THE Expedition 72 The crew continued their life sciences research and preparations for spacewalk as a U.S. resupply spacecraft on Tuesday. splashed in the Gulf of Mexico. Orbital residents also maintained advanced exercise equipment and reconfigured a science airlock on the International Space Station.
NASA Flight Engineers Don Pettit And Nick Hayes worked on two different space biology experiments Tuesday, each exploring different facets of the effects of microgravity on humans. Pettit cleaned a research incubator which previously housed biological samples exposed to the constraints of space that cause muscle and bone loss. These samples were returned to Earth aboard the SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft for analysis. The Hague attached to a headband and vest filled with sensors who recorded his cardiac and respiratory activity while he pedaled on a exercise bike. The data will be transmitted to researchers to find out how the body adapts to microgravity conditions.
Commander Suni Williams and flight engineer Butch Wilmoreboth NASA astronauts, joined in the Columbus laboratory module and began installing new exercise equipment. Combining cycling, rowing and resistance capabilities, the small and compact Improved European Exploration Exercise Device will be tested for effectiveness aboard the space station before being used for longer-term missions to the Moon, Mars and beyond.
Wilmore teamed up with Hague near the end of their shift and reconfigured the Sas Bishop Nanoracks. Bishop will be repressurized after being attached to the Tranquility Module following a weekend of transfer activities with the Canadarm2 robotic arm. Bishop had already contained the Aging of European materials experimental equipment that was robotically maneuvered towards the Bartolomeo research platform attached outside of Columbus.
Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner are nearing a spacewalk that will see the duo remove external science experiments and move hardware from Europe’s robotic arm. The two men organized their spacewalk tools and conducted photographic inspections inside the Poisk Airlock where they will exit into the vacuum of space at 10:10 a.m. EST on Thursday. Ovchinin and Vagner will spend approximately six hours and 40 minutes in their Orlan spacesuits while strapped outside the orbital outpost.
Flight engineer Aleksandr Gorbunov split his day with Earth observations and life support maintenance inside the Roscosmos segment of the station. Gorbunov tested new imaging equipment in the Nauka science module which can visualize the effects of natural and man-made disasters on Earth at different wavelengths. The first space traveler also performed cleaning of the orbital plumbing and ventilation system throughout the day.
Learn more about the resort’s activities by following the space station blog, @space_station And @ISS_Research on ISS Facebook And ISS Instagram accounts.
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