Spacesuits and Space Biology Fill Day Aboard Space Station
Spacesuits and space biology were the main focus on Tuesday as the Expedition 72 crew aboard the International Space Station gets ready for a spacewalk and keeps up critical research.
Flight Engineers Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner from Roscosmos worked throughout the day inside the Poisk module where they are getting ready for the year's final spacewalk. Vagner first conducted leak checks on Poisk's airlock hatch where the cosmonauts will exit into the vacuum of space at 10:10 a.m. EST on Thursday, Dec. 19. Next, the duo paired up activating and inspecting their individual Orlan spacesuits, installing batteries, and removing excess gasses and liquids from the suits they will wear during the spacewalk. The cosmonauts are expected to spend about six hours and 40 minutes removing external science experiments and relocating European robotic arm hardware.
Station Commander Suni Williams was back inside the Quest airlock on Tuesday checking out and replacing components on a U.S. spacesuit. Afterward, she joined NASA Flight Engineer Butch Wilmore for eye exams with the Ultrasound 2 device. The duo took turns scanning each other's eyes as doctors on the ground monitored in real-time the condition of each astronaut's cornea, lens, and optic nerve. Wilmore also transferred cargo between the Kibo and Columbus laboratory modules then installed air quality sensors inside Quest.
NASA Flight Engineer Don Pettit started his day reconfiguring and cleaning a pair of research incubators, one of which can generate artificial gravity, inside the Kibo lab module. He later joined Wilmore who scanned Pettit's eyes with the Ultrasound 2 then assisted him with the cargo transfers between Kibo and Columbus. Pettit also reviewed procedures for an upcoming cancer and disease detection study.
Flight Engineer Nick Hague of NASA explored the potential of micro-algae as a way to remove carbon dioxide, produce oxygen, and grow food on spacecraft. Hague processed sample containers for installation inside the BioLab research facility to understand the effects of radiation and microgravity on the micro-algae and learn how to sustain crews on missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.
Hague, who is also the commander of the SpaceX Crew-9 mission, joined his crewmates Williams, Wilmore, and cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov inside the Dragon crew spacecraft for a departure training session at the end of the day. Hague and Gorbunov launched together on Dragon to the orbital outpost on Sept. 28. They will return to Earth in the spring with Williams and Wilmore.
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