Tag: Northrop Grumman

Crew Ends Week With Robotics, Cancer Study, and More Aboard Station

Still in the grips of the Canadarm2 robotic arm, the Northrop Grumman Cygnus space freighter is pictured attached to the Unity module's Earth-facing port above the Pacific Ocean.
Still in the grips of the Canadarm2 robotic arm, the Northrop Grumman Cygnus space freighter is pictured attached to the Unity module’s Earth-facing port above the Pacific Ocean.

The nine orbital residents living and working aboard the International Space Station wrapped up the work week with a science-filled day exploring space biology, physics, and robotics. Cargo transfers and lab inspections rounded out the day for the Expedition 71 and Boeing Crew Flight Test crews.

NASA Flight Engineer Jeanette Epps had a busy day on Friday supporting a pair of different experiments before leading an eye examination at the end of the day. She started her day in the Kibo laboratory module configuring a free-flying camera robot from JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) and the Astrobee robotic assistant for an upcoming educational challenge. Students on Earth compete to write software that is uploaded to the orbital outpost and controls and maneuvers the devices to encourage and promote the next generation of scientists, engineers, and leaders. Next, she installed research hardware into Kibo’s Cell Biology Experiment Facility to incubate and illuminate seeds for the Plant UV-B botany study. Finally, she peered into the eyes of Starliner Commander Butch Wilmore of NASA using standard medical imaging hardware to check the health of his retina, cornea, and lens.

Wilmore began his day continuing to unload new science and supplies packed inside the Cygnus space freighter that arrived early Tuesday. Afterward, he partnered with fellow crewmate and Starliner Pilot Suni Williams of NASA on standard safety inspections and photographed emergency hardware for further analysis on the ground. Earlier, Williams worked inside the Tranquility module filling water tanks, conducting leak checks, and installing new orbital plumbing gear in the station’s restroom, also known as the waste and hygiene compartment.

The orbital lab’s three other NASA astronauts, Tracy C. Dyson, Matthew Dominick, and Mike Barratt, serviced a variety advanced research hardware to ensure ongoing critical space research. Dyson set up the KERMIT state-of-the-art microscope in the Destiny laboratory module and imaged stem cell samples for a cancer treatment investigation. Dominick replaced components inside the Electrostatic Levitation Furnace that supports safe observations of microgravity’s effect on materials exposed to high temperatures. Barratt removed an outmoded sample processing device from Kibo, packed it for return to Earth, then replaced it with an updated sample processor recently delivered aboard Cygnus.

Roscosmos Flight Engineers Nikolai Chub and Alexander Grebenkin continued a second day of digestion studies after their breakfast on Friday. Chub used an ultrasound device and scanned Grebenkin’s stomach following his first meal of the day to learn how the human digestion system adapts to long-term weightlessness. The duo then split up with Chub cleaning ventilations systems in the Zvezda service module and Grebenkin exploring futuristic planetary mission piloting techniques. Station Commander Oleg Kononenko spent his morning replacing life support hardware before wrapping up his day photographing the condition of lab windows inside Zvezda.

Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_station and @ISS_Research on X, as well as the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.

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Cygnus Unpacking and Research Continue as Managers Discuss Starliner Updates

The Cygnus cargo craft is pictured in the grips of the Canadarm2 robotic arm as the International Space Station orbited 262 miles above the Mediterranean Sea.
The Cygnus cargo craft is pictured in the grips of the Canadarm2 robotic arm as the International Space Station orbited 262 miles above the Mediterranean Sea.

The residents aboard the International Space Station continued unpacking several tons of science and supplies packed inside Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus cargo craft on Wednesday. The seven-member Expedition 71 crew also studied an array of space research while the two Boeing Crew Flight Test astronauts from NASA reviewed their Starliner spacecraft’s systems.

NASA Flight Engineers Matthew Dominick, Mike Barratt, and Jeanette Epps spent the afternoon transferring cargo out of the newly arrived Cygnus space freighter. Starliner Pilot Suni Williams started the cargo work during the morning beginning the job of replenishing the orbital outpost with food, fuel, supplies, and new science experiments.

Earlier in the day, Dominick and Barratt conducted science operations to learn more about Earth’s climate and install a new research incubator. Dominick photographed the Moon from inside the cupola to measure sunshine reflected from the Earth. Results may provide scientists insights into climate change. Barratt installed and activated the Space Automated Lab Incubator (SALI) inside the Kibo laboratory module. The SALI can host a variety of samples at a range of temperatures supporting numerous space investigations into biology and physics.

Epps and NASA astronaut Tracy C. Dyson also spent their day on a variety of station science and maintenance duties. Epps transferred water between life support systems, configured a radiation detector, then wrapped up her shift with biomedical checks. Dyson worked inside the Destiny laboratory module throughout Wednesday configuring research hardware to study stem cells for treatment purposes and commercial use.

Williams joined Starliner Commander Butch Wilmore and reviewed on a pair of tablet computers the Boeing Starliner crew flight procedures and systems to maintain their operational proficiency. NASA managers also provided mission updates and answered reporter’s questions about Starliner and space station operations during a media teleconference on Wednesday.

Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub tested the telerobotically operated rendezvous unit’s, or TORU, ability to communicate with the Progress 87 space freighter docked to the Zvezda service module’s rear port. The Progress 87 is due to depart the orbital outpost early next week making space for the arrival of the Progress 89 cargo craft with a fresh load of food, fuel, and supplies just over a week later. The TORU would be used to remotely control a Roscosmos spaceship in the unlikely event the spacecraft would be unable to complete its automated arrival or departure.

Roscosmos Flight Engineer Alexander Grebenkin spent a portion of his day on a host of orbital household duties including plumbing and camera battery charging. He later partnered with Kononenko and Chub and recorded a series of congratulatory and greeting videos for their home space agency.

Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_station and @ISS_Research on X, as well as the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.

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Cygnus Arrives at Station, Astronauts Unpack New Science

The Cygnus space freighter is pictured in the grips of the Canadarm2 robotic arm shortly after its capture delivering 8,200 pounds of science and supplies to the orbital outpost. Credit: NASA TV
The Cygnus space freighter is pictured in the grips of the Canadarm2 robotic arm shortly after its capture delivering 8,200 pounds of science and supplies to the orbital outpost. Credit: NASA TV

Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus cargo craft has arrived at its new home for the next six months and the International Space Station residents have begun unloading some of its 8,200 pounds of science and supplies.

NASA Flight Engineer Matthew Dominick captured Cygnus with the Canadarm2 robotic arm at 3:11 a.m. EDT on Tuesday following its automated approach and rendezvous. The maneuver marked the 50th free-flying capture for Canadarm2. Just over two hours later mission controllers on Earth remotely commanded the Canadarm2 and installed Cygnus to the Unity module’s Earth-facing port where it will stay until January. Cygnus began its trip to the orbital outpost with a launch atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Florida at 11:02 a.m. EDT on Sunday.

Dominick later joined NASA Flight Engineer Jeanette Epps and conducted cable connections and leak checks before opening Cygnus’ hatch and entering the space freighter for the first time. Next, the rest of the NASA astronauts including Tracy C. Dyson, Mike Barratt, Suni Williams, and Butch Wilmore started offloading research samples stowed in Cygnus and preserved in portable science freezers and double coldbags. Those samples were then placed inside station science freezers in preparation for upcoming research. The orbital residents will soon be exploring liquid and gas flows, centripetal force, DNA repair mechanisms, cellular expansion, and more.

During a break in the cargo activities Dominick set up photography gear in the cupola and took pictures of the Moon to measure sunshine reflected from the Earth. Dyson worked in the Destiny laboratory module and connected a microscope to an advanced research incubator to support space biology investigations.

The orbital lab’s three cosmonauts representing Roscosmos stayed focused on their science and maintenance schedule throughout Tuesday. Commander Oleg Kononenko began his morning setting up carbon dioxide monitors and installing Earth observation hardware. During the afternoon, the five-time station visitor studied futuristic planetary piloting techniques on a computer. Flight Engineer Alexander Grebenkin attached sensors to himself measuring his heart activity during an hour-and-a-half long relaxation session. Next, he jogged on a treadmill for a fitness test before ending his day with computer maintenance in the Nauka science module. Flight Engineer Nikolai Chub worked throughout the day servicing hardware batteries and exercise gear.

Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_station and @ISS_Research on X, as well as the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.

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NASA’s Northrop Grumman Cygnus Completes Solar Arrays Deployment

Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus spacecraft completed the deployment of its two solar arrays at 2:21 p.m. EDT after launching at 11:02 a.m. Aug. 4 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida to the International Space Station for NASA.

Shortly after launch, the spacecraft missed its first burn slated for 11:44 a.m. due to a late entry to burn sequencing. Known as the targeted altitude burn, or TB1, it was rescheduled for 12:34 p.m., but aborted the maneuver shortly after the engine ignited due to a slightly low initial pressure state. There is no indication the engine itself has any problem at this time.

Cygnus is at a safe altitude, and Northrop Grumman engineers are working a new burn and trajectory plan. The team aims to achieve the spacecraft’s original capture time on station, which is currently slated for 3:10 a.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 6.

If all remains on track, NASA will provide live coverage of the spacecraft’s arrival beginning at 1:30 a.m. Aug. 6 on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, X, Facebook, and the agency’s website. Additional updates will be posted as needed.

NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick will capture Cygnus using the station’s Canadarm2 robotic arm at approximately 3:10 a.m., and NASA astronaut Jeanette Epps is backup. After capture, the spacecraft will be installed on the Unity module’s Earth-facing port.

This is Northrop Grumman’s 21st commercial resupply mission for NASA.

Learn more about station activities by following @space_station and @ISS_Research on X as well as the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.

Orbital Maintenance on Wednesday Tops Cargo and Science Duties

City lights illuminate the country of China to the East China Sea in this nighttime photograph from the International Space Station.
City lights illuminate the country of China to the East China Sea in this nighttime photograph from the International Space Station.

Microgravity science is the main mission aboard the International Space Station, however on Wednesday, the Expedition 71 crew focused primarily on life support maintenance. Nevertheless, the orbital septet did find time for cargo operations and biomedical research during a busy day full of hardware swaps.

NASA Flight Engineers Tracy C. Dyson and Matthew Dominick kicked off Wednesday swapping out advanced orbital plumbing gear that took up most of their day. The duo worked in the Tranquility module, where the orbital outpost’s restroom is located, and disconnected a host of cables and gear to access the station’s catalytic reactor. Dyson did the majority of the preparation work before Dominick assisted her and replaced the old catalytic reactor with a new one. The reactor introduces oxygen in the restroom’s water recovery system and oxidizes its wastewater.

Dominick wrapped up his shift transferring cargo in and out of the Northrop Grumman Cygnus space freighter. Cygnus has been berthed to the Earth-facing port on the Unity module since Feb. 1 when it delivered 8,300 pounds of cargo and science experiments.

At the end of the day, NASA astronauts Jeanette Epps and Mike Barratt finalized Dyson’s and Dominick’s life support upgrade work. Epps first installed a hose and a temporary filter in Tranquility to enable startup of the new catalytic reactor. After the startup was completed, the duo cleaned up Tranquility and returned the module’s systems to their normal configuration.

The orbital outpost’s three cosmonauts had their day full of human research activities while ensuring the ongoing upkeep of systems in the station’s Roscosmos segment. Commander Oleg Kononenko and Flight Engineer Nikolai Chub participated in hearing checks together wearing headphones connected to a computer and responding to a series of audio tones. Kononenko then moved on and refilled an oxygen generator in the Zvezda service module.

When Chub completed his hearing exam, he joined Flight Engineer Alexander Grebenkin for a fitness evaluation on a treadmill. The duo each took turns jogging on the treadmill while wearing sensors measuring health parameters such as heart rate and breathing rate. Grebenkin earlier conducted cardiac research for a long-running Roscosmos investigation.

For the latest on Boeing’s Crew Flight Test with NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams targeted to launch to the orbital lab no earlier than 6:16 p.m. EDT on Friday, May 17, please visit NASA’s blog. https://blogs.nasa.gov/boeing-crew-flight-test/

Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_station and @ISS_Research on X, as well as the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.

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Crews Handing Over Responsibilities and Continuing Research

From left, Expedition 70 crewmates Konstantin Borisov, Andreas Mogensen, Jasmin Moghbeli, and Satoshi Furukawa are due to return to Earth aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft.
From left, Expedition 70 crewmates Konstantin Borisov, Andreas Mogensen, Jasmin Moghbeli, and Satoshi Furukawa are due to return to Earth aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft.

A pair of commercial crews is preparing to switch places onboard the International Space Station next week. The orbital residents are also continuing more space health studies and cargo activities.

Flight Engineers Matthew Dominick, Mike Barratt, Jeanette Epps, and Alexander Grebenkin are in the first week of a six-month space research mission. They spent a good portion of Thursday focusing on adapting to life in microgravity. The quartet joined each other midday and familiarized themselves with the locations and operations of emergency hardware throughout the orbital lab. The foursome then split up taking time to learn how to prepare food and drinks, use the restroom, and avoid cables and gear when maneuvering through passageways.

Barratt and Epps also joined homebound astronaut Satoshi Furukawa of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) as he demonstrated station systems such as crew quarters, radiation detectors, and ventilation maintenance. Grebenkin met with cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov who is handing over responsibility for the maintenance and control of the European robotic arm.

Dominick was back on human research checking the eyes of NASA Flight Engineer Loral O’Hara on Thursday afternoon. The duo worked in the Columbus laboratory module with Dominick using medical imaging hardware to view O’Hara’s retinas, cornea, and optic nerve for the CIPHER suite of 14 human research experiments. The eye portion of the CIPHER study is exploring how weightlessness affects eye structure and function and ways to protect vision on future planetary missions.

At the end of their shift, Furukawa and Borisov joined crewmates Jasmin Moghbeli of NASA and Andreas Mogensen of ESA (European Space Agency) preparing for their return to Earth next week. The homebound foursome spent a couple of hours coordinating with mission controllers from SpaceX and NASA and simulating undocking techniques. The quartet is targeted to depart the space station on Monday aboard the SpaceX Dragon “Endurance” spacecraft and parachute to a splashdown off the coast of Florida.

The departing crew has spent the week packing Dragon with station cargo and personal items for return. The “Endurance” crewmates have also been handing over mission responsibilities to their replacements to continue space research and maintain lab systems.

Moghbeli also spent a couple of hours Thursday on cardiac research processing cell samples in the Life Science Glovebox to learn how to treat space-caused and Earthbound heart conditions. Mogensen took turns with O’Hara swapping cargo in and out of Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus resupply ship.

Cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub, who will be staying in space a few more months, worked on electronics and battery maintenance and studied the dynamic forces the space station experiences orbiting Earth. Chub also partnered with Borisov testing a specialized suit that may help crews adapt quicker when returning to Earth’s gravity environment after several months in space.

Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_station and @ISS_Research on X, as well as the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.

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Ax-3 Nears Departure as Station Crew Picks Up Research

Four Expedition 70 astronauts pose for a fun portrait inside their crew quarters aboard the International Space Station's Harmony module.
Four Expedition 70 astronauts pose for a fun portrait inside their crew quarters aboard the International Space Station’s Harmony module.

Four private astronauts comprising the Axiom Mission 3 (Ax-3) crew continue to target Tuesday for their departure from the International Space Station and return to Earth. In the meantime, the seven Expedition 70 crew members are continuing their schedule of advanced microgravity research and orbital lab maintenance.

Ax-3 Commander Michael López-Alegría readied the SpaceX Dragon Freedom spacecraft for its undocking scheduled for no earlier than 9:05 a.m. EST on Tuesday. The veteran astronaut transferred emergency gear from Dragon into the station then stowed completed science experiments and their samples inside science freezers aboard the commercial spacecraft. NASA Flight Engineer Jasmin Moghbeli assisted with the emergency hardware transfers stowing masks, gloves, sensors, and medical kits, back inside the station. Station Commander Andreas Mogensen from ESA (European Space Agency) also helped the Ax-3 crew as they cleaned up inside the station and prepared for the return to Earth.

Mission managers continue to evaluate weather at the potential splashdown sites off the coast of Florida. The hatch closing and undocking will be broadcast live on the NASA+ streaming service, NASA TV, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website. Learn how to stream NASA TV through a variety of platforms, including social media.

The rest of the Ax-3 crew, including Pilot Walter Villadei and Mission Specialists Alper Gezeravcı and Marcus Wandt, also packed Dragon with return cargo such as personal items, computer and electronics gear, and more science experiments. The private crew is spending the rest of the day exercising, videotaping crew activities, and looking at the Earth below from the cupola.

Science continued aboard the orbital outpost on Monday as the Expedition 70 crew explored an array of life science topics including how weightlessness affects immunity and botany. The orbital residents also worked inside a pair of cargo spaceships and maintained critical life support systems.

NASA Flight Engineers Loral O’Hara and Moghbeli took turns unpacking some of the several tons of cargo packed inside the Northrop Grumman Cygnus space freighter. The pair later helped the Ax-3 crew stow science experiments and computer gear inside Dragon. Flight Engineer Satoshi Furukawa from JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) also assisted with the Cygnus cargo work then set up hardware to explore how plant-microbe interactions are affected in microgravity. Mogensen spent his morning processing his blood and saliva samples for an investigation exploring how a crew member’s immunity system changes during a space mission.

Roscosmos Flight Engineers Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub partnered together and tested the communications system inside the Progress 85 resupply ship before it departs the station next week. Kononenko then worked on cargo and fluid transfers inside the Progress 85. Chub moved into the Poisk module for computer maintenance. Flight Engineer Konstantin Borisov worked on hardware supporting a pair of Earth observation studies, inventoried ventilation hardware, and serviced orbital plumbing components.

Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_station and @ISS_Research on X, as well as the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.

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Orbital Outpost Prepares for Departure of Ax-3 Astronauts

The 11 crew members representing the Expedition 70 and Axiom Space 3 crews gather for a farewell ceremony calling down to mission controllers on Earth. Credit: NASA TV
The 11 crew members representing the Expedition 70 (red shirts) and Axiom Space 3 (dark blue suits) crews gather for a farewell ceremony calling down to mission controllers on Earth. Credit: NASA TV

The Expedition 70 and Axiom Mission 3 (Ax-3) crews called down to Mission Control on Friday for a farewell ceremony as the four private astronauts target their departure for Saturday morning. The orbital residents aboard the International Space Station worked just half-a-day packing the SpaceX Dragon Freedom spacecraft before going to bed early to get ready for the spacecraft’s undocking.

The Ax-3 private astronauts are in their final day aboard the orbital outpost following two weeks of science and educational activities. The foursome, led by Commander Michael López-Alegría, is currently targeted to undock inside Dragon from the Harmony module’s forward port at 6:05 a.m. EST on Saturday. López-Alegría, along with Pilot Walter Villadei and Mission Specialists Alper Gezeravcı and Marcus Wandt, will then parachute inside Dragon to the splashdown site where support personnel from Axiom Space and SpaceX await their arrival. Mission managers will receive a final weather report before giving the Ax-3 quartet the final go for a splashdown off the coast of Florida.

Space station Commander Andreas Mogensen from ESA (European Space Agency) helped the Ax-3 crewmates wrap up their mission activities helping reconfigure the orbital lab for standard crew operations. NASA Flight Engineers Jasmin Moghbeli and Loral O’Hara joined in and retrieved station emergency gear from Dragon and stowed science hardware inside the returning spacecraft.

Earlier, O’Hara partnered with astronaut Satoshi Furukawa from JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) and transferred research samples from the newly arrived Cygnus cargo craft into science freezers aboard the station. Furukawa later swapped out research hardware that supports botany and biology experiments with a minimum of astronaut intervention inside the Columbus laboratory module.

Cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub packed the Progress 85 resupply ship, docked to the Zvezda service module’s rear port, with trash and discarded items before it ends its cargo mission and undocks later this month. Flight Engineer Konstantin Borisov spent his shift configuring a variety of experiment hardware. Borisov serviced a camera that observes Earth’s atmosphere in ultraviolet wavelengths, charged hardware that documents crew interactions with mission controllers from around the world, then deactivated medical gear that continuously monitors a crew member’s blood pressure.

Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_station and @ISS_Research on X, as well as the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.

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NASA Science Arrives on Cygnus; Private Astronauts Prepare for Return

The Cygnus space freighter, with its two cymbal-shaped UltraFlex solar arrays, is pictured in the grips of the Canadarm2 robotic arm after its capture on Feb. 1, 2024.
The Cygnus space freighter, with its two cymbal-shaped UltraFlex solar arrays, is pictured in the grips of the Canadarm2 robotic arm after its capture on Feb. 1, 2024.

As part of NASA’s commercial resupply services, Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus cargo craft arrived at the International Space Station today packed with science and supplies for the Expedition 70 crew. The seven orbital outpost residents now turn their attention to the departure of four Axiom Mission 3 (Ax-3) visitors.

Cygnus was captured with the Canadarm2 robotic arm controlled by NASA Flight Engineer Loral O’Hara at 4:59 a.m. EST on Thursday. Shortly afterward, mission controllers on the ground took over control of the Canadarm2 and installed Cygnus to the Unity module’s Earth-facing port at 7:14 a.m.

About three hours later, O’Hara and NASA Flight Engineer Jasmin Moghbeli equalized pressure between Cygnus and the space station then opened Cygnus’ hatch to begin six months of cargo operations. They were followed by Commander Andreas Mogensen of ESA (European Space Agency) and Flight Engineer Satoshi Furukawa of JAXA (Japan Aerospace  Exploration Agency) who began unpacking new research samples and stowing them inside lab freezers for upcoming science investigations.

Mogensen also helped the four Ax-3 astronauts prepare for their departure from the station aboard the SpaceX Dragon Freedom spacecraft for no earlier than Saturday morning. Mission managers from Axiom Space, SpaceX, and NASA are monitoring weather conditions at the splashdown site off the coast of Florida before making a final undocking decision.

Ax-3 astronauts Michael López-Alegría and Walter Villadei packed completed science experiments in lab freezers and prepared them for stowage aboard their Dragon spacecraft Thursday morning. The duo then joined fellow Ax-3 crewmates Alper Gezeravcı and Marcus Wandt for a conference with mission controllers discussing the cargo that will be returning with them aboard Dragon.

All four private astronauts will join the seven-member Expedition 70 crew at 9:50 a.m. Friday, Feb. 2, for a farewell ceremony aboard the space station. The event will be broadcast live on the NASA+ streaming service, NASA TV, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website. Learn how to stream NASA TV through a variety of platforms, including social media.

The orbiting lab’s three cosmonauts worked throughout Thursday on their complement of science and cargo activities in the station’s Roscosmos segment. Flight Engineers Nikolai Chub and Konstantin Borisov carried out an Earth observation experiment to support educational and commercial opportunities on Earth. Afterward, Chub conducted a fluid physics study while Borisov began a 24-hour blood pressure monitoring session. Borisov later installed an ultraviolet camera to capture nighttime imagery of Earth’s atmosphere. Veteran cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko inventoried cargo in the Prichal docking module then stowed cargo inside the Progress 85 resupply ship docked to the rear of the Zvezda service module.

NASA will share more on Axiom Mission 3’s departure as available following the next weather review. The mission is the third private astronaut mission to the space station enabled by NASA.

Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_station and @ISS_Research on X, as well as the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.

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Cygnus Installed on Station; Cargo Ops Begin

The Cygnus space freighter is pictured attached to the space station as the Canadarm2 robotic arm prepares to grapple the cargo craft.
The Cygnus space freighter is pictured attached to the space station as the Canadarm2 robotic arm prepares to grapple the cargo craft.

Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus spacecraft installation on the International Space Station is now complete. Cygnus, carrying over 8,200 pounds of cargo and science experiments. At 4:59 a.m., NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara, with NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli acting as backup, captured Cygnus using the International Space Station’s Canadarm2 robotic arm.

The mission launched at 12:07 p.m. EST Jan. 30 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

Cygnus will remain at the space station until May when it will depart the orbiting laboratory at which point it will harmlessly burn up in the Earth’s atmosphere.

Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_station and @ISS_Research on X, as well as the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.

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