progress – Space Station

Busy Week of Science, Robotics, and Spacecraft Activities on Station

A waning gibbous moon sets over the Pacific Ocean as the International Space Station orbited 258 miles above.

It has been a busy week aboard the International Space Station and Thursday was no exception with ongoing space research, systems maintenance, robotics activities, and an orbital reboost for an upcoming crew mission. The nine lab crewmates have been working together and coordinating closely with mission controllers from around the world ensuring safe and successful mission operations in low-Earth orbit.

NASA Flight Engineers Jeanette Epps and Matthew Dominick returned to space botany on Thursday servicing the Advanced Plant Habitat located in the Kibo laboratory module. The duo replaced a variety of life support components and sensors inside the microgravity greenhouse that supports space-grown plants for both research and consumption.

NASA astronauts Mike Barratt, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams began their day continuing to configure emergency systems inside the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft. Williams also partnered with NASA astronaut Tracy C. Dyson and updated Dragon emergency procedures. Barratt wrapped up his day inside Dragon charging computer tablet batteries and synchronizing the portable computers for satellite coverage. Dragon is due to return to Earth in early October bringing home four SpaceX Crew-8 members.

Wilmore and Dyson then finished the afternoon cleaning the inside of the carbon dioxide removal assembly (CDRA). Wilmore and Williams removed the CDRA from the Tranquility module’s Air Revitalization System (ARS) on Tuesday beginning the weeklong maintenance job. It will be reinstalled in the ARS and reactivated early next week.

Over the past week, robotics controllers on Earth remotely commanded the Canadarm2 robotic arm to remove the science packed NanoRacks Bishop airlock from Tranquility. Bishop was then maneuvered toward the Mobile Transporter where it was temporarily installed for experiment transfers. Canadarm2 then retrieved the ArgUS multi-payload carrier from Bishop and installed it on the Columbus laboratory module’s Bartolomeo external science platform. The newly installed radio frequency research hardware will demonstrate advanced satellite communications to improve aerospace systems on Earth and space. Bishop has been returned to Tranquility where it will be repressurized and opened for crew entry on Friday.

The orbital outpost’s three cosmonauts from Roscosmos also remained busy on Thursday conducting their array of life science, lab upkeep, and robotics checks. Station Commander Oleg Kononenko focused on science, first swapping samples inside the Electromagnetic Levitator, a research device that measures the thermophysical properties of liquid metallic alloys at high temperatures. Next, he attached sensors to himself measuring his heart rate while relaxing. Flight Engineer Nikolai Chub installed and tested a device that measures mass in microgravity then packed trash and discarded gear inside the Progress 88 cargo craft. Flight Engineer Alexander Grebenkin inventoried components that control the European Robotic Arm then uninstalled software that supported a plasma physics study.

The International Space Station is soaring higher this week after the Progress 89 cargo craft, docked to the Zvezda service module’s rear port, fired its thrusters for nearly 18 minutes on Tuesday. The reboost puts the space station at the correct altitude for the arrival of the Soyuz MS-26 crew ship in September. The Soyuz spacecraft, carrying NASA astronaut Don Pettit and Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner, is due to dock to the station’s Rassvet module just three hours after launching from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_station and @ISS_Research on X, as well as the and accounts.

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This Week’s Science Informing Lunar, Planetary Crewed Missions

Astronaut Matthew Dominick displays a bag containing simulated lunar cement to explore how cement materials could be used to build infrastructure on the lunar surface.

Space botany, lunar construction, and science maintenance were the top research tasks at the beginning of the week for the orbital residents living and working aboard the International Space Station.

Expedition 71 Flight Engineer Jeanette Epps of NASA spent all day Monday carefully treating thale cress plant samples growing inside the Plant Experiment Unit. The botany research device located in the Kibo laboratory module’s Cell Biology Experiment Facility housed the growing plants for 10 days before Epps picked the samples with forceps, washed them in a specialized saline solution, then exposed them to high ultraviolet light for one hour. She is helping researchers understand how plants grow in the radiation and microgravity environment to inform space agriculture techniques for missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.

Scientists are also exploring ways to build crew habitats on lunar and planetary surfaces without launching supplies on fuel-consuming cargo missions from Earth. NASA Flight Engineer Matthew Dominick mixed and prepared small bags of simulated lunar cement on Monday for a 24-hour incubation period inside a thermos can. Afterward, the samples will be stowed for several more weeks of hardening at ambient temperatures on the orbital outpost. The space-created cement samples will be returned to Earth for scientists to analyze their microstructure and mechanical strength.

NASA astronauts Tracy C. Dyson and Mike Barratt worked throughout Monday servicing a variety of research hardware ensuring ongoing space science operations produce high-quality results. Dyson worked in the Columbus laboratory module during Monday troubleshooting components on the MARES exercise rack, also known as the Muscle Atrophy Research and Exercise System. MARES enables scientists to gain detailed insights on the effects of weightlessness on an astronaut’s musculoskeletal system. Barratt swapped sample cartridges inside the Materials Science Laboratory, a research furnace facilitating discoveries of new and improved materials as well as new uses for existing materials such as metals, alloys, polymers, and more.

NASA astronaut and Boeing Starliner Pilot Suni Williams assisted Dyson with the MARES troubleshooting work throughout Monday. Afterward, she and Starliner Commander Butch Wilmore from NASA called down to Boeing flight controllers for an hourlong crew conference. Earlier, Wilmore was on life support duty transferring and draining fluids from resupply tanks as well as collecting water samples for microbial analysis.

Cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub have begun unpacking some of the nearly three tons of food, fuel, and supplies that arrived aboard the Progress 89 cargo craft at 1:53 a.m. EDT on Saturday. The duo was on duty early Saturday monitoring Progress during its automated docking to the Zvezda service module’s aft port for six months of cargo activities. Flight Engineer Alexander Grebenkin updated operations documents for the orbiting lab’s Roscosmos segment. He also joined Dominick, Barratt, and Epps and trained for emergency scenarios and an upcoming crew departure aboard the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft.

Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_station and @ISS_Research on X, as well as the and accounts.

Get weekly video highlights at: https://roundupreads.jsc.nasa.gov/videoupdate/

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Progress Cargo Craft Headed to Station Following Successful Launch

The Progress 89 cargo craft launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 11:20 p.m. EDT Wednesday, Aug. 14. Credit: NASA TV — The Progress 89 cargo craft launches to the space station from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 11:20 p.m. EDT Wednesday, Aug. 14. Credit: NASA TV

The unpiloted Roscosmos Progress 89 spacecraft is headed for the International Space Station following a launch at 11:20 p.m. EDT Wednesday, Aug. 14 (8:20 a.m. Baikonur time, Thursday, Aug. 15), on a Soyuz rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

After a two-day in-orbit journey to the station, the spacecraft will automatically dock to the aft port of the orbiting laboratory’s Zvezda Service module at 1:56 a.m., Saturday, Aug. 17.

NASA’s coverage of rendezvous and docking will begin at 1 a.m. on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website. Learn how to stream NASA+ through a variety of platforms including social media.

The spacecraft will deliver about three tons of food, fuel, and supplies to the space station.

Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_station and @ISS_Research on X, as well as the and accounts.

Get weekly updates from NASA Johnson Space Center at: https://roundupreads.jsc.nasa.gov/

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Live NASA Coverage Underway of Progress Cargo Craft Launch

The Progress 86 cargo craft is pictured approaching the space station's Poisk module on Dec. 3, 2023. — The Progress 86 cargo craft is pictured approaching the space station’s Poisk module on Dec. 3, 2023.

NASA’s live launch coverage is underway on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website. Learn how to stream NASA+ through a variety of platforms including social media.

The unpiloted Progress 89 spacecraft is scheduled to launch at 11:20 p.m. EDT Wednesday, Aug. 14 (8:20 a.m. Baikonur time, Thursday, Aug. 15), on a Soyuz rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The Roscosmos spacecraft will liftoff carrying about three tons of food, fuel, and supplies for the Expedition 71 crew aboard the International Space Station.

After a two-day in-orbit journey to the station, the spacecraft will automatically dock to the aft port of the orbiting laboratory’s Zvezda Service module at 1:56 a.m., Saturday, Aug. 17. NASA’s coverage of rendezvous and docking will begin at 1 a.m. on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website.

Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_station and @ISS_Research on X, as well as the and accounts.

Get weekly updates from NASA Johnson Space Center at: https://roundupreads.jsc.nasa.gov/

Get the latest from NASA delivered every week. Subscribe here: www.nasa.gov/subscribe

Cargo Craft Docks to Station, Completes Space Delivery

The Progress 88 cargo craft approaches the space station carrying about three tons of cargo. Credit: NASA TV

The unpiloted Progress 88 spacecraft arrived at the space-facing port of the orbiting laboratory’s Poisk module at 7:43 a.m. EDT on June 1. The spacecraft launched at 5:43 a.m. EDT (2:43 p.m. Baikonur time) May 30, on a Soyuz rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

The spacecraft delivers about three tons of food, fuel, and supplies for the Expedition 71 crew aboard the International Space Station and will remain docked for almost six months before departing in late November for a re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere to dispose of trash loaded by the crew.

Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_station and @ISS_Research on X, as well as the and accounts.

Get weekly updates from NASA Johnson Space Center at: https://roundupreads.jsc.nasa.gov/

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Cargo Craft Docking Soon to Station Live on NASA TV

The Roscosmos Progress 88 spacecraft carrying about three tons of cargo lifts off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Thursday, May 30. Credit: NASA TV

NASA is now providing coverage of rendezvous and docking on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website.

The unpiloted Progress 88 spacecraft launched at 5:43 a.m. EDT (2:43 p.m. Baikonur time) May 30, on a Soyuz rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. After a two-day in-orbit journey to the station, the spacecraft will automatically dock to the space-facing port of orbiting laboratory’s Poisk module at 7:46 a.m. Saturday, June 1.

Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_station and @ISS_Research on X, as well as the and accounts.

Get weekly updates from NASA Johnson Space Center at: https://roundupreads.jsc.nasa.gov/

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Crew Works Biology, Spacesuits; Awaits Spacecraft Arrival

A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket with Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft aboard is seen illuminated by spotlights at sunset on the launch pad at Space Launch Complex 41 ahead of the NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test. Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky

Space biology research and spacesuit work filled the Expedition 71 crew’s schedule at the end of the week. In the meantime, the International Space Station is gearing up for two spacecraft scheduled to arrive with new cargo and a new crew this weekend.

Eye scans were on the crew’s medical list on Friday as researchers on the ground monitored to learn how living long-term in weightlessness affects vision. Flight Engineers Matthew Dominick and Tracy C. Dyson led the checks just before lunch time, scanning each other’s eyes and the eyes of fellow astronauts Jeanette Epps and Mike Barratt using the Ultrasound 2 device. At the end of the day, Dominick peered into a medical imaging device operated by Epps to gain views of his retina, cornea, and optic nerve.

Dominick started his morning wearing a vest and a headband packed with sensors recording his health data. He then pedaled on an exercise cycle as the wearable bio-monitors measured his cardiovascular and respiratory activity. Doctors will use the results to learn how the beating heart and breathing affects a crew member’s blood pressure in microgravity and protect crew health on long-term space missions.

Before the vision exams began, Dyson and Barratt partnered together in the Quest airlock and swapped spacesuit components. All four astronauts also took turns throughout the day studying spacewalk procedures and Canadarm2 robotic arm maneuvers on a computer. The crew is getting ready for a trio of spacewalks scheduled to take place in June for maintenance and science on the orbital outpost. NASA will announce the spacewalk details soon in a media advisory and a televised news conference.

Cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub also took part in Friday’s vision exams with Kononenko operating the Ultrasound 2 and scanning Chub’s eyes. The duo also called down to Roscosmos mission controllers and discussed preparations for the arrival of three tons of cargo aboard the Progress 88 resupply ship. The Progress 88 is in its second day in space and is due to automatically dock to the Poisk module at 7:47 a.m. EDT on Saturday.

Cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin wore a sensor-packed cap and explored future spacecraft and robotic piloting techniques on a computer. Insights from the Pilot-T investigation may inform crew training techniques for planetary missions.

Just a few hours after the Progress 88 docks to Poisk, Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft is planned to lift off atop the Atlas V rocket from United Launch Alliance. Mission managers have given the “go” for NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams on Boeing’s Crew Flight Test to launch aboard Starliner at 12:25 p.m. EDT on Saturday from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Starliner will take a daylong trip around Earth before docking to the Harmony module’s forward port at 1:50 p.m. on Sunday.

Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_station and @ISS_Research on X, as well as the and accounts.

Get weekly updates from NASA Johnson Space Center at: https://roundupreads.jsc.nasa.gov/

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Progress Cargo Craft Launches, En Route to Station

The Progress 88 cargo craft launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 5:43am ET. Credit: NASA TV — The Progress 88 cargo craft launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 5:43am ET. Credit: NASA TV

The unpiloted Progress 88 spacecraft is safely in orbit headed for the International Space Station following a launch at 5:43 a.m. EDT (2:43 p.m. Baikonur time) May 30, on a Soyuz rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

After a two-day in-orbit journey to the station, the spacecraft will automatically dock to the space-facing port of orbiting laboratory’s Poisk module at 7:47 a.m. Saturday, June 1. NASA coverage of rendezvous and docking will begin at 7 a.m. on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website.

The spacecraft will deliver about three tons of food, fuel, and supplies to the space station.

Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_station and @ISS_Research on X, as well as the and accounts.

Get weekly updates from NASA Johnson Space Center at: https://roundupreads.jsc.nasa.gov/

Get the latest from NASA delivered every week. Subscribe here: www.nasa.gov/subscribe

Progress Resupply Cargo Craft Launching Live on NASA TV

The Progress 86 resupply ship is pictured approaching the space station for a docking on Dec. 3, 2023.

NASA’s live launch coverage is underway on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website. Learn how to stream NASA TV through a variety of platforms including social media.

The unpiloted Progress 88 spacecraft is scheduled to launch at 5:43 a.m. EDT (2:43 p.m. Baikonur time) May 30, on a Soyuz rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The Roscosmos spacecraft will liftoff carrying about three tons of food, fuel, and supplies for the Expedition 71 crew aboard the International Space Station.

Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_station and @ISS_Research on X, as well as the and accounts.

Get weekly updates from NASA Johnson Space Center at: https://roundupreads.jsc.nasa.gov/

Get the latest from NASA delivered every week. Subscribe here: www.nasa.gov/subscribe

Ten-Member Crew Works on Cargo, Spacesuits, and Human Research

The SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft approaches the space station for a docking to the Harmony module's space-facing port on March 23, 2024. — The SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft approaches the space station for a docking to the Harmony module’s space-facing port on March 23, 2024.

The 10 crew members aboard the International Space Station, including five NASA astronauts, four Roscosmos cosmonauts, and one Belarus spaceflight participant, turned their attention on Tuesday toward cargo transfers and spacesuit work. There was still time for science on the orbital outpost as the Expedition 70 crew continued more human research.

The NASA astronauts worked throughout the day swapping cargo in and out of the SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft docked to the Harmony module’s space-facing port. Flight Engineer Loral O’Hara kicked off Tuesday’s cargo work releasing launch restraints that had secured payloads during Dragon’s ascent to space. Next, Matthew Dominick and Jeanette Epps took over unstrapping more cargo to move into the station.

O’Hara then unpacked a new U.S. spacesuit helmet from Dragon and swapped it with an older helmet for return to Earth aboard the spacecraft. Dominick packed the upper torso of a U.S. spacesuit in a box then labeled and prepared it for stowing on Dragon for analysis and servicing back on Earth. NASA Flight Engineer Tracy C. Dyson assisted the duo during the spacesuit cargo work then finalized battery charging duties in preparation for an upcoming Roscosmos spacewalk.

NASA Flight Engineer Mike Barratt released and transferred science hardware from inside Dragon for installation on a space station EXPRESS rack. The EXPRESS racks are multipurpose research facilities enabling astronaut-operated or ground-controlled experiments. Barratt also installed and set up new research gear in the Harmony module expanding protein crystallization research.

The Roscosmos segment’s four cosmonauts fit in an array of space science while also working on their contingent of cargo activities. Flight Engineer Alexander Grebenkin operated gear monitoring Flight Engineer Oleg Novitskiy while has was attached to sensors recording his blood circulation. Novitskiy also partnered with spaceflight participant Marina Vasilevskaya photographing Earth landmarks and filming educational activities. Flight Engineer Nikolai Chub continued collecting his blood and saliva samples for a space immunity study.

Novitskiy also packed cargo inside the Soyuz MS-24 crew ship that he, Vasilevskaya, and O’Hara will return to Earth in on April 6. Chub stowed more cargo inside the Progress 86 resupply ship and updated the space station’s inventory management system. Expedition 70 Commander Oleg Kononenko spent his day on electronics maintenance checking video gear and computer hardware.

Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_station and @ISS_Research on X, as well as the and accounts.

Get weekly video highlights at: https://roundupreads.jsc.nasa.gov/videoupdate/

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