May 17, 2024

Space Gardening, Prepping Spacesuits, and Descent Training on the International Space Station

The Soyuz MS-24 spacecraft that brought NASA astronaut Loral OHara and Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub to the International Space Station is pictured docked to the Rassvet module. At far left, is the Soyuz MS-23 crew ship, docked to the Prichal docking module, that will return NASA astronaut Frank Rubio and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin back to Earth on September 27. Expedition 69 Flight Engineers (from left) Jasmin Moghbeli, Loral OHara, and Frank Rubio, all NASA astronauts, present for a portrait aboard the International Space Stations Unity module. The Soyuz MS-24 spacecraft (foreground) that carried NASA astronaut Loral OHara and Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub to the International Space Station is envisioned docked to the Rassvet module.

Expedition 69 Flight Engineers (from left) Jasmin Moghbeli, Loral OHara, and Frank Rubio, all NASA astronauts, present for a picture aboard the International Space Stations Unity module. All 3 crew members were chosen as part of the NASA astronaut class of 2017. Credit: NASA
Mogensen then moved into some space gardening, harvesting the last round of Arabidopsis plants, part of the Plant Habitat-03 investigation. The experiment aims to assist researchers much better understand how adjustments of plants in one generation could move to the next, provided the ecological stress of the microgravity environment. Research study as such provides a variety of scientific information that can be used on future area missions.
Ahead of eye examinations, Furukawa invested his morning in the Kibo Laboratory Module, setting up strong combustion into the Multipurpose Payload Rack, research of this magnitude assisting enhance fuel efficiency and fire safety both on orbit and on Earth.
Flight Engineer Loral OHara of NASA was joined by Mogensen and NASA astronaut Frank Rubio in the morning to set up and replace batteries restraint straps and helmet lights to spacesuits in preparation for a round of U.S. spacewalks in October.
The Soyuz MS-24 spacecraft (foreground) that carried NASA astronaut Loral OHara and Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub to the International Space Station is envisioned docked to the Rassvet module. In the back, is the Soyuz MS-23 crew ship, docked to the Prichal docking module, that will return NASA astronaut Frank Rubio and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin back to Earth on September 27. Credit: NASA
After spacesuit upkeep, Rubio was signed up with by Commander Sergey Prokopyev and Flight Engineer Dmitiri Petelin of Roscosmos to train on the descent of the Soyuz spacecraft theyll take home in just a few brief days. After spending over a year in area, the three long-serving locals will undock from the stations Prichal Module at 3:55 a.m. EDT on Wednesday, September 27. Following a quick trip back home, they will land in Kazakhstan at 7:17 a.m
. The 3 other team members of Roscosmos broke up the orbital duties today. Flight Engineer Konstantin Borisov conducted upkeep activities in the Nauka module, while Oleg Kononenko put on a sensor-packed cap to practice piloting methods and check out how spacecraft can be managed on future planetary missions as part of the ongoing Pilot-T examination. Powered on earlier today, the EarthKam– a digital electronic camera mounted on the station that is from another location managed by students to take pictures of Earth– was shut off and stowed for future use by Flight Engineer Nikolai Chub.

The Soyuz MS-24 spacecraft that carried NASA astronaut Loral OHara and Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub to the International Space Station is visualized docked to the Rassvet module. At far left, is the Soyuz MS-23 crew ship, docked to the Prichal docking module, that will return NASA astronaut Frank Rubio and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin back to Earth on September 27. Credit: NASA
Expedition 69 team aboard the ISS engaged in a range of tasks, from area gardening and research to suit preparations and descent training, showcasing the collaborative spirit of area objectives.
Friday, September 22, was a hectic day for the Expedition 69 crew ahead of their off-duty weekend aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Getting ready for upcoming team departures and October spacewalks, health exams, and area gardening topped the ten crew members research study schedules.
Flight Engineer Jasmin Moghbeli of NASA began her day with orbital pipes and upkeep on the EXPRESS racks, payloads utilized for keeping research study experiments. After lunch, she continued station upkeep jobs, removing and troubleshooting lights and examining the stations cupola, or “window to the world.” Later on in the day, Moghbeli was joined once again by ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) Flight Engineer Satoshi Furukawa for another round of eye examinations.