The muscle, eye, and respiratory analysis that befell Friday on the Worldwide Area Station helps docs hold crews wholesome on long run house missions and informing doable remedies on Earth. The Expedition 72 crew members additionally explored house agriculture whereas engaged on spacesuits and emergency coaching.
NASA Flight Engineer Nick Hague hooked up electrodes to his legs that stimulated his muscular tissues for an investigation exploring methods to counteract space-caused muscular tissues loss. He labored within the Columbus laboratory module the place a management unit despatched electrical alerts thrilling his leg muscular tissues. Outcomes could enhance muscle operate, shorten exercise classes, and result in lighter train gear in house.
Afterward, Hague joined NASA Flight Engineer Don Pettit for eye exams utilizing customary medical imaging gear within the Concord module. Pettit assisted Hague as he peered into the optical machine whereas docs on the bottom noticed Hague’s eyes in actual time. Spaceflight may cause swelling the place the optic nerve attaches to the again of the attention. Researchers are exploring a B vitamin complement as a strategy to offset that situation, referred to as Spaceflight-Related Neuro-ocular Syndrome, or SANS, and defend astronauts as NASA and its worldwide companions plan missions to the Moon, Mars, and past.
Earlier, Pettit eliminated samples from contained in the Electrostatic Levitation Furnace (ELF) and stowed them inside a bag for return to Earth. The ELF, positioned contained in the Kibo laboratory module, safely heats supplies with a excessive melting temperature to check thermophysical properties unobtainable in Earth’s gravity. The advantages of microgravity analysis contained in the excessive temperature physics machine could result in the creation of recent supplies resulting in new industrial functions.
NASA astronaut and present house station Commander Suni Williams spent her day contained in the Quest airlock servicing spacesuit and spacewalking device batteries. NASA Flight Engineer Butch Wilmore additionally joined her activating communication and oxygen techniques and swapping life help gear on two spacesuits. Earlier in his shift, Wilmore thinned the leaves of Crimson Romaine lettuce vegetation rising inside Kibo’s Superior Plant Habitat. The lettuce is rising to check the best way to develop crops on future house missions.
Roscosmos Flight Engineers Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner partnered collectively and wore sensors measuring their exhalation price for an experiment to know how microgravity impacts the respiratory system. Flight Engineer Aleksandr Gorbunov labored on life help techniques all through Friday then wrapped up his shift putting in imaging {hardware} to watch Earth’s nighttime environment in ultraviolet wavelengths.
On the finish of the day, all seven Expedition 72 crew members gathered collectively and educated to make use of the Anomaly Fuel Analyzer (AGA) emergency {hardware}. The AGA can measure and detect gases within the station’s surroundings that will require the crew put on protecting masks. The orbital septet additionally reviewed ammonia leak emergency procedures then carried out a security convention with floor groups.
Study extra about station actions by following the house station weblog, @space_station and @ISS_Research on X, in addition to the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.
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