ISS - Expedition 49 Mission patch.
October 1, 2016
BEAM, the new expandable module attached to the International Space Station, was opened up today for tests and equipment checks. The Expedition 49 crew also explored eating right in space, adapting to new technology and studied a variety of other life science and physics research.
Flight Engineer Kate Rubins opened up and entered the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module on September 29, 2016. She temporarily installed gear inside BEAM for a test to measure the loads and vibrations the module experiences. Rubins started her day with a performance test on a mobile tablet device then videotaped her observations of the living conditions aboard the space station.
Image above: BEAM, the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module, is pictured installed on the Tranquility module and expanded to its full-size volume. Image Credit: NASA.
Japanese astronaut Takuya Onishi started an 11-day run today to document his meals while wearing a monitor that will take water samples and measure his breathing. The ENERGY experiment will help doctor’s understand metabolism in space and ensure astronauts are properly nourished to maintain the energy required for a long-term mission. Onishi is also continuing to set up the Group Combustion fuel burning study and checked for pressure leaks in the experiment gear.
In the Russian side of the orbital laboratory, Commander Anatoly Ivanishin resumed studying charged particle systems trapped in a magnetic field. He also participated in a pair of Earth photography experiments observing how natural and man-made disasters including industrial activities affect the land and sea.
Expedition 49 Trio Wrapping Up Busy September
September was a busy month on the International Space Station filled with a wide variety of space research, a spacewalk, a crew departure and a test of the new BEAM module. One science highlight this month includes a new experiment that may improve how medicine works.
This week, astronaut Kate Rubins tested the endurance of the new Bigelow Expandable Aerospace Module in the vacuum of space. She also explored how solids dissolve in liquids to help the medicine industry design better performing drugs for humans on Earth and astronauts in space.
Image above: Astronaut Kate Rubins works on an experiment inside the Microgravity Science Glovebox. Image Credit: NASA.
A new fuel burning study is about to start soon after Japanese astronaut Takuya Onishi completes the installation of the Group Combustion experiment. Results from the fire research could help engineers design advanced rocket engines and industrial furnaces. Onishi is also documenting his meals over the next few days for the ENERGY study. Onishi’s meal data in conjunction with his water and breath samples will help scientists understand the nutritional requirements necessary for long-term space missions.
Cosmonaut Anatoly Ivanishin, who took command of Expedition 49 on Sept. 6, has been working on the continuous upkeep of the Russian segment of the space station. The veteran cosmonaut has been preparing a Progress resupply ship for its Oct. 14 undocking. Some of the numerous Russian science experiments Ivanishin has been conducting have been observing the condition of the Earth and exploring human research.
Related links:
Bigelow Expandable Activity Module: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/1804.html
ENERGY experiment: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/397.html
Group Combustion fuel burning study: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/1077.html
Charged particle systems study: http://www.energia.ru/en/iss/researches/popular/02.html
Natural and man-made disasters: http://www.energia.ru/en/iss/researches/study/09.html
Industrial activities: http://www.energia.ru/en/iss/researches/study/10.html
Solids dissolve in liquids: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/2275.html
Space Station Research and Technology: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/index.html
International Space Station (ISS): https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html
Images (mentioned), Text, Credits: NASA/Mark Garcia.
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