The hatches are open between the International Space Station and the new Progress 95 cargo spacecraft following the delivery of about three tons of food, fuel, and supplies on Monday. Expedition 74 commander Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and flight engineer Sergei Mikaev, both from Roscosmos, finalized leak and pressure checks between Progress 95 and the Zvezda service module’s rear port on Tuesday. Afterward, the duo installed air ducts and began unpacking the spacecraft beginning seven months of cargo activities in the resupply ship.
Meanwhile, physics equipment maintenance topped the scientific schedule as the lab residents installed new quantum research gear and stowed cryogenic fluid hardware. The advanced physics gear takes advantage of weightlessness to gain beneficial insights unobtainable in Earth’s gravity environment.
NASA flight engineers Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway upgraded the orbital outpost’s Cold Atom Lab (CAL) on Tuesday when they installed a new quantum physics module inside the research device. The advanced hardware expands the CAL’s ability to chill atoms to near absolute zero enabling the observation of atomic wave functions, providing deeper insights into general relativity, and aiding the search for dark matter. Meir, with assistance from flight engineer Sophie Adenot of ESA (European Space Agency), also opened the Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG) and removed and stowed physics hardware used to observe how cryogenic fuels behave in tanks. Results from the investigation may lead to improved spacecraft propulsion and life support systems.
Adenot spent the last half of her shift exploring using the space station’s potable water to produce medical grade intravenous fluids, or saline solutions, to treat medical conditions in space. The Intravenous Fluid Generation – Mini technology demonstration seeks to reduce a crew’s dependence on cargo missions and avoid expiration of medical supplies on a spacecraft.
NASA flight engineer Chris Williams began his shift inside the Kibo laboratory module reorganizing cargo to optimize space for upcoming research operations. Next, Williams serviced a laptop computer that supports investigations inside the MSG. At the end of his shift, Williams unloaded supplies from inside the Cygnus XL cargo spacecraft.
Roscosmos flight engineer Andrey Fedyaev worked throughout Tuesday on life support maintenance tasks transferring water between tanks and checking ventilation systems.
Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_station on X, as well as the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.
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