Commander Barry Wilmore is in the Destiny lab module filling a water bag. Credit: NASA TV

The three orbiting Expedition 42 crew members are wrapping up the work week with science, cargo transfers and maintenance. Meanwhile, another crew is on the ground awaiting its launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

Commander Barry Wilmore worked in the Kibo laboratory checking out the lab modules robotic arm. He was also in the Destiny lab module studying plants, which can provide oxygen and food for future crews, for the Seedling Growth experiment. His fellow crewmates Alexander Samokutyaev and Elena Serova worked in the stations Russian segment off-loading cargo from the docked ISS Progress 57 resupply ship and reconfiguring networks.

Read more about the Seedling Growth experiment

The next Expedition 42 trio is in Kazakhstan relaxing in their crew quarters at the Cosmonaut Hotel in Baikonur. Soyuz Commander Anton Shkaplerov and Flight Engineers Terry Virts and Samantha Cristoforetti are preparing for a six hour trip to the International Space Station; theyre launching Nov. 23 aboard the Soyuz TMA-15M spacecraft.

Wilmore reconfigures robotics cables in Japans Kibo laboratory module. Credit: NASA TV

Cosmonauts Elena Serova and Alexander Samokutyaev, both Expedition 42 flight engineers, pose for a portrait inside the International Space Station.

The International Space Station is currently occupied by a trio of Expedition 42 crew members consisting of Commander Barry Wilmore and Flight Engineers Alexander Samokutyaev and Elena Serova. They are waiting for three more crew members, Soyuz Commander Anton Shkaplerov and Flight Engineers Terry Virts and Samantha Cristoforetti, who are counting down to a launch to the orbital laboratory in less than two weeks.

Meanwhile, the orbiting station residents are continuing microgravity research to improve life on Earth and in space. Wilmore collected blood and urine samples for stowage in a science freezer. Samokutyaev reconfigured computer systems in the stations Russian segment. Serova took measurements of the stations internal radiation environment and studied the vibrations the station experiences on orbit. Serova and Samokutyaev also participated in hearing tests.

Read more about the Matryeshka experiment Read more about the Identification experiment

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November | 2014 | Space Station