Month: May 2015

Maintenance and Departure Preps Continue on Wednesday

Terry Virts Haircuts
NASA astronaut Terry Virts (center) shared this image after giving two of his Russian crew mates new zero-g haircuts.

Maintenance and experiment work continued on Wednesday for the Expedition 43 crew.

NASA astronaut Terry Virt spent the second consecutive day replacing components inside one of the station’s Carbon Dioxide Removal Assemblies (CDRA.) The CDRA system works to remove carbon dioxide from the cabin air, allowing for an environmentally safe crew cabin. Virts also did some preparatory work on a payload rack for a cellular biology experiment scheduled to launch on the next SpaceX mission.

One-Year crew member Scott Kelly participated in the Fine Motor Skills study and took some time out of his schedule to speak with the “Today Show” and his twin brother Mark Kelly.

Watch Scott Kelly talk to the “Today Show”

ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti continued the Triplelux-A experiment which aims to gain a better understanding of immune suppression in spaceflight. She also Russian cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov in a checkout of the Sokol launch and entry suits that she, Shkaplerov and Virts will wear when they return to Earth next week.

Maintenance and Departure Prep Today For Expedition 43

Kelly Cinco De Mayo
NASA astronaut Scott Kelly shared his Cinco De Mayo breakfast with followers on Twitter.

NASA astronauts Terry Virts and Scott Kelly spent the day replacing components inside one of the station’s Carbon Dioxide Removal Assemblies (CDRA.) The CDRA system works to remove carbon dioxide from the cabin air, allowing for an environmentally safe crew cabin.

ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti continued two experiments that are investigating how the body changes while in microgravity. The Triplelux-A experiment aims to gain a better understanding of immune suppression in spaceflight while the Osteo-4 study which is analyzing the effects of microgravity on the most common cell found in human bones. The results derived from this study could also have implications for patients on Earth in the treatment of bone disorders related to disuse or immobilization, as well as metabolic diseases such as osteoporosis.

Cristoforetti also joined Russian cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov in a Soyuz descent training exercise as they prepare to return to Earth next week along with Virts.

Robotics, Skin Studies and Moon Imagery Kick Off Crew Week

NASA astronaut Terry Virts of Expedition 43 on the International Space Station checks the remote control Canadarm2 on Apr.26, 2015. The Canadarm2 is used to grapple arriving spacecraft and moving them to their docking ports.

Monday began a new week of science and maintenance work for the Expedition 43 crew.

NASA astronauts Terry Virts and Scott Kelly spent the day reviewing procedures and gathering equipment for an upcoming replacement activity with one of the station’s Carbon Dioxide Removal Assemblies (CDRA.) The CDRA system works to remove carbon dioxide from the cabin air, allowing for an environmentally safe crew cabin.

ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti participated in the Skin-B experiment which will improve our understanding of skin aging, which is greatly accelerated in space, while also providing insight into the aging process of other similar bodily tissues. She also took photos for the Moon imagery study.

Robotics controllers in Houston continued operations with the Robotic Refueling Mission-2 (RRM-2) payload. Using the Canadarm2 robotic arm,  to install the new task boards that will be used for the experiment. The objective of RRM-2 is to develop new technologies, tools and techniques that could eventually give satellite owners resources to diagnose problems on orbit and keep certain spacecraft instruments performing longer in space.