Saturday, October 22, 2022

Expedition 68 Mission Activities: New Crew Photos | International Space Station

Expedition 68 Mission Activities: New Crew Photos | International Space Station

Astronaut Nicole Mann poses in front of BEAM
Astronaut Frank Rubio poses in front of BEAM
Astronaut Josh Cassada poses in front of BEAM
Astronaut Koichi Wakata wears a virtual reality headset
Expedition 68 crew members participate in an evening conference
Astronaut Josh Cassada works on a laptop computer
Astronaut Koichi Wakata swaps electronics components
Astronaut Koichi Wakata switches an Argon gas supply line

Oct. 21, 2022 Crew Updates: Chores and science wrapped up the week for the Expedition 68 crew aboard the International Space Station. The orbital residents will also see a resupply ship leave the orbital lab on Sunday.

NASA Flight Engineer Frank Rubio spent Friday afternoon rearranging cargo inside the Zarya module to maximize stowage space in the 24-year-old module. Hardware and other station cargo are constantly being moved around the station modules to support science experiments and maintenance activities. With cargo missions going back and forth at the station, it is necessary for the astronauts to keep track of where everything is and keep the gear neatly arranged for easy access.

NASA astronaut Nicole Mann spent her day on orbital plumbing tasks, analyzing water samples for microbes, and inspecting ammonia cartridges. Mann also spent some time on human research activities collecting her blood samples, participating in hearing and cognition tests, and configuring wrist-worn devices that monitor a crew member’s sleep-wake cycle, or circadian rhythm.

NASA Flight Engineer Josh Cassada worked throughout Friday on life support maintenance inside the Harmony and Tranquility modules. Cassada checked thermal control system components in both modules and collected fluid samples from the life support devices for analysis back on Earth. The first-time space flyer also participated in a standard hearing test.

Working in the Columbus laboratory module, Flight Engineer Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) recirculated fluids and nourished vegetables growing for the XROOTS space botany study. The agricultural investigation explores hydroponic and aeroponic methods, soilless techniques, to grow crops in space to sustain crews farther away from Earth.

Two cosmonauts, Flight Engineers Anna Kikina and Dmitri Petelin, kicked off Friday morning with heart research. The duo attached electrodes to themselves to monitor their cardiac bioelectric activity and understand how microgravity affects their heart function. Kikina then spent the rest of the day on lab maintenance work. Petelin joined Commander Sergey Prokopyev and closed the hatch to the ISS Progress 80 cargo craft before its departure on Sunday ending an eight-month mission docked to the Poisk module.

Astronaut Nicole Mann Official NASA Biography


Astronaut Josh Cassada Official NASA Biography

Astronaut Koichi Wakata Official JAXA Biography

An international partnership of space agencies provides and operates the elements of the  International Space Station (ISS). The principals are the space agencies of the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada. The ISS has been the most politically complex space exploration program ever undertaken.

Learn more about the important research being operated on ISS: https://www.nasa.gov/iss-science 

Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)
Image Dates: October 13-19, 2022

#NASA #Space #ISS #Astronauts #NicoleMann #FrankRubio #JoshCassada  #SamanthaCristoforetti #ESA #Italy #Italia #Minerva #KoichiWakata #JAXA #Japan #日本 #Science #HumanSpaceflight #Expedition68 #UnitedStates #Europe #Research #Laboratory #STEM #Education

No comments:

Post a Comment