Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency

Crew Observes Earth’s Nighttime Atmosphere, Conducts Station Maintenance

While orbiting nearly 260 miles above the North Pacific Ocean, the International Space Station soars from orbital nighttime into orbital daytime.

The Expedition 71 and Boeing Crew Flight Test crews had a light duty day on Wednesday, focusing on Earth observations and station upkeep.

While soaring 250 miles above our home planet, the International Space Station passes into orbital nighttime roughly every 45 minutes. During these night periods, crew members can observe events in Earth’s atmosphere that are otherwise difficult to capture during daylight. In the morning, NASA astronaut Jeanette Epps entered the cupola to set up equipment for the Thor-Davis investigation. She then used the high-speed Davis Camera to observe and capture thunderstorms in Earth’s upper atmosphere. The camera, specially designed to track electrical activity at up to 100,000 frames per second, could be used during future missions to record processes in severe electrical storms.

In the Japanese Experiment Module, NASA astronaut Tracy C. Dyson spent most of the morning relocating the Internal Ball Camera before reactivating the hardware at its new docking station. Afterward, she audited emergency medical kits and hardware.

NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick spent most of the day in the Tranquility module to remove and replace a ventilation fan, while his crewmate, Mike Barratt, worked in the Columbus module to clear out hardware and stowage in preparation for the future installation of new exercise equipment.

Starliner Commander Butch Wilmore and Pilot Suni Williams teamed up on Wednesday to continue work on the wastewater processing system, removing and replacing a failed pressure control pump motor.

In the Roscosmos segment, Commander Oleg Kononenko and Flight Engineer Nikolai Chub began the day prepping and donning a watch that will record their movement, physical activity, and sleep over the next 36 hours. The duo then prepped for some routine flight simulation training while their crewmate, Alexander Grebenkin, observed Earth’s nighttime atmosphere in near-ultraviolet.

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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Routine Health Assessments and Cargo Ops Top Tuesday’s Schedule

NASA astronaut Jeanette Epps smiles for a portrait aboard the International Space Station's Columbus laboratory module. — NASA astronaut Jeanette Epps smiles for a portrait aboard the International Space Station’s Columbus laboratory module.

Hearing assessments, eye exams, and cargo ops topped Tuesday’s schedule aboard the International Space Station. The Expedition 71 and Boeing Crew Flight Test crews also scheduled in some time to connect with students back on Earth and prepare for upcoming mission activities.

As part of regularly scheduled exams in low Earth orbit, NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Mike Barratt, Jeanette Epps, and Tracy C. Dyson all completed hearing assessments throughout the day. Epps prepped for upcoming Thor-Davis activities—an investigation that observes thunderstorms in Earth’s upper atmosphere—and reconfigured the EarthKam for future operations.

Dominick connected with students from St. Luke’s College in Buenos Aires, Argentina, during an Amateur Radio call, giving them an opportunity to ask questions about living and working in microgravity as the space station orbited overhead.

Barratt and Dyson teamed up in the afternoon to deconfigure spacesuit components after a water leak in Dyson’s service and cooling umbilical unit forced an early end to a spacewalk on Monday, June 24. The next spacewalk outside of the orbiting laboratory, with Dyson and Barratt, is scheduled for July 29.

Later in the evening, Barratt received an eye exam, guided by Epps, to help researchers better understand how microgravity affects vision. Meanwhile, Dyson was joined by Crew Flight Test Commander Butch Wilmore to load trash and discarded gear inside Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus spacecraft. Cygnus is scheduled to be released from the Unity module later this month for disposal over the South Pacific Ocean, ending its five-and-a-half month stay at the orbiting lab.

Crew Flight Test Pilot Suni Williams spent a majority of the day on Starliner operations then assessed the air flow of the pump filter attached to the Advanced Plant Habitat. At the end of the day, Williams was joined by all eight of her crewmates for a conference with ground teams.

All three cosmonauts in microgravity donned acoustic monitors throughout the day to capture sound measurements around the station. In the Zvezda Service Module, Flight Engineer Nikolai Chub tested a 3D printer to assess its ability to manufacture space hardware, then later inspected and photographed panels and cable routes of a Roscosmos physics experiment that examines neutron radiation.

Flight Engineer Alexander Grebenkin continued hose replacement work on the water processing system, then studied the glow of Earth’s nighttime atmosphere in near-ultraviolet. Meanwhile, Commander Oleg Kononenko began loading trash and discarded gear inside Progress 87, which is slated to undock from the orbiting laboratory in August.

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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Station Orbiting Higher; Routine Upkeep for Crew

NASA's Boeing Crew Flight Test astronauts (from top) Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams pose for a portrait inside the vestibule between the forward port on the International Space Station's Harmony module and Boeing's Starliner spacecraft. — NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test astronauts (from top) Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams pose for a portrait inside the vestibule between the forward port on the International Space Station’s Harmony module and Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft.

A jam-packed day of orbital upkeep kept the International Space Station residents busy on Monday. The Expedition 71 and Boeing Crew Flight Test crews worked an array of maintenance and cleaning tasks after taking a weekend off.

NASA astronauts Tracy C. Dyson and Matthew Dominick kicked off the day by loading trash and discarded gear inside Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus spacecraft, which will be released from the Unity module by robotics ground controllers this month for disposal over the South Pacific Ocean. Later in the afternoon, the duo was joined by NASA astronauts Jeanette Epps and Mike Barratt to organize and relocate station gear and dispose of trash in portions of the orbital outpost.

Earlier, Epps conducted an Amateur Radio session with students from the Moroccan School of Engineering Sciences in Casablanca, Morocco. Afterward, she and Barratt worked inside the Destiny module to clean portions of the air duct system and replace fasteners on some of the panels that house the duct work. Barratt then moved on to inspect and photograph headset extension cables and audio gear for ground teams to analyze.

Starliner’s Commander and Pilot, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, spent the morning in the Permanent Multipurpose Module, organizing stowage and tidying up. Wilmore then moved into the Japanese Experiment Module to disassemble an empty NanoRacks CubeSat Deployer in preparation of upcoming NanoRacks missions.

Later on, Wilmore prepped and viewed samples for Moon Microscope, a demonstration that allows flight surgeons on Earth to diagnose illnesses and could provide diagnostic capabilities for crews on future missions to the Moon and Mars. Meanwhile, Williams conducted some routine orbital plumbing, then audited U.S. stowage items housed inside the Zarya module.

The next spacewalk outside the orbiting complex is scheduled for July 29 with Dyson and Barratt. This change allows teams on the ground to continue to troubleshoot and understand the water leak in the service and cooling umbilical unit that forced an early end to a spacewalk on Monday, June 24.

In the Roscosmos segment, three cosmonauts continued orbital upkeep tasks. Commander Oleg Kononenko and Flight Engineer Nikolai Chub teamed up to inventory headsets and audio equipment crews use to talk with ground teams. Afterward, Chub completed some routine cleaning in the Zvezda Service Module. Flight Engineer Alexander Grebenkin replaced a few hoses on the Roscosmos water processing system, then charged the tablets the crew uses to complete and track daily tasks.

The space station is orbiting a bit higher today after the Progress 87 cargo craft fired its thrusters for 9 minutes and 10 seconds on Saturday, June 29. This orbital reboost sets up the correct phasing for the launch and rendezvous of Progress 89 slated for arrival mid-August.

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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Crews Wrap Week; Managers Provide Starliner, Spacewalk, and Cargo Updates

The Starliner spacecraft on NASA's Boeing Crew Flight Test approaches the International Space Station while orbiting 263 miles above Quebec, Canada, on June 6. — The Starliner spacecraft on NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test approaches the International Space Station while orbiting 263 miles above Quebec, Canada, on June 6.

The Expedition 71 crew members packed a U.S. cargo craft, cleaned up the International Space Station, studied futuristic piloting techniques, and conducted eye exams on Friday. NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test astronauts spent the end of their workweek reconfiguring a space botany facility.

Robotics controllers are scheduled to detach the Cygnus space freighter from the Unity module on July 12 and release it into Earth orbit for disposal over the South Pacific Ocean ending a five-and-a-half-month mission at the orbital lab. NASA Flight Engineer Matthew Dominick spent most of Friday loading trash and discarded gear inside the Cygnus with assistance from fellow NASA astronauts Jeanette Epps and Tracy C. Dyson. Cygnus was captured by the Canadarm2 robotic arm on Feb. 1 with over 8,200 pounds of science experiments and crew supplies.

At the end of the day, Epps operated standard medical imaging gear found in an optometrist’s office on Earth and peered into Dyson’s eyes. She examined Dyson’s cornea, retina, and lens to help flight surgeons understand and counteract microgravity’s effect on crew vision.

Earlier, Dyson collected and stowed excess space station hardware for disposal. Epps spent her morning inside the Kibo laboratory module troubleshooting an airflow sensor then reorganizing the JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) module for upcoming cargo operations.

NASA Flight Engineer Mike Barratt started his day routing cables and reprogramming communications systems inside the Columbus laboratory module. In the afternoon, he stowed hardware and components used earlier in the week for advanced orbital plumbing in the Tranquility module’s bathroom. Afterward, Barratt refilled supply kits in Columbus’ two Human Research Facility racks with biomedical gear including sample tubes and needles.

Starliner’s Commander and Pilot, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, partnered together inside Kibo on Friday for space botany work. The duo removed the Plant Habitat growth chamber from Kibo’s EXPRESS rack, replaced its camera and carbon dioxide sensors, then reinstalled the research device. The Plant Habitat has enabled the growth of small crops of lettuce, tomatoes, and more in microgravity for both research and consumption.

NASA and Boeing continue to evaluate Starliner’s propulsion system performance before returning to Earth from the orbiting lab. NASA and Boeing leaders participated in a media teleconference today to discuss Starliner and station operations.

NASA is now targeting the end of July for the next spacewalk outside the space station. This change allows teams on the ground to continue to troubleshoot and understand the water leak in the service and cooling umbilical unit that forced an early end to a spacewalk on Monday, June 24.

Working in the Roscosmos segment, Flight Engineer Nikolai Chub started his day practicing planetary spacecraft and robotic piloting techniques future crew members may use. Afterward, he conducted two sessions of an investigation exploring ways to create new materials on the lunar surface. Flight Engineer Alexander Grebenkin worked throughout the day inventorying medical kits and cleaning fans inside the Rassvet module. Finally, Station Commander Oleg Kononenko replaced thermal components inside Roscosmos’ life support hardware.

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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Ongoing Spacewalk Preps, Science, and Plumbing Keep Crews Busy

NASA's Boeing Crew Flight Test astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore (at center) pose with Expedition 71 Flight Engineers (far left) Mike Barratt and Tracy C. Dyson (far right), both NASA astronauts, in their spacesuits. — NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore (at center) pose with Expedition 71 Flight Engineers (far left) Mike Barratt and Tracy C. Dyson (far right), both NASA astronauts, in their spacesuits.

Preparations continue for the next spacewalk at the International Space Station planned for next week. In the meantime, the orbital residents are rebuilding advanced plumbing gear and servicing video and science hardware.

Beginning around 8:45 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, June 26 NASA instructed crews aboard the space station to shelter in their respective spacecraft as a standard precautionary measure after it was informed of a satellite break-up at an altitude near the station’s earlier Wednesday. Mission Control continued to monitor the path of the debris, and after about an hour, the crew was cleared to exit their spacecraft and the station resumed normal operations.

NASA Flight Engineers Tracy C. Dyson and Mike Barratt began Thursday morning reviewing procedures for a spacewalk that will see hardware replacements and installations, preparations for future upgrades on science gear, and photographic inspections of station pipelines. After lunchtime, the two astronauts turned on a computer that visualized the upcoming spacewalk tasks using 3D graphics. NASA will release an advisory soon announcing the spacewalking details and NASA TV coverage times.

NASA Flight Engineers Matthew Dominick and Jeanette Epps had a busy day with spacesuit maintenance, computer updates, and orbital plumbing. Dominick then worked in the Quest airlock during the afternoon recharging spacesuit batteries and dumping and filling the suit water tanks. Epps swapped out a hard drive on a science laptop computer then replaced plumbing components in the Tranquility module’s bathroom, also called the water and hygiene compartment.

Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, both from NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test, were back on orbital plumbing duty Thursday. The Starliner Commander and Pilot spent the afternoon preparing the rebuilt pressure control and pump assembly motor for installation in Tranquility’s bathroom.

The orbital outpost’s three cosmonauts relaxed part of Thursday morning before going right into their standard science maintenance tasks. Commander Oleg Kononenko and Flight Engineer Nikolai Chub first began outfitting cables on video cameras. Kononenko then replaced video systems hardware in the Zvezda service module as Chub studied ways to create new materials on the lunar surface. Flight Engineer Alexander Grebenkin photographed microbe samples, dismantled a science cooler, then cleaned air ducts in the Nauka science module.

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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Cargo, Science, and Spacewalk Preps Fill Station’s Day

The first rays of an orbital sunrise reflect off the International Space Station's roll-out solar arrays that overshadow and augment the orbital outpost's main solar arrays. — The first rays of an orbital sunrise reflect off the International Space Station’s roll-out solar arrays that overshadow and augment the orbital outpost’s main solar arrays.

Six NASA astronauts aboard the International Space Station had a day filled with cargo packing, orbital plumbing, and a spacewalk conference. The orbital outpost’s three cosmonauts from Roscosmos spent their day testing a 3D printer, collecting microbial air samples, and servicing life support gear.

Expedition 71 Flight Engineers Tracy C. Dyson, Mike Barratt, Matthew Dominick, and Jeanette Epps worked throughout Wednesday packing trash and discarded cargo inside Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus cargo space freighter. Cygnus is targeted to complete a five-and-a-half-month mission in mid-July and depart the station’s Unity module before descending into Earth’s atmosphere for a fiery, but safe disposal above the South Pacific Ocean.

In the midst of the cargo work, Dominick videotaped the location of station hardware stowed in the starboard side of the Columbus laboratory module. Epps swapped sample cartridges inside the Materials Science Laboratory, a research furnace that safely exposes metals, alloys, polymers, and other materials to high temperatures to discover new applications for Earth and space industries. Dyson and Barratt continued spacesuit and tool configurations in the Quest airlock.

At the end of the workday, the four NASA astronauts gathered in the Destiny laboratory module for a video conference with mission controllers on the ground. The quartet called down to the NASA engineers and discussed procedures and readiness for an upcoming spacewalk.

NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams started their morning with exercise sessions before organizing cargo packed inside the Permanent Multipurpose Module. The duo then spent the afternoon working to remove and replace a failed pressure control and pump assembly module that is part of the Tranquility module’s bathroom, or waste and hygiene compartment.

Station Commander Oleg Kononenko from Roscosmos spent all day Wednesday testing a 3D printer and its ability to manufacture space hardware on demand. Flight Engineer Nikolai Chub spent half his day servicing plumbing hardware in the Nauka science module before working out on the advanced resistive exercise device and jogging on a treadmill during the afternoon. Flight Engineer Alexander Grebenkin’s list of duties included collecting more microbial air samples for analysis and maintaining electronics systems.

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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Crews Conduct Spacewalk Review, Physics Research, and Orbital Plumbing

Astronaut Tracy C. Dyson is pictured in her spacesuit prior to the start of a spacewalk that ended early after her suit experienced a water leak in the service and cooling umbilical unit.

The nine residents aboard the International Space Station comprising both the Expedition 71 and NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test teams had a day filled with spacesuit checks, advanced microgravity research, and orbital lab maintenance.

NASA Flight Engineers Tracy C. Dyson and Mike Barratt kept up their spacewalk preparations following the early end to Monday’s excursion. The duo’s spacewalk only lasted 31 minutes following a water leak in the service and cooling umbilical unit on Dyson’s spacesuit. Dyson and Barratt safely ended the spacewalk, repressurized the Quest airlock, and removed their spacesuits just over an hour after the spacewalk ended.

Barratt began Tuesday morning troubleshooting Dyson’s spacesuit and inspecting the suit’s components. Afterward, he joined Dyson for ongoing procedure reviews with fellow astronauts Matthew Dominick and Jeanette Epps for future spacewalks.

Dyson wrapped up her day swapping out a water resupply tank in the Destiny laboratory module while Barratt serviced spacesuit lithium-ion batteries in Quest. Dominick worked in the Kibo laboratory module testing flight trajectories and gesture-recognition software on an Astrobee robotic free flyer. Epps traded foam samples inside the Columbus laboratory module for a fluid physics investigation exploring the hydrodynamics of wet foams potentially benefitting mechanical and industrial processes.

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, Starliner Commander and Pilot respectively, spent Tuesday inside the Harmony module maintaining orbital plumbing gear. The Crew Flight Test duo replaced the pressure control and pump assembly motor that supports the space station’s main restroom, also known as the waste and hygiene compartment, in the Tranquility module.

Working in the Roscosmos segment of the orbiting outpost, Station Commander Oleg Kononenko photographed the condition of handrails in the Zvezda, Poisk, and Nauka modules to determine of they need replacing. Flight Engineer Nikolai Chub swapped out toilet components inside Zvezda during the morning. He then spent the afternoon with Flight Engineer Alexander Grebenkin collecting microbial air samples in the Roscosmos modules for analysis. During his morning, Grebenkin downloaded radiation data then explored spacecraft and robotic piloting techniques future crews might use on planetary missions.

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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U.S. Spacewalk Update

NASA astronauts Tracy C. Dyson and Mike Barratt are pictured training for spacewalks at the Johnson Space Center's Neutral Bouyancy Laboratory in Houston, Texas. — NASA astronauts Tracy C. Dyson and Mike Barratt are pictured training for spacewalks at the Johnson Space Center’s Neutral Bouyancy Laboratory in Houston, Texas.

NASA astronauts Tracy C. Dyson and Mike Barratt are back inside the International Space Station after U.S. spacewalk 90 ended early Monday due to a water leak in the service and cooling umbilical unit on Dyson’s spacesuit. The crew members were not in any danger as result of the leak. Dyson and Barratt set their suits to battery power at 8:46 a.m. EDT and opened the International Space Station’s Quest airlock hatch to the vacuum of space before reporting the water issue.

The spacewalk lasted a total of 31 minutes, when the crew suits repressurized the crew lock section of the airlock at 9:17 a.m. Dyson and Barratt removed their spacesuits at around 10:25 a.m. The crew was scheduled to remove a faulty electronics box from a communications antenna on the starboard truss of the space station. The pair also intended to collect samples for analysis to understand the ability of microorganisms to survive and reproduce on the exterior of the orbiting 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.

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Spacewalk Cancelled Due to Spacesuit Cooling Unit Water Leak

NASA astronaut Jeanette Epps (center) is pictured assisting NASA astronauts Mike Barratt (left) and Tracy C. Dyson (right) inside the Quest airlock. Credit: NASA TV

U.S. spacewalk 90 was cancelled Monday at the International Space Station due to a water leak in the service and cooling umbilical unit on NASA astronaut Tracy C. Dyson’s spacesuit. Dyson and Mike Barratt set their suits to battery power at 8:46 a.m. EDT and opened the hatch to the space station’s Quest airlock before reporting the water issue. The crew is working with ground controllers to repressurize the crew lock section of the airlock before returning inside the station’s equipment lock.

Coverage continues on NASA+, NASA Television, YouTube, the NASA app, and the agency’s website. NASA will provide additional information on the space station blog.

The crew was scheduled to remove a faulty electronics box from a communications antenna on the starboard truss of the space station. The pair also intended to collect samples for analysis to understand the ability of microorganisms to survive and reproduce on the exterior of the orbiting 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.

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NASA Astronauts Preparing for Spacewalk Live on NASA TV

Expedition 71 Flight Engineers Tracy C. Dyson and Mike Barratt, both NASA astronauts, pose for preflight portraits at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. — Expedition 71 Flight Engineers Tracy C. Dyson and Mike Barratt, both NASA astronauts, pose for preflight portraits at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.

NASA’s coverage is underway on NASA+, NASA Television, YouTube, the NASA app, and the agency’s website as two astronauts will conduct a spacewalk outside of the International Space Station. The spacewalk is scheduled to begin after the crew sets their suits to internal battery power ahead of exiting the airlock. The spacewalk is set to last about six and a half hours.

NASA astronauts Tracy C. Dyson and Mike Barratt will exit the station’s Quest airlock to complete the removal of a faulty electronics box, called a radio frequency group, from a communications antenna on the starboard truss of the space station. The pair also will collect samples for analysis to understand the ability of microorganisms to survive and reproduce on the exterior of the orbiting laboratory.

Dyson will serve as spacewalk crew member 1 and will wear a suit with red stripes. Barratt will serve as spacewalk crew member 2 and will wear an unmarked suit. U.S. spacewalk 90 will be the fourth for Dyson and the third for Barratt. It is the 271st spacewalk in support of space station assembly, maintenance, and upgrades.

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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