Crew swap activities are underway aboard the International Space Station as three new crewmates continue getting up to speed with living and working in microgravity and another Expedition 74 trio prepares to return to Earth. Meanwhile, scientific operations are back in full swing aboard the orbital outpost with lab residents studying how weightlessness affects the human body.
NASA flight engineer Anil Menon kicked off his Friday shift exploring his new surroundings in microgravity, learning how to move through the station’s modules, and familiarizing himself with lab systems and hardware. The first-time space flyer wrapped up his first week in space swapping arm and leg components, checking the helmet, and inspecting the configuration of a spacesuit.
Roscosmos cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina, who are each beginning their second spaceflight, took turns wearing an acoustic monitor strapped around their necks that measured their respiratory rate. Afterward, Dubrov continued unpacking cargo from the Soyuz MS-29 spacecraft while Kikina cultured cell samples to learn how microbes adapt to microgravity.
NASA flight engineer Chris Williams, who will return to Earth at the end of July, began his day with ultrasound scans of his arteries and blood pressure checks for the CIPHER human research study. Next, he wore a heart rate monitor and breathing gear that measured his aerobic fitness in space while pedaling on an exercise cycle and jogging on a treadmill.
Station commander Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and flight engineer Sergei Mikaev continued preparing for their return to Earth and tested the lower body negative pressure suit that reverses space-caused fluid shifts from the head toward the feet. The specialized suit may help ease a crew member’s adjustment to Earth’s gravity after long-term spaceflight. The cosmonauts, along with Williams, are nearing the end of an eight-month mission and are preparing their Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft for its upcoming undocking and landing in Kazakhstan.
NASA flight engineer Jessica Meir, who is staying aboard the space station until the end of summer with flight engineers Jack Hathaway of NASA, Sophie Adenot of ESA (European Space Agency), and Andrey Fedyaev of Roscosmos, continued researching how to make saline solution in microgravity using the station’s water supply. Hathaway configured blood pressure monitoring gear then swapped cargo in and out of the Cygnus XL spacecraft. Adenot videotaped her exercise session on the advanced resistive exercise device using a motion capture system to help researchers develop more effective workout sessions for astronauts. Finally, Fedyaev transferred water from the Progress 94 cargo spacecraft into station tanks then assisted his cosmonaut crewmates with the lower body negative pressure suit tests.
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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