage of the spacewalk continues on NASA Television, the  NASA ...

Astronauts (from left) Josh Cassada and Frank Rubio are pictured suited up in their spacesuits preparing for a spacewalk on Nov. 15, 2022 . NASA Television coverage of today’s spacewalk with NASA astronauts Josh Cassada and Frank Rubio 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 68 are preparing to exit the  International Space Station ‘s Quest airlock for a spacewalk expected to begin about 7:25 a.m. EST and last approximately seven hours. NASA astronauts Josh Cassada and Frank Rubio will exit the station’s Quest airlock to install an International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Array (iROSA) to augment power generation for the 3A power channel on the station’s starboard truss structure. In addition to installing an iROSA, the spacewalkers will disconnect a cable to allow the 1B power channel to be reactivated after it was shut down due to a power trip in its electrical system. The disc...

The space station’s fine-tuned robotic hand, also known as Dextre, is pictured attached to the U.S. Destiny laboratory module as the orbiting lab flew 270 miles above the southern Pacific Ocean. Two astronauts are preparing to exit the International Space Station on Saturday to install a new roll-out solar array. Their Expedition 68 crewmates assisted the duo on Friday while continuing an array of advanced space science and orbital lab maintenance. NASA Flight Engineers Josh Cassada and Frank Rubio spent Friday checking their batteries, tools, and cameras they will use on a spacewalk scheduled to begin at 7:25 a.m. EST on Saturday. The duo will exit the Quest airlock in their Extravehicular Mobility Units (EMUs), or spacesuits, and translate over to the Starboard- 4 truss segment worksite for the seven-hour spacewalk. Once there, the spacewalkers will install the new roll-out-solar array, also known as an International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Array, or iROSA, augmenting ...

Astronauts (from top) Frank Rubio and Josh Cassada work on a pair of Extravehicular Mobility Units (EMUs), or spacesuits, inside the space station’s Quest airlock. The Expedition 68 crew began installing a new space botany experiment today while gearing up for a spacewalk planned for this weekend. The orbital residents are also continuing their research into the nervous system, unpacking a U.S. cargo craft, and keeping up International Space Station systems. NASA and its international partners have been learning how to grow fresh food on the orbiting lab for several years. Today, NASA Flight Engineer Nicole Mann began installing the new Veg-05 space agriculture study that will soon grow dwarf tomatoes with the astronauts testing fertilizer techniques, microbial food safety, nutritional value, and taste. Growing fresh food during future missions farther away from Earth may promote crew morale and reduce crew dependency on space cargo missions. Veteran station astronaut Koichi W...

Astronaut Nicole Mann is pictured inside the seven-window cupola as the SpaceX Dragon cargo craft approaches the space station on Nov. 27, 2022. Science and spacewalk preparations kept the Expedition 68 crew busy throughout Wednesday. Meanwhile, the International Space Station is orbiting slightly higher after a docked cargo craft fired its engines during the morning. NASA astronauts Nicole Mann and Frank Rubio began the morning cleaning and stowing biology hardware used to transfer research samples from the SpaceX Dragon resupply ship into the space station’s U.S. Destiny laboratory module. Those samples will soon be examined to understand how microgravity affects the regeneration of skeletal stem cells possibly improving therapies for bone conditions on Earth and in space. NASA Flight Engineer Josh Cassada started his day supporting student-designed botany experiments packed inside specialized tubes delivered aboard Dragon. Flight Engineer Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aero...