Gravity-Defying Research: Cosmic Coatings and Light-Speed Fibers on the Space Station – SciTechDaily

A set of the International Space Stations main solar arrays, slightly obscuring the smaller roll-out solar arrays, and the Kibo laboratory module with its exposed facility, a research platform that hosts external experiments, are pictured 261 miles above the Pacific Ocean. Credit: NASA

A week of science and station upkeep continued on Friday aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Ahead of their off-duty weekend, the seven Expedition 70 crew members completed an array of tasks to wrap up maintenance activities and resume microgravity research investigations.

On Tuesday, NASA Flight Engineer Jasmin Moghbeli kicked off a multi-day-long study investigating the efficiency of an antimicrobial coating in space. JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) Flight Engineer Satoshi Furukawa took over this work on Friday, continuing the investigation to help researchers better understand how the coating holds up over time.

Four Expedition 70 crewmates join each other inside the International Space Stations Unity module for Christmas Eve festivities. From left are, NASA Flight Engineers Jasmin Moghbeli and Loral OHara; Flight Engineer Koichi Wakata from JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency); and Commander Andreas Mogensen from ESA (European Space Agency). Credit: NASA

Furukawa and Moghbeli then teamed up to inspect and change out cartridges in masks that are used in the unlikely event an emergency were to occur on station. Later on, Furukawa transferred data collected earlier this week during his and NASA Flight Engineer Loral OHaras acoustic monitoring sessions. At the end of the day, OHara configured the Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG) for an ongoing fiber optics investigation.

Station Commander Andreas Mogensen of ESA (European Space Agency) spent Friday wrapping up tasks conducted earlier this weekstowing spacesuit hardware and charging the VR Mental Care battery. In the evening, Mogensen performed a VR for Exercise session, which focuses on the use of a virtual reality environment for biking aboard the orbiting laboratory. Not only does this mitigate bone and muscle loss that occurs in low-Earth orbit, but can increase motivation for daily exercise and boost morale.

Australias Norman River leads into the Gulf of Carpentaria in this photograph from the International Space Station as it orbited 262 miles above the province of Queensland. Credit: NASA

The Roscosmos trio split up their duties Friday, carrying out ongoing tasks from the week. Flight Engineer Oleg Kononenko removed and replaced hardware in the Zvezda service module, while Flight Engineer Nikolai Chub completed some orbital plumbing. Meanwhile, Flight Engineer Konstantin Borisov performed an experiment that studies the glow of Earths nighttime atmosphere in near-ultraviolet.

Read more:

Gravity-Defying Research: Cosmic Coatings and Light-Speed Fibers on the Space Station - SciTechDaily

STEMonstrations, Station Upkeep, and Hearing Assessments Top Wednesday’s Schedule – NASA Blogs

The suns first rays begin illuminating Earths atmosphere in this photograph from the International Space Station as it orbited 262 miles above the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California.

A STEMonstration, station upkeep, and routine hearing assessments kept the Expedition 70 crew busy on Wednesday. The seven orbital residents split up duties aboard the International Space Station as they continue their microgravity research missions into the new year.

NASA Flight Engineer Jasmin Moghbeli began her day recording a STEMonstration for teachers and students grades 5-8, demonstrating how to use a microscope for cell research aboard the station. To connect with students and teachers around the world, crew members will routinely record short three- to five-minute educational videos that demonstrate popular STEM topics in microgravity. Afterward, Moghbeli moved onto some station and spacesuit upkeep to install restraint straps and stowage bags on spacesuits that will be used for upcoming spacewalks this year, and perform inspections of various modules around the station.

Experiencing 16 sunrises and sunsets per day can affect crew members circadian rhythms while in low-Earth orbit. To counter this, the Circadian Light investigation tests a new lighting system to help astronauts maintain an acceptable circadian rhythm, which could in turn boost cognitive performance. ESA (European Space Agency) Commander Andreas Mogensen began his day performing a Circadian Light assessment before moving into surveying various station segments to send to grounds teams for assessments of station configuration.

JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) Flight Engineer Satoshi Furukawa focused his day on prepping the Life Sciences Glovebox for upcoming research and measuring acoustic levels within the orbiting laboratory.

Near the end of the day, NASA Flight Engineer Loral OHara was joined by cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko, Nikolai Chub, and Konstantin Borisov to complete routine hearing assessments using specially designed space software to measure auditory function while exposed to the microgravity environment.

Kononenko also spent part of his day removing and replacing hardware in the Zvezda service module and running the 3D printer once more, while Borisov picked back up on inventory audits that began yesterday.

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/

Get the latest from NASA delivered every week. Subscribe here: http://www.nasa.gov/subscribe

Read more:

STEMonstrations, Station Upkeep, and Hearing Assessments Top Wednesday's Schedule - NASA Blogs

Crew Wraps Up Station Upkeep, Conducts Fiber Optics and Antimicrobial Investigations on Friday – NASA Blogs

An aurora and an atmospheric glow crown Earths horizon beneath a starry sky in this photograph from the International Space Station as it orbited 262 miles above the Canadian province of Quebec.

A week of science and station upkeep continued on Friday aboard the International Space Station. Ahead of their off-duty weekend, the seven Expedition 70 crew members completed an array of tasks to wrap up maintenance activities and resume microgravity research investigations.

On Tuesday, NASA Flight Engineer Jasmin Moghbeli kicked off a multi-day-long study investigating the efficiency of an antimicrobial coating in space. JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) Flight Engineer Satoshi Furukawa took over this work on Friday, continuing the investigation to help researchers better understand how the coating holds up over time.

Furukawa and Moghbeli then teamed up to inspect and change out cartridges in masks that are used in the unlikely event an emergency were to occur on station. Later on, Furukawa transferred data collected earlier this week during his and NASA Flight Engineer Loral OHaras acoustic monitoring sessions. At the end of the day, OHara configured the Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG) for an ongoing fiber optics investigation.

Station Commander Andreas Mogensen of ESA (European Space Agency) spent Friday wrapping up tasks conducted earlier this weekstowing spacesuit hardware and charging the VR Mental Care battery. In the evening, Mogensen performed a VR for Exercise session, which focuses on the use of a virtual reality environment for biking aboard the orbiting laboratory. Not only does this mitigate bone and muscle loss that occurs in low-Earth orbit, but can increase motivation for daily exercise and boost morale.

The Roscosmos trio split up their duties Friday, carrying out ongoing tasks from the week. Flight Engineer Oleg Kononenko removed and replaced hardware in the Zvezda service module, while Flight Engineer Nikolai Chub completed some orbital plumbing. Meanwhile, Flight Engineer Konstantin Borisov performed an experiment that studies the glow of Earths 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 video highlights at: https://roundupreads.jsc.nasa.gov/videoupdate/

Get the latest from NASA delivered every week. Subscribe here: http://www.nasa.gov/subscribe

View post:

Crew Wraps Up Station Upkeep, Conducts Fiber Optics and Antimicrobial Investigations on Friday - NASA Blogs

Space Station Crew Members Kick-Start New Year With Advanced Science – SciTechDaily

Four Expedition 70 crew members share New Years remarks. From left, Commander Andreas Mogensen of ESA, Flight Engineer Jasmin Moghbeli of NASA, Flight Engineer Satoshi Furukawa of JAXA, and Flight Engineer Loral OHara of NASA. Credit: NASA

The seven-member Expedition 70 crew was back to work after Monday saw an off-duty day for the International Space Station residents. A variety of activities took place in orbit on Tuesday, while some members conducted cleaning activities and others picked back up on scientific research to kick-start the new year.

Flight Engineer Loral OHara of NASA spent part of her day unstowing materials in the Combustion Integrated Rack to prep for the SoFIE-GEL investigation. As part of ongoing science, crew members study burning in microgravity to determine how material flammability is affected by fuel temperatures. To continue this research, OHara swapped out a used manifold gas bottle in the experiment with a new one. In the evening, she donned the Actiwatch to monitor sleep-wake patterns throughout the night.

Expedition 70 Flight Engineers (from left) Jasmin Moghbeli and Loral OHara, both from NASA, pose for a portrait inside the Destiny laboratory module. Credit: NASA

Flight Engineer Jasmin Moghbeli of NASA cleaned up in the Harmony module in the morning, then set out to replenish the water supply in the distribution and recovery reservoirs of Plant Habitat-06an investigation that studies the physiological and genetic responses to defense activation in wild-type tomatoes. Afterward, Moghbeli began an experiment to test the efficiency of an antimicrobial coating in space.

Commander Andreas Mogensen of ESA (European Space Agency) began the day swapping out the heart rate monitor on CEVIS, the stations bicycle. He then completed a robotics training session, practicing the capture of a cargo craft, reviewing how to control free-flying assistants, and operating the robotic arm. After lunch, Mogensen deployed the Life Sciences Glovebox that will be used for ongoing science activities this week, then analyzed water from the stations water processor assembly.

ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut and Expedition 70 Commander Andreas Mogensen gets ready for the Christmas season and poses for a fun portrait wearing a Santa Claus hat. Credit: NASA

Meanwhile, Satoshi Furukawa of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) hydrated and incubated production packs for the BioNutrients-1 investigation which uses technology for on-demand production of human nutrients over long-duration missions.

The three cosmonauts aboard the orbiting laboratoryOleg Kononenko, Nikolai Chub, and Konstantin Borisovsplit up maintenance duties on Tuesday. Kononenko ran the 3D printer in Zvezda and audited cargo in the Prichal module, while Chub conducted maintenance on the water management system and Borisov inventoried accessories of the Roscosmos docking system.

Read more here:

Space Station Crew Members Kick-Start New Year With Advanced Science - SciTechDaily

From Spacesuit Loop Scrubs to VR Therapy: Decoding a Day of Science Aboard the ISS – SciTechDaily

Expedition 70 Flight Engineers (from left) Loral OHara and Jasmin Moghbeli, both NASA astronauts, pose for a portrait while installing helmet lights on spacesuits and checking the functionality of their spacesuits components. Credit: NASA

Thursday marked another day of station upkeep aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The Expedition 70 crew spent most of the day on spacesuit and station maintenance, auditing equipment, and wrapping up experiments started earlier this week.

In the morning, NASA Flight Engineer Jasmin Moghbeli was joined by ESA (European Space Agency) Commander Andreas Mogensen to perform a loop scrub on spacesuits that will be used during upcoming spacewalks this year. Moghbeli then reconfigured the hardware to initiate iodination, which is performed to remove contaminants from transfer loops.

ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut and Expedition 70 Commander Andreas Mogensen replaces computer hardware inside the Advanced Space Experiment Processor-2 (ADSEP-2) that can house and process samples for a variety of biological and physical science experiments. Credit: NASA

Mogensen had a busy rest of the day, completing a VR Mental Care session, which demonstrates the use of virtual reality for mental relaxation. He then moved on to station upkeeprestocking the battery pantry and completing monthly maintenance on the orbital labs treadmillbefore rounding out the day with a hearing assessment.

NASA Flight Engineer Loral OHara began the day setting up a microphone to be worn on her shoulder to take sound measurements around the station and then completed some orbital plumbing tasks, removing and replacing the filter in the waste and hygiene compartment.

JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut and Expedition 70 Flight Engineer Satoshi Furukawa poses for a portrait next to the Cell Biology Experiment Facility Incubator Unit inside the International Space Stations Kibo laboratory module. Credit: NASA

Earlier in the week, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) Flight Engineer Satoshi Furukawa hydrated and incubated production packs for the BioNutrients-1 investigation. On Thursday, Furukawa retrieved the samples to inspect and photograph, which will help researchers better understand on-demand production of human nutrients over long-duration missions. He then wrapped up his day installing the Robotics Work Station for upcoming research.

All three cosmonauts aboard the station continued audit and inventory tasks that started earlier this week. Flight Engineer Oleg Kononenko inventoried the Rassvet module, while Flight Engineer Nikolai Chub audited medical kits and Flight Engineer Konstantin Borisov audited light units throughout Roscosmos segments. Borisov also ran a Pilot-T session, an ongoing experiment to practice piloting techniques, while Chub replaced the carbon monoxide sensor in the Zarya module.

See more here:

From Spacesuit Loop Scrubs to VR Therapy: Decoding a Day of Science Aboard the ISS - SciTechDaily