Light-Duty Day for Station Residents Ahead of Crew and Cargo Launches

The Soyuz rocket is seen shortly after having been rolled out to launch pad at Site 31, Monday, March 18, 2024, at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls
The Soyuz rocket is seen shortly after having been rolled out to launch pad at Site 31, Monday, March 18, 2024, at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls

This week is shaping up to be busy for the International Space Station as the Expedition 70 septet will see the arrival of three new crew members and the delivery of new science later this week. Aboard the orbital complex, the four NASA residents had a light-duty day ahead of upcoming mission events, while the three cosmonauts completed some routine station maintenance and training.

NASA and SpaceX are targeting 4:55 p.m. EDT Thursday, March 21 for liftoff of SpaceX’s 30th commercial resupply mission from the Space Launch Complex 40 in Florida. The Dragon cargo craft will deliver new science investigations, food, and supplies to the crew when it autonomously docks to the zenith port of the Harmony module at 7:30 a.m. Saturday, March 23.

Ahead of Dragon’s liftoff, three crew members—NASA astronaut Tracy Dyson, cosmonaut Oleg Novitsky, and Flight Engineer Marina Vasilevskaya of Belarus—will launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 9:21 a.m. Thursday, March 21. The international crew will dock to the station only a few hours later at 12:39 p.m. before opening the hatch and joining the Expedition 70 crew in microgravity. Dyson will spend approximately six months living and working in low Earth orbit, while Novitsky and Vasilevskaya will spend about two weeks on station before departing with NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara.

O’Hara, along with her three NASA crewmates Jeanette Epps, Michael Barratt, and Matthew Dominick, had the day off aboard station on Monday as they gear up for a busy week. The quartet did schedule in some time for their required two hours of exercise using the station’s treadmill, Advanced Resistive Exercise Device (ARED), and the station’s bicycle, CEVIS. Epps and O’Hara also set up equipment for the Standard Measures investigation that will be used later in the week.

The three cosmonauts—Commander Oleg Kononenko and Flight Engineers Nikolai Chub and Alexander Grebenkin—kept busy on Monday with a variety of tasks. Grebenkin and Chub conducted some routine orbital plumbing, while Kononenko audited equipment that will return to Earth aboard a Soyuz spacecraft in a few weeks. Grebenkin also collected equipment and surface samples around the Roscosmos segment for ongoing microbiology research, while Chub practiced his piloting techniques during a Pilot-T session.


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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Crew Ends Week Closing Out Health Investigations and Completing Training

NASA astronaut and Expedition 70 Flight Engineer Jeanette Epps is pictured floating in microgravity aboard the International Space Station.
NASA astronaut and Expedition 70 Flight Engineer Jeanette Epps is pictured floating in microgravity aboard the International Space Station.

The seven International Space Station residents are moving into an off-duty weekend following a busy week of crew departures, health investigations, and spacesuit operations. The Expedition 70 crew spent Friday wrapping up procedures that began earlier in the week and completing some SpaceX Dragon training.

Yesterday, first-time station resident Jeanette Epps processed blood samples for the Immunity Assay investigation. The NASA Flight Engineer continued that work into Friday to monitor how spaceflight impacts cellular immune function. After lunch, Epps carried out an experiment to test the efficiency of an antimicrobial coating in space before completing some crew orientation activities as she continues to adjust to living and working in low Earth orbit.

Following yesterday’s set up of the Cerebral Autoregulation investigation, Flight Engineer Matthew Dominick measured blood flow in the brain using non-invasive methods to provide researchers insights on how the brain regulates its blood supply in microgravity. For this specific investigation, Dominick used the Cardiolab Portable Doppler, an instrument that measures blood flow velocity to the brain and blood pressure waveforms in the arteries.

The NASA resident then configured the Sleep in Orbit device, which examines the physiological differences between sleep on Earth and in space. The microgravity environment can affect the daily rhythm and sleep patterns of astronauts. Research from Sleep in Orbit could guide the development of measures that mitigate poor sleep and its effects on astronauts as missions stretch further.

Flight Engineers Michael Barratt and Loral O’Hara of NASA both completed a round of SpaceX Dragon rendezvous and docking training on Friday. O’Hara also conducted some maintenance on the BioFabrication Facility and stowed tools she used earlier in the week while configuring spacesuits. Barratt spent the rest of his day inspecting equipment that would be used in the unlikely event an emergency were to occur on station.

In the Roscosmos segment, Commander Oleg Kononenko and Flight Engineers Alexander Grebenkin and Nikolai Chub spent the morning conducting a weekly conference with ground teams. Afterward, Grebenkin replaced some condensate pump lines while Kononenko and Chub teamed up once more to complete another round of eye exams.


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 Reboost, Health Investigations, and Spacesuit Work Top Schedule on Thursday

Expedition 70 Flight Engineers and NASA astronauts Loral O'Hara and Michael Barratt post for a portrait together aboard the International Space Station.
Expedition 70 Flight Engineers and NASA astronauts Loral O’Hara and Michael Barratt post for a portrait together aboard the International Space Station.

Cargo operations, health investigations, and spacesuit preparations topped Thursday’s schedule aboard the International Space Station as the Expedition 70 septet gears up for another crew arrival.

The morning kicked off with NASA Flight Engineer Michael Barratt assisting Flight Engineer Jeanette Epps, also from NASA, with a blood sample collection for the Immunity Assay investigation. Afterward, Epps processed the blood samples to monitor how spaceflight impacts stressors on cellular immune function.

Barratt was then joined by NASA Flight Engineer Loral O’Hara to swap cargo in and out of the Cygnus space freighter. In the afternoon, O’Hara switched gears to complete some spacesuit work that began earlier this week. She installed battery packs, and checked the audio system, power and data cables, thermal covers, and helmets. O’Hara then powered up the spacesuits to assess if all components were working properly.

NASA Flight Engineer Matthew Dominick set up equipment for two different health investigations throughout the day. He first set up the Cerebral Autoregulation investigation, which measures blood flow in the brain before, during, and after spaceflight to provide insights into how the brain regulates its blood supply in the microgravity environment. He then moved on to prepping ultrasound equipment for eye exams before completing some crew orientation activities.

Once the ultrasound equipment was set up, Commander Oleg Kononenko and Flight Engineer Nikolai Chub of Roscosmos took turns conducting eye exams on one another. Flight Engineer Alexander Grebenkin, also from Roscosmos, spent his day running a distillation cycle on the water processor, familiarizing himself with computer systems, and replacing condensate lines in the ventilation system.

Three crew members—NASA astronaut Tracy Dyson, cosmonaut Oleg Novitsky, and Flight Engineer Marina Vasilevskaya of Belarus—are preparing to launch aboard the Soyuz MS-25 spacecraft near the end of March.

The space station is orbiting slightly higher after the ISS Progress 87 thrusters fired for 18 minutes and 17 seconds Thursday morning. The orbital reboost sets up the correct phasing for the upcoming Soyuz arrival.


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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Human Health Studies Occupy Schedule on Wednesday

Expedition 70 Flight Engineers (from left) Alexander Grebenkin of Roscosmos, Matthew Dominick, and Jeanette Epps of NASA, pose for a photo together inside the International Space Station's Destiny module. The trio arrived to the station March 5 as part of NASA's Space-X Crew-8 mission, marking their first trip to the orbiting laboratory.
Expedition 70 Flight Engineers (from left) Alexander Grebenkin of Roscosmos, Matthew Dominick, and Jeanette Epps of NASA, pose for a photo together inside the International Space Station’s Destiny module.

The International Space Station’s population is back down to seven as Monday saw the departure of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7. The seven orbital residents of Expedition 70 spent Wednesday conducting a variety of human health research, while four crew members continue to adjust to life in space.

Astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli of NASA, Andreas Mogensen of ESA (European Space Agency), Satoshi Furukawa of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), and cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov of Roscosmos undocked from the forward-facing port of the Harmony module at 11:20 a.m. EDT Monday, March 11, before splashing down off the coast of Florida at 5:47 a.m. Tuesday, March 12. The quartet’s return to Earth marks the end of its six-month microgravity research mission.

Ahead of departure, Mogensen passed over command of the orbiting laboratory to cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko on Sunday, March 10. Now commander, Kononenko will spend a few months more in space before heading back to Earth.

In the Columbus Laboratory Module, first-time station resident Jeanette Epps set up Kubik, a controlled-temperature incubator that is used to study biological samples in microgravity. The NASA Flight Engineer then moved onto some orbital plumbing tasks in the evening, before joining Flight Engineer Matthew Dominick for some crew orientation activities.

Dominick, also first-time station resident from NASA, collected blood samples in the morning for ongoing human health investigations in low-Earth orbit. By conducting human health research, doctors and scientists on Earth will gain a better understanding of how the body adapts to space. The data could be used to advance future science as missions stretch beyond low Earth orbit.

Human health studies were also a main focus on Wednesday for Flight Engineers Michael Barratt and Loral O’Hara of NASA. The duo completed some tasks for the CIPHER investigation. CIPHER, or Complement of Integrated Protocols for Human Exploration Research, is an all-encompassing, total-body approach that examines how humans adapt to spaceflight.  In the afternoon, Barratt set up an ultrasound scanner and blood pressure measurement gear to conduct scans on O’Hara. In the evening, Barratt had his neck, clavicle, shoulder, and back of the knees scanned by Dominick, using another ultrasound scanning device.

Barratt and O’Hara also tackled some spacesuit prep on Wednesday. The duo removed and replaced components on spacesuits, including the water line vent tubes. Spacesuit work will continue throughout the week as the crew prepares for a round of spacewalks scheduled for later this year.

Over in the Roscosmos segment, Flight Engineer Alexander Grebenkin replaced condensate pump lines in the ventilation system before completing some crew orientation tasks as he continues to adjust to life in microgravity. Kononenko received an ultrasound eye exam guided by Flight Engineer Nikolai Chub of Roscosmos.


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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Dragon Undocks From Station, Crew Headed Back to Earth

SpaceX's Dragon Endurance spacecraft carrying the Crew-7 quartet approaches the International Space Station for docking on August 27, 2023, as it soared 261 miles above the Atlantic ocean.
SpaceX’s Dragon Endurance spacecraft carrying the Crew-7 quartet approaches the International Space Station for docking on August 27, 2023, as it soared 261 miles above the Atlantic Ocean.

The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft with NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov inside undocked from the forward-facing port of the International Space Station’s Harmony module at 11:20 a.m. EDT to complete a nearly six-month science mission.

NASA coverage of Crew-7’s return will continue with audio only, and full coverage will resume at the start of the splashdown broadcast. Real-time audio between Crew-7 and flight controllers at NASA’s Mission Audio stream will remain available and includes conversations with astronauts aboard the space station and a live video feed from the orbiting laboratory.

NASA TV coverage will resume at 4:30 a.m. Tuesday until Dragon splashes down at approximately 5:50 a.m. on Tuesday, March 12, off the coast of Florida and Crew-7 members are recovered.

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 mission launched Aug. 26, 2023, on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.


More details about the mission and NASA’s commercial crew program can be found by following the commercial crew blog, @commercial_crew 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.

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Dragon Hatch Closed; Crew Readies for Undocking From Station

Four Expedition 70 crewmates pose in the pressure suits they will wear when they return to Earth aboard the SpaceX Dragon "Endurance" spacecraft. From left are, Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mohgensen, NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa. The quartet arrived at the International Space Station on Aug. 27, 2023, as SpaceX Crew-7 members aboard Dragon and will splash down off the coast of Florida inside the same spacecraft completing a six-and-a-half-month space research mission.
Four Expedition 70 crewmates pose in the pressure suits they will wear when they return to Earth aboard the SpaceX Dragon “Endurance” spacecraft. From left are, Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mohgensen, NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa.

At 9:15 a.m. EDT, the hatch closed between the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and the International Space Station in preparation for undocking and return to Earth of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 mission with NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov.

NASA+, NASA TV, the NASA app and the agency’s website will air live coverage beginning at 11 a.m., for undocking scheduled at 11:20 a.m. Following conclusion of undocking coverage, NASA coverage of Crew-7’s return will continue with audio only, and full coverage will resume at the start of the splashdown broadcast at 4:30 a.m. EDT Tuesday. Real-time audio between Crew-7 and flight controllers at NASA’s Mission Audio stream will remain available.


More details about the mission and NASA’s commercial crew program can be found by following the commercial crew blog, @commercial_crew 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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Dragon Hatch Closing Soon With Crew Aboard Live on NASA TV

The four SpaceX Crew-7 members pose for a portrait in their pressure suits. From left are, Jasmin Moghbeli, Andreas Mogensen, Satoshi Furukawa, and Konstantin Borisov. Credit: SpaceX
The four SpaceX Crew-7 members pose for a portrait in their pressure suits. From left are, Jasmin Moghbeli, Andreas Mogensen, Satoshi Furukawa, and Konstantin Borisov. Credit: SpaceX

Watch live coverage now on NASA+, NASA TV, the NASA app and the agency’s website as hatch closure and undocking preparations are underway for the return of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 mission.

NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov are in the process of boarding the SpaceX Dragon for departure from the International Space Station.

Crew-7 is targeting a return to Earth at about 5:50 a.m. EDT Tuesday, March 12, with a splashdown off the coast of Florida. The Dragon spacecraft, named Endurance, is scheduled to undock from the International Space Station at 11:20 a.m. on Monday, March 11, to begin the journey home.

Dragon will autonomously undock, depart the space station, and splash down off the coast of Florida. Dragon also will return important and time-sensitive research to Earth.


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 Goes into Final Handovers Before Next Crew Departs

The Crew-7 quartet (from left), cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen, NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa pose for a photo in their Dragon flight suits ahead of their departure from the International Space Station.
The Crew-7 quartet (from left), cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen, NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa pose for a photo in their Dragon flight suits ahead of their departure from the International Space Station.

Two crews aboard the International Space Station are continuing mission handover responsibilities before four Expedition 70 crewmates return to Earth next week. In the meantime, a host of advanced space research is underway to improve life on Earth and in space.

The next crew to leave the orbital outpost is due to undock inside the SpaceX Dragon “Endurance” spacecraft from the Harmony module’s space-facing port on Monday. NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli will lead Pilot Andreas Mogensen, and Mission Specialists Satoshi Furukawa and Konstantin Borisov back to Earth inside Dragon for a splashdown off the coast of Florida. The commercial crew quartet has been aboard the space station since Aug. 27, 2023.

Moghbeli and Mogensen have spent the week readying Dragon for its return, checking spacecraft systems and hardware in coordination with mission controllers from SpaceX and NASA. They have also been working with Furukawa and Borisov packing personal items and station cargo for the ride back to Earth.

Mogensen and Furukawa managed to fit in a pair of different experiments in their busy schedule at the end of the week. Mogensen from ESA (European Space Agency) peered at cell samples through a microscope for the Project EAGLE cardiac health study. The experiment may provide therapeutic insights for space-caused and Earthbound heart conditions. Furukawa from JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) serviced samples inside the Kibo laboratory module’s Solid Combustion Experiment Module that acquires data on how oxygen-fed solid fuels burn in microgravity.

NASA Flight Engineer Loral O’Hara, who will remain in space until early April, assisted new NASA Flight Engineer Mike Barratt as he worked out for the first time on the Advanced Resistive Exercise Device. After that, she swapped out a spool of optical fiber samples inside the Microgravity Science Glovebox. The sample work was done for a study exploring the manufacturing of optical fibers in space superior to those produced on Earth.

Barratt later joined his Dragon “Endeavour” crewmates Matthew Dominick and Jeanette Epps, both from NASA, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin and called down to mission controllers to discuss Dragon operations during their ride to the space station. The foursome continues getting familiarized with orbital exercise equipment, life support systems, emergency procedures, and more.

Borisov and veteran cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko wrapped up operations with the lower body negative pressure suit being tested for its potential to relieve the effects of returning to Earth’s gravity after spending several months in space. Flight Engineer Nikolai Chub worked throughout the station’s Roscosmos segment servicing ventilation systems. Chub and Kononenko will continue their mission aboard the orbital outpost and stay in space several more months.


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 Handing Over Responsibilities and Continuing Research

From left, Expedition 70 crewmates Konstantin Borisov, Andreas Mogensen, Jasmin Moghbeli, and Satoshi Furukawa are due to return to Earth aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft.
From left, Expedition 70 crewmates Konstantin Borisov, Andreas Mogensen, Jasmin Moghbeli, and Satoshi Furukawa are due to return to Earth aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft.

A pair of commercial crews is preparing to switch places onboard the International Space Station next week. The orbital residents are also continuing more space health studies and cargo activities.

Flight Engineers Matthew Dominick, Mike Barratt, Jeanette Epps, and Alexander Grebenkin are in the first week of a six-month space research mission. They spent a good portion of Thursday focusing on adapting to life in microgravity. The quartet joined each other midday and familiarized themselves with the locations and operations of emergency hardware throughout the orbital lab. The foursome then split up taking time to learn how to prepare food and drinks, use the restroom, and avoid cables and gear when maneuvering through passageways.

Barratt and Epps also joined homebound astronaut Satoshi Furukawa of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) as he demonstrated station systems such as crew quarters, radiation detectors, and ventilation maintenance. Grebenkin met with cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov who is handing over responsibility for the maintenance and control of the European robotic arm.

Dominick was back on human research checking the eyes of NASA Flight Engineer Loral O’Hara on Thursday afternoon. The duo worked in the Columbus laboratory module with Dominick using medical imaging hardware to view O’Hara’s retinas, cornea, and optic nerve for the CIPHER suite of 14 human research experiments. The eye portion of the CIPHER study is exploring how weightlessness affects eye structure and function and ways to protect vision on future planetary missions.

At the end of their shift, Furukawa and Borisov joined crewmates Jasmin Moghbeli of NASA and Andreas Mogensen of ESA (European Space Agency) preparing for their return to Earth next week. The homebound foursome spent a couple of hours coordinating with mission controllers from SpaceX and NASA and simulating undocking techniques. The quartet is targeted to depart the space station on Monday aboard the SpaceX Dragon “Endurance” spacecraft and parachute to a splashdown off the coast of Florida.

The departing crew has spent the week packing Dragon with station cargo and personal items for return. The “Endurance” crewmates have also been handing over mission responsibilities to their replacements to continue space research and maintain lab systems.

Moghbeli also spent a couple of hours Thursday on cardiac research processing cell samples in the Life Science Glovebox to learn how to treat space-caused and Earthbound heart conditions. Mogensen took turns with O’Hara swapping cargo in and out of Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus resupply ship.

Cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub, who will be staying in space a few more months, worked on electronics and battery maintenance and studied the dynamic forces the space station experiences orbiting Earth. Chub also partnered with Borisov testing a specialized suit that may help crews adapt quicker when returning to Earth’s gravity environment after several months in space.


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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Crew Swap Underway Amid Advanced Space Science

The SpaceX Crew-8 members are pictured inside the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft shortly after the hatch opened to the station. From left are, Alexander Grebenkin, Mike Barratt, Jeanette Epps, and Matthew Dominick.
The SpaceX Crew-8 members are pictured inside the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft shortly after the hatch opened to the station. From left are, Alexander Grebenkin, Mike Barratt, Jeanette Epps, and Matthew Dominick.

Four new flight engineers are adapting to life aboard the International Space Station as a quartet of Expedition 70 crew members nears the end of its mission. Meanwhile, the expanded crew still found time for a variety of biology and physics studies while maintaining the upkeep of the orbital outpost.

First time space-flyers Matthew Dominick, Jeanette Epps, and Alexander Grebenkin along with veteran station resident Michael Barratt are in their first full day on the orbital outpost. They will spend a few hours each day for about a week familiarizing themselves with space station systems and getting up to speed with life in weightlessness. The new foursome will be conducting advanced space research and orbital lab maintenance activities for the next six months.

The Expedition 70 crew will soon return to seven residents again as another quartet that has been on the station since Aug. 27, 2023, prepares for its departure. NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli will command Pilot Andreas Mogensen, and Mission Specialists Satoshi Furukawa and Konstantin Borisov back to Earth no earlier than Monday, March 11. The foursome will undock from the Harmony module’s space-facing port inside the SpaceX Dragon “Endurance” spacecraft and parachute to a splashdown off the coast of Florida ending a six-and-a-half-month mission orbiting Earth.

The four homebound crew members on Wednesday checked the pressure suits they will wear inside “Endurance” during the ride back to Earth. At the end of the day, they joined the seven other orbital residents and reviewed everyone’s roles and responsibilities in the unlikely event of an emergency aboard the station.

There was still time for science in space as Dominick set up medical hardware including an ultrasound scanner and blood pressure measurement gear. He then conducted scans on NASA Flight Engineer Loral O’Hara and measured her blood pressure collecting data for the CIPHER suite of 14 human research experiments. CIPHER is documenting an astronaut’s health during a long-term spaceflight.

Furukawa installed science hardware in the Destiny laboratory module for a semiconductor manufacturing study that could support production in space and more efficient technologies on Earth. Epps set up a microscope to observe the growth of cell cultures for an investigation that may promote the creation of artificial organs for transplant patients on Earth. Finally, Grebenkin attached sensors to himself recording his heart activity in microgravity.

In the Roscosmos segment of the station, cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub continued installing cargo containers inside the Zarya module. The duo earlier checked out carbon dioxide monitors and cleaned fan screens inside the Progress 86 cargo craft.


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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