As the astromaterials curation team at NASA's Johnson Space Center continues to collect the bonus asteroid Bennu particles located outside the OSIRIS-REx TAGSAM (Touch-and-Go Sample Acquisition Mechanism) head, they've also completed additional steps toward disassembly and reveal of the bulk asteroid sample inside the head. Curation scientists removed 14 circular witness plates from the top …
Spacewalk preparations topped the schedule for the Expedition 70 crew aboard the International Space Station on Friday. NASA managers previewed the spacewalks at the end of the week that will see astronauts exiting the orbital lab to collect microbe samples and service a variety of hardware. Flight Engineer Loral O’Hara of NASA and space station …
In the early hours of Oct. 6, workers transported NASA's Psyche spacecraft to the SpaceX hangar at Launch Complex 39A at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in preparation for launch. Earlier in the week, technicians completed encapsulation of the spacecraft, along with the DSOC (Deep Space Optical Communications) technology demonstration, inside a clean room at …
Payloads: B Complex: Optical Coherence Tomography 2 (OCT2) Exams were performed. Some astronauts experience swelling near where the optic nerve attaches at the back of the eye, part of a condition called Spaceflight-Associated Neuro-ocular Syndrome (SANS). Evidence exists that genetics and B vitamin status predispose some astronauts to develop this condition. A Nutraceutical SANS Countermeasure …
Spacesuit preparations took a break on Thursday as the Expedition 70 crew turned its attention it to human research including behavioral studies, eye exams, and a fitness evaluation. The International Space Station residents also focused on an array of science hardware maintenance and orbital plumbing tasks. NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara spent her day participating in …
Payloads: Complement of Integrated Protocols for Human Exploration Research on Varying Mission Durations (CIPHER): The sample Collection setup was completed. The CIPHER investigation aims to improve our understanding of physiological and psychological changes in humans on missions that range from weeks to one year in duration. Conducting the same research over missions of different durations …
The Expedition 70 crew continues preparing for a pair of spacewalks for science and maintenance outside the International Space Station. The orbital residents are also studying space piloting, observing Earth, and working on a treadmill today. NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen are getting ready for their first spacewalk …
Payloads: Actiwatch-Plus: The HRF-1 rack was configured and Actiwatch-plus devices were hooked up for battery charge and data downlink. The Actiwatch-Plus is a waterproof, non-intrusive, sleep-wake activity monitor worn on the wrist of a crewmember and contains a miniature uniaxial accelerometer that produces a signal as the subject moves. The data is stored in non-volatile …
After years of anticipation and hard work by NASA's OSIRIS-REx (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification and Security – Regolith Explorer) team, a capsule of rocks and dust collected from asteroid Bennu returned to Earth on Sept. 24 in a targeted area of the Department of Defense's Utah Test and Training Range near Salt Lake City. …
Spacewalk preparations and exercise gear maintenance were the primary tasks for the Expedition 70 crew aboard the International Space Station on Tuesday. Hearing tests and a variety of science and hardware tasks rounded out the day’s plan for the orbital crewmates. Three astronauts are stepping up preparations for a pair of spacewalks planned this month …
