Commercial Crew – Space Station

Space Biology, Spacesuits, and Dragon Training Top Day for Astronauts, Cosmonauts

NASA astronaut and Expedition 71 Flight Engineer Mike Barratt works on spacewalking hardware aboard the International Space Station's Unity module. — NASA astronaut and Expedition 71 Flight Engineer Mike Barratt works on spacewalking hardware aboard the International Space Station’s Unity module.

Life science and docked spacecraft training were the prime tasks aboard the International Space Station on Tuesday. The nine orbital residents also split their day on a variety of maintenance tasks including spacesuit work and orbital plumbing.

NASA astronauts Tracy C. Dyson and Matthew Dominick kicked off their day collecting biological samples and data to understand how living in weightlessness affects the human body. Dyson first processed her saliva samples and stowed them in a science freezer for later analysis. She then attached an acoustic monitor near her ear to measure station noise levels a crew member experiences in a 24-hour period. Dominick removed brain wave sensors from his ears that recorded his sleep patterns then he filled out a questionnaire documenting his sleep quality.

Dyson also worked in the Columbus laboratory module and studied the ability to remotely control robots on a planetary surface from a spacecraft for the Surface Avatar experiment. Dominick spent the afternoon in the Tranquility module checking the performance of components on the waste and hygiene compartment, the orbital outpost’s bathroom.

NASA Flight Engineer Jeanette Epps photographed Dyson during her robotics experiment. She then spent the afternoon reconfiguring life support gear before removing batteries from spacesuits at the end of the day. NASA Flight Engineer Mike Barratt started his day inspecting spacesuit safety jetpacks that would be used to maneuver safely back to the station in the unlikely event a spacewalker became untethered from the orbital lab.

Epps and Barratt also joined Dominick and Roscosmos Flight Engineer Alexander Grebenkin midday and reviewed standard SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft emergency undocking procedures. The SpaceX Crew-8 quartet docked to the station on March 5 and is due to return to Earth aboard Endeavour in late August.

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, representing Boeing’s Crew Flight Test, took turns during the morning pedaling on an exercise cycle while attached to heart and breathing sensors that measured their aerobic capacity. The duo then split up as Wilmore serviced a pair of research freezers that preserve scientific samples and Williams installed hardware on an experiment that is exploring atmospheric reentry and thermal protection systems.

The Roscosmos segment’s three cosmonauts including Grebenkin had their day packed with continuing space research and laboratory upkeep duties. Expedition 71 Commander Oleg Kononenko spent the morning working on ventilation systems in the Nauka science module then completed his day studying futuristic spacecraft and robotic piloting techniques. Flight Engineer Nikolai Chub replaced life support gear in the Zarya module then joined Grebenkin for a photographic inspection of panels inside the Zvezda service module. Grebenkin earlier jogged on a treadmill for a regularly scheduled physical fitness test.

NASA’s Johnson Space Center remained closed to all but essential personnel today following Hurricane Beryl’s landfall near Matagorda, Texas. Mission Control continues to support International Space Station and NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test mission. If employees feel safe to do so, the center will be open for on-site work beginning Wednesday.

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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Spacewalking Team Relaxes Ahead of Monday Excursion

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.

Relaxation and a host of lab maintenance tasks filled the end of the day for the dual crews living and working aboard the International Space Station.

Four NASA astronauts, all Expedition 71 Flight Engineers, are taking Friday and Saturday off in space following several days of spacesuit checks and spacewalking procedure reviews. Tracy C. Dyson and Mike Barratt will be relaxing for two days before a busy day of spacewalk preparations on Sunday. The duo is scheduled to begin a spacewalk at 8 a.m. EDT on Monday to retrieve faulty radio hardware and collect samples of microorganisms.

The other two relaxing astronauts, Matthew Dominick and Jeanette Epps, will join the spacewalkers on Sunday for the preparations before practicing Canadarm2 robotic arm maneuvers they will use to support Dyson and Barratt on Monday. Dominick and Epps also will help the spacewalkers suit up in the Quest airlock as well as monitor Dyson and Barratt during their six-and-a-half-hour excursion.

NASA TV will begin its spacewalk broadcast at 6:30 a.m. on Monday. 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.

Boeing Crew Flight Test Commander Butch Wilmore and Pilot Suni Williams, both NASA astronauts, spent Friday testing systems inside the Starliner spacecraft. The pair entered Starliner on Friday and worked throughout the day inside the spacecraft’s cabin. The experienced astronauts powered up Starliner while docked to the Harmony module’s forward port, checked its operations and hardware, then packed cargo inside the crew ship for a return to Earth.

In the Roscosmos side of the orbital outpost, cosmonaut and station Commander Oleg Kononenko spent his day configuring video equipment, setting up Earth monitoring hardware, then cleaning smoke detectors in the Nauka science module. Flight Engineer Nikolai Chub replaced medical and electronics hardware then wrapped up his day in the Zarya module inventorying space behind its panels. Flight Engineer Alexander Grebenkin pointed a pair of cameras outside a station window and programmed them to automatically take pictures of the 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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Crew Works Genetics, Maintenance and is GO for Spacewalk

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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Spacewalk Nears as Starliner Crew Begins Extended Stay

Atronauts (from left) Jeanette Epps and Mike Barratt assist astronaut Tracy C. Dyson during a spacesuit fit check inside the Quest airlock on May 30.

The Expedition 71 crew is getting ready for a spacewalk this week while two Commercial Crew astronauts will spend a few extra days aboard the International Space Station. The orbital residents also continued their advanced space research and conducted eye and ear exams on Monday.

On Friday, June 7, Expedition crew members completed installation of the spare pump carried aboard Starliner for the urine processing assembly on the orbital outpost, and the hardware is functioning properly.

NASA Flight Engineers Tracy C. Dyson and Matthew Dominick are preparing for the first of three planned spacewalks for science and maintenance on the orbital lab. The astronauts are expected to set their spacesuits to battery power at 8 a.m. EDT on Thursday officially beginning their scheduled six-and-a-half-hour spacewalk. The spacewalkers will retrieve faulty communications hardware, also known as the radio frequency group, and swab station surfaces to determine the ability of microorganisms to survive the extreme microgravity environment.

Mission managers will discuss the upcoming spacewalk details during a news conference at 4 p.m. on Tuesday. 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.

NASA Flight Engineer Mike Barratt assisted Dominick as he tried on his spacesuit during a standard fit check in the Quest airlock on Monday morning. During the afternoon, the two spacewalkers joined Barratt and NASA Flight Engineer Jeanette Epps and reviewed Canadarm2 robotic arm procedures necessary to retrieve the radio gear.

Earlier, Epps attached an acoustic monitor to herself measuring the sound environment she’s exposed to aboard the station. Afterward, she collected lab water samples to test for microbes then conducted a hearing exam listening to tones on a pair of headphones connected to a computer. Dyson joined cosmonaut Nikolai Chub at the end of the day and peered at a standard eye chart reading characters to test their visual acuity.

New station visitors Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, both veteran NASA astronauts, learned on Sunday they will orbit Earth until June 18 before returning home aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft. The extra days in space will allow teams more time to checkout Starliner’s systems and free up the Expedition crew’s schedule for more spacewalk preparations.

Wilmore and Williams started Monday with health checks measuring their temperature, blood pressure, pulse, and respiratory rate. The duo then split up as Wilmore worked on computer maintenance inside the Microgravity Science Glovebox and Williams installed hardware to support a space fire investigation.

In the orbital outpost’s Roscosmos segment, Chub transferred water stowed inside the Progress 88 resupply ship to tanks inside the Zvezda service module. Flight Engineer Alexander Grebenkin cleaned vents and air ducts then checked lighting systems in the Zvezda, Nauka, and Poisk modules. Station commander and veteran cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko studied plasma physics in the Columbus laboratory module then wore a sensor-packed cap and explored futuristic spacecraft and robotic piloting techniques.

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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Starliner Crew Adjusts to Station Life During Spacewalk Preps

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

Nine astronauts and cosmonauts are living aboard the International Space Station following the arrival of two crewmates aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft for the first time on Thursday. The Expedition 71 crewmates slept in on Friday then split up their day on spacewalk preparations, human research, and Starliner configurations.

Starliner crew members Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, both veteran NASA astronauts, boarded the orbital outpost after docking the spacecraft to the Harmony module’s forward port at 1:34 p.m. EDT on Thursday. The duo will spend a weeklong mission on the outpost checking out the new spacecraft’s systems and conducting microgravity research.

Wilmore and Williams slept in on Friday before beginning their first full day on the station transferring cargo and emergency gear in and out of Starliner. The Starliner crew will go into the weekend checking out the new vehicle’s docked capabilities and systems.

Meanwhile, a trio of spacewalks are planned this month for science and maintenance on the orbital lab. NASA Flight Engineer Tracy C. Dyson worked throughout Friday reviewing spacewalk procedures and configuring spacewalk tools inside the Quest airlock with assistance from fellow flight engineers Mike Barratt and Jeanette Epps.

Mission managers will discuss the upcoming spacewalks on NASA TV at 4 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, June 11. Watch live on the NASA+ streaming service via the web or the NASA app. Mission coverage also will air live on NASA Television, YouTube, and on the agency’s website. Learn how to stream NASA TV through a variety of platforms including social media.

Barratt also helped the Starliner astronauts unpack new station cargo before servicing life support equipment in the Destiny, Tranquility, and Harmony modules. Epps spent the rest of her day processing blood and saliva samples for the Immunity Assay investigation that is exploring how microgravity affects cellular immunity. NASA Flight Engineer Matthew Dominick assisted the Starliner crew with emergency hardware then wrapped up his day in Tranquility replacing orbital plumbing components.

Roscosmos station Commander Oleg Kononenko started his day getting familiar with the Plasma Crystal-4 space physics experiment that explores low-temperature gas mixtures. Next, he tested a 3D printer’s ability to manufacture hardware in space. Flight Engineers Nikolai Chub and Alexander Grebenkin took turns scanning each other’s stomachs after breakfast to observe how the digestion system adapts to long-term weightlessness. The duo split up afterward and worked the rest of Friday on a variety of life support maintenance throughout the space station’s Roscosmos segment.

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

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 two NASA astronauts aboard approaches the space station for an autonomous docking as it orbited 257 miles above the South Pacific Ocean. — Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft with two NASA astronauts aboard approaches the space station for an autonomous docking as it orbited 257 miles above the South Pacific Ocean.

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.

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Starliner Approaches Station as Live Coverage Continues

Boeing's Starliner spacecraft approaches the International Space Station for docking on June 6, 2024. Credit: NASA TV — Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft approaches the International Space Station for docking on June 6, 2024. Credit: NASA TV

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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Spacewalk Preps Continue as Cosmonaut Reaches Milestone

An aurora swirls above the Indian Ocean in this photograph from the International Space Station as it orbited 266 miles above Earth.

Spacesuits and eye checks filled the schedule on Tuesday as the Expedition 71 crew gears up for a trio of spacewalks planned for this month. The International Space Station residents also kept their research and lab maintenance duties while unpacking a new cargo ship.

NASA Flight Engineers Matthew Dominick and Mike Barratt started their morning inside the Quest airlock preparing suits and equipment for upcoming spacewalks. The duo then joined fellow NASA astronauts Tracy C. Dyson and Jeanette Epps after lunchtime for a spacewalk conference with specialists on the ground. Afterward, Dyson and Dominick partnered together organizing and configuring a variety of spacewalk tools in Quest. NASA will announce the spacewalk details and spacewalkers in an upcoming media advisory and news briefing.

Earlier, Epps powered on a pair of Astrobee robotic free flyers for an operations test. She also set up a pair of Kubik research incubators inside the Columbus laboratory module. At the end of the day, Epps gathered in the Harmony module with Barratt and Dominick for eye checks using a medical imaging device viewing the cornea, retina, optic nerve.

Station commander and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko who is on his fifth mission aboard the orbital outpost has accumulated 1,000 days in microgravity as of June 4. The previous record holder was cosmonaut Gennady Padalka who held the record since Sept, 11, 2017, when he landed on Earth completing the Expedition 44 mission and gaining 879 cumulative days in space.

Kononenko joined Flight Engineer Nikolai Chub on Tuesday and continued offloading some of the three tons of cargo packed inside the recently arrived Progress 88 cargo craft. Fellow cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin wrapped up an experiment session and stowed hardware that images Earth’s upper atmosphere in ultraviolet wavelengths. Afterward, he studied ways international crews and mission controllers can improve communications to inform crew training and ensure mission success.

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.

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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.

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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