Human research to protect crew health was the dominant science topic aboard the International Space Station on Wednesday. Household duties such as cleaning and inspections to keep the orbital outpost in tip-top shape also continued in low Earth orbit for the nine lab crewmates.
Researchers have learned that living in the weightless environment for months at a time affects the human body in numerous ways. Scientists constantly examine crews working on the space station to understand the space-caused physiological changes. Observations will help doctors develop countermeasures and keep astronauts healthy as NASA plans months long and possibly years long missions beyond low Earth orbit and to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.
Flight Engineers Matthew Dominick and Jeanette Epps partnered together all-day Wednesday to test a thigh cuff that may reverse fluid shifts that impact a crew member’s vision while living in space. Dyson attached sensors to her chest and the cuff to her leg with assistance from Epps during the morning. Next, Epps scanned Dominick’s veins with the Ultrasound 2 device then measured his blood pressure. Epps also examined Dominick’s eyes using standard medical imaging hardware found in an optometrist’s office on Earth. The thigh cuff study is exploring ways to prevent headward fluid shifts in astronauts that cause eye structure and vision changes.
Ultrasound scans were also on the schedule for NASA astronauts Mike Barratt from Expedition 71 and Butch Wilmore from Boeing’s Crew Flight Test to image an astronaut’s veins following an exercise session. Barratt led the biomedical work and scanned Wilmore’s veins after his hourlong workout on the advanced resistive exercise device. Barratt used the commercial ButterlyIQ Ultrasound imaging device during the 90-minute research session to understand how the human body adjusts to exercising in space. Results may also demonstrate the effectiveness of the FDA-approved portable scanner for space operations.
Expedition 71 Flight Engineer Tracy C. Dyson and Starliner Pilot Suni Williams from NASA spent their day on maintenance tasks including housecleaning and science hardware installations. Dyson started her morning cleaning the starboard side of the Unity module and organizing cargo stowed in the Columbus laboratory module. During the afternoon, she went back to Unity and wiped down surfaces in its deck compartment. Williams was back inside the Tranquility module finalizing the installation of the ArgUS Mission 1 hardware inside the NanoRacks Bishop airlock. The advanced technology demonstration will be placed outside in the vacuum of space to test the external operations of communications, computer processing, and high-definition video gear.
Over in the Roscosmos segment of the orbiting lab, Commander Oleg Kononenko kicked off his day exploring futuristic spacecraft and robotic piloting techniques crews may use on planetary missions. He worked the rest of the day continuing inspections in the aft end of the Zvezda service module. Flight Engineer Nikolai Chub began his shift with the ongoing Zvezda inspections then wrapped up his day servicing a Roscosmos oxygen generator.