ISS - International Space Station emblem.
May 17, 2022
In brief
April 2022 was an exciting month for Europe in space. After a few weather-related delays, ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti was launched to the International Space Station on 27 April with Crew-4 for her second mission, Minerva. She was welcomed aboard the International Space Station by Matthias Maurer, marking the first time since 2011 that two ESA astronauts had been together in orbit.
ESA astronauts Samantha Cristoforetti and Matthias Maurer
In-depth
On 9 April, Crew Dragon Endeavour, which previously transported ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet to and from the Station with Crew-2, arrived with four private crew members on board. Known as Axiom-1, this mission was expected to last just over a week, but nature had other plans. Due to unfavourable conditions at the landing site, the Axiom crew ended up staying 17 days, carrying out much of their mission activity from Europe’s Columbus module.
Mission Minerva meets Cosmic Kiss | Two astronauts in orbit
Meanwhile, Matthias wasted no time, spending the final month of his mission immersed in science and operations – from arteries to alloys and treadmill maintenance.
Aging astronaut arteries
Did you know, that after six months in space, an astronauts' arteries stiffen by 17% to 30%? This is the equivalent of 10-20 years of normal aging on Earth. Vascular Aging is the latest experiment in the Canadian Space Agency’s Vascular series, which also includes Vascular, Vascular Echo and Vascular Calcium. This experiment series aims to deepen our understanding of the effects of microgravity on the cardiovascular system.
Using Space to Fight Cardiovascular Disease with Astronaut Tim Peake (CSA-ASC)
Vascular and Vascular Echo used blood tests and ultrasound technology to examine astronauts' blood vessels. Vascular Aging and Vascular Calcium aim to investigate other issues known to pose risks to astronauts' health, such as radiation and insulin resistance – a precursor of Type 2 diabetes. Matthias is the fifth of nine astronauts to participate in Vascular Aging and will continue to undergo blood tests and resting ultrasound tests for this experiment on Earth.
See-through science
One of the experiments that will be ongoing throughout Samantha’s Minerva mission is Transparent Alloys. In April, Matthias placed hardware for the material sciences study in the Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG) and installed a sample cartridge.
ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer works on Transparent Alloys experiment
Alloys are everywhere, from the smartphone in your pocket to aircraft. Making lighter, resistant, self-healing or even supple alloys benefits industry and consumers alike. But to do that, scientists need to improve their understanding of melting-solidification processes in alloys and have sent organic compounds to the Space Station as analogues to experiment with. Each compound was carefully chosen to be transparent, while solidifying like a metal, and is being observed on the Space Station in microgravity.
Matthias also removed the Solidification and Quenching Furnace (SQF) from the Materials Science Laboratory and installed the Low Gradient Furnace (LGF) for an experiment studying crystal growth that should commence in May. The zinc selenide-based crystals being studied are integral to special optical applications on Earth including infrared lasers and optical wavelength conversion devices.
Jack and Jill of all trades
Astronauts play many roles. As well as assisting with science and research, they must also keep the Station clean and maintain its facilities.
As part of regular maintenance to ensure the T2 treadmill is in good working order, the crew carried out a thorough inspection. Though the treadmill had experienced some issues during Expedition 66, the crew found no damage. Good news for our cosmic gym-junkies.
While astronauts are well trained and familiar with the Station’s many facilities, it is impossible to prepare for everything they might face during a mission. Onboard training is a regular feature of an astronaut’s activities while in space. This training usually takes the form of short videos that help crew get familiar with potentially unexpected tasks and tasks for which there simply wasn’t time to extensively train on-ground.
Matthias Maurer tests technology for virtual reality training in orbit
Earlier in his mission, Matthias tested out VR-OBT, an onboard training system that uses a virtual reality headset provided by French space agency CNES. The testing provided some essential insights into the performance of a VR headset on the Space Station and these insights are already paving the way for the next generation of space-bound virtual reality hardware and training content.
Space is a challenging environment; micro-gravity, altered magnetic fields, and cosmic radiation can all pay havoc with space-borne electronics. Ultimately the VR headset performed better than expected but it was clear that some work is still needed to make VR a regular part of life on orbit. This story is to be continued. Stay tuned for more throughout Samantha’s mission.
More information about Matthias’s Cosmic Kiss mission and Samantha’s mission Minerva, visit the ESA mission webpages.
Related links:
Cosmic Kiss: https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Human_and_Robotic_Exploration/Cosmic_kiss
Minerva: https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Human_and_Robotic_Exploration/Minerva
Human and Robotic Exploration: https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Human_and_Robotic_Exploration
International Space Station (ISS): https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Human_and_Robotic_Exploration/International_Space_Station
Images, Videos, Text, Credits: ESA/NASA/CSA-ASC.
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