April 29, 2024

Soaring Higher: Space Crops, Manufacturing Advances, and Orbital Boosts at the ISS

Roscosmos cosmonaut and Expedition 69 Flight Engineer Sergey Prokopyev is pictured in his Orlan spacesuit throughout a six-hour and 35-minute spacewalk to set up orbital particles guards and transfer a portable workstation on the International Space Station. NASA Flight Engineer Frank Rubio set up seed bags for the Plant Habitat-03B research study to understand how characteristics of plants grown in area change from one generation to the next. The investigation looks for to develop a remarkable graphene aerogel, a synthetic product with high porosity and low density, in microgravity benefitting both Earth and area markets such as power storage, environmental security, and chemical noticing. Exploration 69 Flight Engineers Dmitri Petelin (leading) and Sergey Prokopyev (center), both from Roscosmos, are visualized in their Orlan spacesuits throughout a 35-minute and six-hour spacewalk to install orbital particles guards and move a portable workstation on the International Space Station. The Northrop Grumman Cygnus freight spacecrafts delta speed thruster fired at 10:35 a.m. EDT Friday for 22 minutes, 48 seconds in a reboost of the International Space Station.

Roscosmos cosmonaut and Expedition 69 Flight Engineer Sergey Prokopyev is visualized in his Orlan spacesuit throughout a 35-minute and six-hour spacewalk to set up orbital particles shields and relocate a portable workstation on the International Space Station. The European robotic arm extends from the Nauka science module to which the Prichal module and the Soyuz MS-23 team ship are attached. Credit: NASA
Botany and physics topped the research schedule as spacewalk clean-up tasks continued aboard the International Space Station on Friday, August 11. The Expedition 69 crew likewise focused on life assistance maintenance as a U.S. freight craft fired its engines to improve the orbital outpost.
Sustaining crews individually of cargo missions and making the most of microgravity for much better manufacturing strategies are crucial targets for NASAs and its global partners research programs. Fridays science specifically looked at growing crops in area and advancing production techniques.
Plant Studies and Manufacturing Techniques
NASA Flight Engineer Frank Rubio set up seed bags for the Plant Habitat-03B research study to comprehend how attributes of plants grown in space modification from one generation to the next. Results might notify ways to grow duplicated generations of area crops to support future crewed objectives.

UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut and Expedition 69 Flight Engineer Sultan Alneyadi establishes physics research study hardware in the Destiny lab modules Microgravity Science Glovebox. The investigation looks for to create a superior graphene aerogel, an artificial material with high porosity and low density, in microgravity benefitting both Earth and space markets such as power storage, environmental management, and chemical picking up. Credit: NASA
Life Support Maintenance
The duo likewise assisted NASA Flight Engineer Woody Hoburg who worked throughout Friday swapping life assistance gear in the Tranquility module. NASA Flight Engineer Stephen Bowen helped his crewmates on Friday photographing Alneyadis research study work and helping Hoburg during his life support upkeep.
Spacewalk Cleanup and Tools Stowage
Cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin continued cleaning their spacesuits and stowing tools and devices following Wednesdays spacewalk to set up orbital debris guards and relocate a portable workstation. Roscosmos Flight Engineer Andrey Fedyaev assisted with the spacewalk cleanup work finalizing operations with the European robotic arm and stowing medical kits on Friday.
Expedition 69 Flight Engineers Dmitri Petelin (top) and Sergey Prokopyev (center), both from Roscosmos, are envisioned in their Orlan spacesuits throughout a 35-minute and six-hour spacewalk to install orbital particles shields and relocate a portable workstation on the International Space Station. The European robotic arm extends from the Nauka science module to which the Prichal module and the Soyuz MS-23 crew ship are connected. Credit: NASA
ISS Reboost and Altitude Adjustment
The Northrop Grumman Cygnus freight spacecrafts delta velocity thruster fired at 10:35 a.m. EDT Friday for 22 minutes, 48 seconds in a reboost of the International Space Station. The prepared maneuver was developed to additional refine the phasing for the Roscosmos Progress 85 freight spacecraft launch on Tuesday, August 22, from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, and its docking to the station Thursday, August 24. It was among two arranged reboosts to target the proper trajectory for the Roscosmos Soyuz MS-24 launch and two-orbit rendezvous to the orbiting complex on September 15, as well as the Soyuz MS-23 undocking and landing on September 27.
Northrop Grummans Cygnus cargo craft is pictured minutes away from being caught by the Canadarm2 robotic arm controlled by NASA astronaut and Expedition 69 Flight Engineer Woody Hoburg from inside the International Space Station on August 4, 2023. Credit: NASA
The reboost also continued the certification of using Cygnus as a second spacecraft presently capable of carrying out such a maneuver. The Cygnus reboost increased the stations elevation by 3/10 of a mile at apogee and 2.8 miles at perigee and put the space station in an orbit of 262.5 x 257.6 statute miles.
Preparations for SpaceX Crew-7 Mission
Crew members who will soon fly aboard NASAs SpaceX Crew-7 mission will get in quarantine Friday in one of the significant milestones before they head to the launch website in Florida to start their objective to the International Space Station. The companys Falcon 9 rocket is targeted to introduce Crew-7 no earlier than 3:49 a.m. EDT on Friday, Aug. 25 from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy.