ISS - Expedition 61 Mission patch.
January 17, 2020
The Expedition 61 crew split its time today between upcoming spacewalk preparations and continuous microgravity research. SpaceX is also preparing for a final test of its commercial crew ship before it launches humans.
The International Space Station is bustling with activity as two astronauts keep their U.S. spacesuits ready for another spacewalk set for Monday at 6:50 a.m. EST. NASA Flight Engineers Jessica Meir and Christina Koch will wrap up installing new lithium-ion batteries upgrading the orbiting lab’s power systems. NASA TV will start its live coverage at 5:30 a.m.
Image above: NASA astronauts Christina Koch (left) and Jessica Meir work on their U.S. spacesuits. Image Credit: NASA.
The spacewalking duo also had time for science work in their busy schedule today. Koch provided inputs on how spaceflight is impacting her cognition and documented her meals for a nutrition study. Meir also documented her nutritional intake before researching how flames spread in space.
Andrew Morgan of NASA worked on a secondary nutrition study that may produce vitamins and dietary supplements to support future long-term missions. Commander Luca Parmitano of ESA (European Space Agency) had hearing checks today then moved on with Morgan to support Monday’s spacewalkers.
International Space Station (ISS). Animation Credit: NASA
Flight Engineer Alexander Skvortsov of Roscosmos spent the day researching ways to maintain sterile conditions while conducting biotechnology experiments in space. Fellow cosmonaut Oleg Skripochka serviced combustion research gear and Earth observation hardware before exploring crew behavior.
The Commercial Crew Program is set for a critical milestone as SpaceX readies its Dragon crew ship for major test. The uncrewed Crew Dragon vehicle will blast off atop a Falcon 9 rocket on Saturday at 8 a.m. and demonstrate its ability to safely escape in the event of a launch failure.
Related links:
Expedition 61: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition61/index.html
Cognition: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=1125
Nutrition study: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7562
How flames spread: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7886
Vitamins and dietary supplements: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7400
Hearing checks: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7898
Sterile conditions: https://www.energia.ru/en/iss/researches/biology/02.html
Combustion research gear: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Facility.html?#id=317
Earth observation hardware: https://www.energia.ru/en/iss/researches/study/09.html
Crew behavior: https://www.energia.ru/en/iss/researches/human/01.html
Commercial Crew Program: https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/commercial/crew/index.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
Image (mentioned), Animation (mentioned), Text, Credits: NASA/Mark Garcia.
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