mardi 12 juillet 2022

Health Checks, Space Gardening as Spacewalk Preps Ramp Up

 







ISS - Expedition 67 Mission patch.


July 12, 2022

The Expedition 67 crew members kicked off Tuesday with health checks before moving on to space agriculture and spacewalk preparations. The International Space Station’s residents also worked on a host of life support systems and cargo operations.

NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins began her day setting up the Health Maintenance System in the U.S. Destiny laboratory module. She and fellow astronauts Kjell Lindgren, Bob Hines, and Samantha Cristoforetti, took turns during the morning measuring their temperatures, blood pressures, pulses, and respiratory rates.


Image above: Astronauts (from left) Jessica Watkins and Samantha Cristoforetti are pictured inside the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) during cargo stowage activities. Image Credit: NASA.

Afterward, Watkins replaced components on a life support device that ensures oxygen and carbon dioxide levels remain safe aboard the station. Hines restocked the Human Research Facility’s supply kit with sample tubes, gloves, and wipes. Watkins and Hines later partnered together stowing cargo inside the NanoRacks Bishop Airlock. Lindgren wrapped up work for the Intelligent Glass Optics experiment then checked radishes and mizuna greens growing for the XROOTS space gardening study that uses hydroponic and aeroponic techniques.

Cristoforetti joined Commander Oleg Artemyev and checked telemetry and communications gear on a pair of Russian Orlan spacesuits they will wear for a spacewalk planned for July 21. The duo will exit the Poisk airlock at 10 a.m. EDT and spend about seven hours configuring the European robotic arm (ERA) for operations.

International Space Station (ISS). Animation Credit: ESA

Roscosmos Flight Engineer Sergey Korsakov and Denis Matveev spent Tuesday preparing the station’s Russian segment for next week’s spacewalk activities. Korsakov continued checking out the ERA and its components from inside the Nauka multipurpose laboratory module. Flight Engineer Denis Matveev readied the Poisk module’s airlock for the two spacewalkers and closed Poisk’s hatch to the ISS Progress 80 cargo craft.

Related links:

Expedition 67: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition67/index.html

U.S. Destiny laboratory module: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/structure/elements/us-destiny-laboratory

Human Research Facility: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Facility.html?#id=67

NanoRacks Bishop Airlock: https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/spacetech/spinoff/New_Doorway_to_Space

Intelligent Glass Optics: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=8383

XROOTS: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=8088

Poisk airlock: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/structure/elements/poisk-mini-research-module-2

Nauka multipurpose laboratory module: https://www.roscosmos.ru/tag/nauka/

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

Image (mentioned), Animation (mentioned), Text, Credits: NASA/Mark Garcia.

Best regards, Orbiter.ch