Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency – NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test

Crew Works Genetics, Maintenance and is GO for Spacewalk

Image of Expedition 71 crew at the International Space Station — The seven Expedition 71 crew members gather with the two Crew Flight Test members for a team portrait aboard the space station. In the front from left are, Suni Williams, Oleg Kononenko, and Butch Wilmore. Second row from left are, Alexander Grebenkin, Tracy C. Dyson, and Mike Barratt. In the back are, Nikolai Chub, Jeanette Epps, and Matthew Dominick. Photo credit: NASA

Spacewalk preparations and genetic research were the prime responsibilities for the orbital residents aboard the International Space Station on Tuesday. The Expedition 71 crew also worked on futuristic piloting studies and more eye and ear checks.

NASA astronauts Tracy C. Dyson and Matthew Dominick have been given the “go” by mission managers to begin a six-and-a-half-hour spacewalk at 8 a.m. EDT on Thursday. The duo will work outside in the vacuum of space removing communications hardware, known as the radio frequency group, then sampling for microorganisms potentially living on the outside of the orbital outpost. This will be Dyson’s fourth spacewalk and Dominick’s first.

The duo joined each other after lunchtime reviewing spacewalk safety procedures and printing checklists they will wear on their spacesuit cuffs. Toward the end of the day, the spacewalkers gathered with NASA Flight Engineers Mike Barratt and Jeanette Epps and called down to mission controllers to discuss readiness for Thursday’s spacewalk.

Mission managers will discuss the upcoming spacewalk details during a news conference at 4 p.m. today. Live coverage will air 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.

Barratt earlier scanned Dyson’s eyes with the Ultrasound 2 device imaging her cornea, lens, and optic nerve. Dominick recorded a video greeting for an audience in Colorado as Epps swapped water tanks inside the Tranquility module.

Starliner astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams spent their day on biomedical activities and gene sequence training. Wilmore took an inventory of the Human Research Facility checking items such as blood tube kits, saliva sample packs, gloves, and more. Williams studied procedures to collect microbe samples, extract their DNA, and sequence their genes to learn how to identify bacteria and fungi living in station water systems.

Cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub took turns on Tuesday jogging on a treadmill while attached to electrodes recording their health data for a physical fitness test. The duo also worked on electronics gear swaps, life support maintenance, and station window inspections. Flight Engineer Alexander Grebenkin studied experimental spacecraft and robotic piloting techniques that may be used to train crew members on planetary missions. He also conducted a hearing test wearing headphones connected to a computer and responding to a series of tones.

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.

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NASA’s Boeing Starliner Astronauts Enter Space Station

The seven Expedition 71 crew members gather with the two Crew Flight Test members for a team portrait aboard the space station. In the front from left are, Suni Williams, Oleg Kononenko, and Butch Wilmore. Second row from left are, Alexander Grebenkin, Tracy C. Dyson, and Mike Barratt. In the back are, Nikolai Chub, Jeanette Epps, and Matthew Dominick. Credit: NASA TV

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams entered the International Space Station at 3:45 p.m. EDT.

The Boeing Starliner spacecraft, successfully docked to the International Space Station at 1:34 p.m. The spacecraft launched on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket at 10:52 a.m. June 5 from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

NASA will provide coverage of the post-docking news conference at 5 p.m. on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website.

As part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program, the mission is the first crewed flight for the Starliner spacecraft. Learn more about the mission by following the commercial crew blog, @commercial_crew on X, and commercial crew on Facebook.

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

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Boeing’s Crew Flight Test on Starliner Docks to Station

Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, with NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams aboard, approaches the International Space Station for an autonomous docking as it orbited 257 miles above the South Pacific Ocean. Photo credit: NASA Television

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, successfully docked to the International Space Station at 1:34 p.m. EDT. Starliner launched on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket at 10:52 a.m., June 5 from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

During flight, Wilmore and Williams successfully performed manual piloting demonstrations of Starliner and completed a sleep period. Prior to crew sleep, mission teams identified three helium leaks in the spacecraft. One of these was previously discussed before flight along with a management plan, and the other two occured when the spacecraft arrived in orbit. To monitor and manage these leaks, the three helium manifolds were closed in flight during the crew’s sleep period and were all reopened ahead of rendezvous and docking operations. After docking, all Starliner manifolds are closed per normal plans.

As Starliner began its approach to the space station, five reaction control system thrusters failed off during flight. Mission teams performed a series of hot-fire tests which re-enabled four of the thrusters while the crew manually piloted the spacecraft at the station’s 200-meter hold point. After re-selecting four of the thrusters, Starliner had the fault tolerance required to approach the space station for docking. At the 10-meter hold point, the mission team completed system readiness evaluations and proceeded with docking.

Starliner’s hatch opening will begin about 3:20 p.m., with welcome remarks to follow.

NASA will continue coverage 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.

NASA will host a post-docking media conference at approximately 5 p.m. with the following participants:

NASA Associate Administrator Jim Free
Steve Stich, manager, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program
Jeff Arend, manager for systems engineering and integration, NASA’s International Space Station Office
Mark Nappi, vice president and program manager, Commercial Crew Program, Boeing

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

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Starliner Approaches Station as Live Coverage Continues

iss071e170979 (June 6, 2024) -- Boeing's Starliner spacecraft is pictured approaching the International Space Station for an autonomous docking on June 6, 2024 as the spacecraft and orbiting laboratory soared 257 miles above the South Pacific Ocean. Starliner launched on June 5, with NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams aboard, as part of NASA's Boeing Crew Flight Test. This first crewed flight of Starliner aims to certify the spacecraft for rotational missions to the space station. — Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft is pictured approaching the International Space Station for an autonomous docking on June 6, 2024 as the spacecraft and orbiting laboratory soared 257 miles above the South Pacific Ocean.

NASA’s coverage of the Boeing Starliner spacecraft flight to the International Space Station continues on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website. The Starliner spacecraft is performing its careful approach to the space station with NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams. After conducting a series of reaction control system thruster tests, four thrusters were recovered from five that had gone out. The spacecraft will conduct a planned hold at 10 meters from its station docking port to assess readiness. The second docking window opens at 1:33 p.m. ET.

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.

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Boeing’s Starliner Approaching Station Live on NASA TV

Boeing's Starliner crew ship approaches the space station during the company's uncrewed Orbital Flight Test-2 mission on May 20, 2022. — Boeing’s Starliner crew ship approaches the space station during the company’s uncrewed Orbital Flight Test-2 mission on May 20, 2022.

NASA’s arrival coverage of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft to the International Space Station is now underway on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website. Docking is scheduled at approximately 12:15 p.m. EDT Thursday, June 6.

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams launched safely on the Starliner spacecraft on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket at 10:52 a.m. June 5 from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

The Starliner crew continues to make their way to the space station. During flight, Wilmore and Williams successfully performed manual piloting demonstrations of Starliner and completed a sleep period. Prior to crew sleep, mission teams identified three helium leaks in the spacecraft. One of these was previously discussed before flight along with a management plan, and the other two are new since the spacecraft arrived in orbit. To monitor and manage these leaks, the three helium manifolds were isolated. Those manifolds have all been reopened prior to a Starliner height adjust burn, called NHPC. All affected manifolds will remain open for rendezvous and docking operations.

Following in-flight reviews of the mission and helium leaks, the Starliner and International Space Station mission management teams are “go” to proceed with space station arrival. The flight control team will continue to monitor the leak rates in Starliner’s propulsion system. After docking, all of Starliner manifolds will be closed per normal plans. All other Starliner systems are functioning normally.

NASA’s arrival and in-flight event coverage is as follows (all times Eastern and subject to change based on real-time operations):

12:15 p.m. – Targeted docking

2 p.m. – Hatch opening

2:20 p.m. – Welcome remarks

3:30 p.m. – Post-docking news conference at NASA Johnson with the following participants:

NASA Associate Administrator Jim Free
Steve Stich, manager, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program
Jeff Arend, manager for systems engineering and integration, NASA’s International Space Station Office
Mark Nappi, vice president and program manager, Commercial Crew Program, Boeing

Coverage of the post-docking news conference will air live on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website.

To attend the post-docking briefing, U.S. media must contact the NASA Johnson newsroom at: jsccommu@mail.nasa.gov or 281-483-5111 by 1 p.m. June 6. To join by phone, media must contact the NASA Johnson newsroom by 3 p.m. June 6.

5:50 p.m. – NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy, Associate Administrator Jim Free, Associate Administrator for Space Operations Ken Bowersox, and Johnson Space Center Director Vanessa Wyche will speak with Wilmore and Williams about their launch aboard the Starliner spacecraft.

Coverage of the Earth to space call will air live 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 ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.

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

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Spacesuits, Cargo Ops on Station as Starliner Targets June 5 Launch

Boeing's CST-100 Starliner crew ship approaches the International Space Station above the south Pacific on May 20, 2022. — Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner crew ship approaches the International Space Station during the Orbital Flight Test-2 in May of 2022.

The Expedition 71 crew kicked off Monday with spacesuit work and cargo operations aboard the International Space Station. Back on Earth, mission managers are targeting June 5 for the launch of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft on NASA’s Crew Flight Test.

Four NASA astronauts spent much of Monday in the Quest airlock checking out spacesuits and reviewing procedures for a trio of spacewalks targeted to take place in June. Flight Engineer Mike Barratt started the work as he powered up the spacesuits, cleaned cooling loops, and serviced suit components throughout the day. Flight Engineer Tracy C. Dyson assisted Barratt with the suit job then trained on the suit safety systems and jet packs that would be used to maneuver back to the station in the unlikely event of an emergency.

Flight Engineer Matthew Dominick also participated in the spacesuit and jet pack safety training. He also joined Flight Engineer Jeanette Epps and reviewed standard spacewalk procedures such as suiting up, exiting and entering Quest, safety steps, and communication protocols. NASA will announce the spacewalk details and spacewalkers in an upcoming media advisory and news briefing.

On Saturday, June 1, a Roscosmos Progress 88 cargo craft docked to the space station’s Poisk module packed with about three tons food, fuel, and supplies. Cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub monitored Progress’ arrival then spent a portion of the weekend and all-day Monday unloading the new cargo. Kononenko also replaced communications gear in the Zvezda service module while Chub set up and photographed a new space physics investigation.

Cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin pointed a camera outside a station window toward Earth today and photographed landmarks for a pair of Earth observation studies. At the end of the day, Grebenkin installed hardware to image Earth’s atmosphere in ultraviolet wavelengths. Researchers use the imagery to understand natural events and man-made impacts on Earth’s surface and atmosphere.

Teams at NASA and Boeing confirmed Monday the company’s Starliner spacecraft, ULA (United Launch Alliance) Atlas V rocket, and ground support equipment are healthy and ready for the next launch attempt. The first Starliner flight with NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, known as NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test, is targeted to liftoff at 10:52 a.m. EDT Wednesday, June 5, to the International Space Station for about a one week stay aboard the microgravity laboratory.

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/

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