Blogs

The International Space Station residents were back at work today continuing this week’s slate of life science experiments. The ongoing biomedical space research helps scientists understand how living in space long term affects astronauts. Results and observations have the potential to benefit future crews and citizens on Earth. The new Genes in Space student experiment …

SPHEROIDS: The crew completed a data transfer from KUBIK 6 to the European Drawer Rack (EDR) laptop following an automated experiment run. This experiment investigates the effects of microgravity on endothelial cell function with respect to blood vessel formation, cellular proliferation, and programmed cell death. Results could help in the development of potential countermeasures to …

The Expedition 47 crew is researching how plants sense gravity today and exploring how fluids shift in an astronaut’s body. The orbital residents are also learning how living in space affects the structure of bones and muscles. The crew set up botany gear and collected samples for the Plant Gravity Sensing-3 experiment. The study seeks …

Genes in Space: The Genes in Space experiment began this morning with retrieval of the miniPCR sample tubes from the Glacier and hardware setup in the maintenance work area (MWA). Sample processing was performed and data was downlinked. The Genes in Space investigation is a winning student-designed experiment to test whether the polymerase chain reaction …

Human research and life science studies took precedence on the orbital laboratory today. The Expedition 47 crew also checked out a spacesuit and transferred cargo from a pair of resupply ships. The Genes in Space study, a student-designed experiment, began on the station this morning. It is studying the linkage between DNA alterations and weakened …

Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM): Over the weekend, Robotics Ground Controllers transferred BEAM from the SpX-8 Dragon trunk to the Node 3 Aft Port.  Activities included Common Berthing Mechanism (CBM) prep for mate and inspection, BEAM extraction, maneuver to install position, CBM capture, and BEAM release. The crew and ground utilized the Node 3 Aft …

WANAKA, New Zealand – NASA postponed the scheduled launch of its super pressure balloon (SPB) from Wanaka, New Zealand, at 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, April 19, (3:30 p.m., Monday, April 19 in EDT) due to unacceptable weather conditions for launch operations. The team brought the payload out to the flight line, laid out the balloon's protective …

The International Space Station crew is getting the orbital laboratory ready this week for a wide variety of advanced space science. The station also received a new module that will be expanded in late May for two years of habitability tests. The Expedition 47 crew members are starting the work week setting up hardware for …

NASA is targeting Tuesday, April 19 (Monday, April 18 in Eastern Time), to conduct a super pressure balloon (SPB) test flight launching from Wanaka Airport, New Zealand, on a potentially 100-day journey. Forecast surface and low-level winds are aligned for an early launch attempt; officials are watching trajectory projections closely. NASA will begin flight preparations …

Following extraction from Dragon, the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) was installed to the International Space Station at 5:36 a.m. EDT. At the time of installation, the space station was flying over the Southern Pacific Ocean. It will remain attached to station for two-year test period. NASA is investigating concepts for habitats that can keep …