ISS - Expedition 67 Mission patch.
July 20, 2022
International Space Station (ISS). Animation Credit: NASA
A Russian cosmonaut and an Italian astronaut are finalizing preparations for a spacewalk on Thursday to configure the International Space Station’s third and newest robotic arm. As the pair was being assisted by two cosmonauts the rest of the Expedition 67 crew ensured ongoing advanced space research was proceeding full speed ahead aboard the orbiting lab.
Station Commander Oleg Artemyev of Roscosmos and Flight Engineer Samantha Cristoforetti of ESA (European Space Agency) are scheduled to exit the space station into the vacuum of space at 10 a.m. EDT on Thursday. The spacewalkers will spend about seven hours readying the European robotic arm for operations on the station’s Russian segment. The duo will also deploy 10 nanosatellites to collect radio electronics data. NASA TV begins its live spacewalk coverage at 9:30 a.m. on the agency’s app and website.
Image above: The European robotic arm extends out from the Nauka multipurpose laboratory module during a mobility test. Image Credit: NASA.
Artemyev and Cristoforetti spent Wednesday reviewing their spacewalk procedures and checking Orlan spacesuit components. They were assisted throughout the day by cosmonauts Denis Matveev and Sergey Korsakov who will monitor the spacewalkers and help them in and out of their Orlan spacesuits on Thursday.
Science operations continued rolling ahead as the rest of the orbital residents explored space-caused accelerated aging, advanced drug development methods, and state-of-the-art optical fiber manufacturing techniques.
Image above: Cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev waves to the camera while working outside the Nauka multipurpose laboratory module during a spacewalk on April 18, 2022, that lasted for six hours and 37 minutes to outfit Nauka and configure the European robotic arm on the International Space Station's Russian segment. Image Credit: NASA.
NASA Flight Engineers Bob Hines and Jessica Watkins took turns today exploring how microgravity affects the human immune system. Hines first set up tissue samples inside the Kibo laboratory module’s Life Science Glovebox. Afterward, Watkins examined the stem cell samples using a microscope inside the U.S. Destiny laboratory module. Watkins also spent a few moments today checking samples for the Fiber Optic Production-2 space manufacturing study.
NASA Flight Engineer Kjell Lindgren studied the mechanisms of protein crystals growing without the influence of Earth’s gravity. Observations from the Advanced Nano Step investigation may improve biochemistry research and advance the production of materials and drugs in space. Lindgren then checked on a water recycling study and stowed its hardware for return to Earth.
Related articles:
NASA Sets Coverage for Russian, European Spacewalk
https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-sets-coverage-for-russian-european-spacewalk
First spacewalk for Samantha Cristoforetti
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/07/first-spacewalk-for-samantha.html
Related links:
NASA TV: https://www.nasa.gov/live
Expedition 67: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition67/index.html
Human immune system: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=8343
Kibo laboratory module: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/structure/elements/japan-kibo-laboratory
Life Science Glovebox: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Facility.html?#id=7676
U.S. Destiny laboratory module: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/structure/elements/us-destiny-laboratory
Fiber Optic Production-2: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=8214
Advanced Nano Step: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7468
Water recycling study: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=8369
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
Animation (mentioned), Images (mentioned), Text, Credits: NASA/Mark Garcia.
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