ISS - Expedition 63 Mission patch.
September 2, 2020
The Expedition 63 crew serviced a variety of International Space Station hardware today ensuring research, power and life support systems continue operating in good condition. Heart research and team psychology studies also filled today’s science schedule.
Commander Chris Cassidy of NASA wrapped up science rack swap work that he began on Monday. He finished moving and reinstalling three advanced science facilities, known as EXPRESS racks, in three different lab modules. The rack exchanges will support future experiments being delivered on an upcoming Cygnus resupply mission from Northrop Grumman.
Image above: The Northrop Grumman Antares rocket, with Cygnus resupply spacecraft onboard, launches from Pad-0A, Saturday, Nov. 17, 2018, at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. Northrop Grumman's 14th contracted cargo resupply mission for NASA to the International Space Station will deliver science and research, crew supplies and vehicle hardware to the orbital laboratory and its crew. Image Credits: NASA/Joel Kowsky.
Afterward, Cassidy collected water samples from the potable water dispenser for analysis on Earth and on the station. The veteran astronaut also inspected U.S. module hatches and replaced pipes in the orbiting lab’s restroom, known as the Waster and Hygiene Compartment.
Three-time space station cosmonaut Anatoly Ivanishin strapped himself on an exercise bike this morning for an assessment of his cardiac activity in space. First-time space flyer Ivan Vagner assisted Ivanishin attaching sensors to the test subject and monitoring his activities during the hour-long test.
Image above: The well-lit Middle Eastern cities along the Persian Gulf coast of the Arabian Peninsula to the north of Iran were photographed from the International Space Station during an orbital night pass. Image Credit: NASA.
The Russian duo then checked battery temperatures and connections before studying how international space crews interact with mission controllers around the world. Ivanishin went on to set up advanced Earth observation gear while Vagner worked on power system diagnostics.
Related links:
Expedition 63: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition63/index.html
EXPRESS racks: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Facility.html?#id=598
Crews interact with mission controllers: https://www.energia.ru/en/iss/researches/human/18.html
Advanced Earth observation gear: https://www.energia.ru/en/iss/researches/study/09.html
Space Station Research and Technology: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/overview.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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