Blogs

Webb continues on its path to becoming a focused observatory. The team has successfully worked through the second and third out of seven total phases of mirror alignment. With the completion of these phases, called Segment Alignment and Image Stacking, the team will now begin making smaller adjustments to the positions of Webb's mirrors. After …

Payloads: Immersive Exercise: A crewmember gathered Immersive Exercise related hardware, performed a virtual reality (VR) headset calibration, ran the exercise session, filled out the questionnaire, and stowed items per the stowage notes. The Immersive Exercise project focuses on the development of a VR environment for biking sessions aboard the ISS. The VR equipment is interfaced …

Spacewalk preparations and cancer research were among the activities scheduled aboard the International Space Station on Thursday. The Expedition 66 crew also unpacked a U.S. cargo craft and explored using virtual reality while exercising. NASA astronauts Raja Chari and Kayla Barron began readying the U.S. Quest airlock and collecting tools ahead of a pair of …

This week, as the Webb team continues to make progress in aligning the telescope, other successful activities include the calibration of the NIRISS filter wheel and pupil wheel tuning for NIRCam. There are hundreds of activities like these planned during the commissioning process, and each is as important as the next to ensure that Webb …

Payloads: Colgate Skin Aging: One of the 6-Well Plates (S/N-001) was retrieved from SABL-1 and installed into the MSG for sampling and preservation of tissue samples. Deterioration of skin tissue is a normal part of aging but occurs over decades. Microgravity leads to changes in the human body very similar to aging, but these changes …

New human research is underway aboard the International Space Station using the microgravity environment to gain unique insights into aging skin cells and cancer tumors. The Expedition 66 crew also continues to unpack cargo from a U.S. cargo craft while keeping up with eye checks to ensure the crew stays healthy in space. Weightlessness provides …

By Abby Graf Imagine the feeling of flying on an airplane. Smooth sailing, clear skies, not a cloud in sight. It's a relaxing ride that many take for work or recreational travel. Now imagine flying through clouds, with the turbulence of different intensities. While some sink and hold onto their seats, others view it like …

Payloads: Colgate Skin Aging:  Colgate Skin Aging Samples were retrieved from MELFI cold stowage and were transferred into the SABL-1 unit.  The Colgate Skin Aging hardware was then setup inside the MSG (Microgravity Science Glovebox) to perform media changes by transferring skin tissue samples into the new 6-Well Plates, injecting new Media, and then inserting …

Dec. 4, 2021, Mount Semeru, one of the largest and most active volcanoes on the Indonesian island of Java, erupted. Ash, avalanches, and rivers of water and volcanic debris called lahars resulted in the tragic deaths of more than 50 people. At the time of the eruption, the Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment (SAGE) III […]