And next, Vestibule pressurization and leak check, before opening the hatches.
The industrious crew has finished Dragon unpack. The last CTB contains snacks for the crew.
U.S. Space Force Launches Six Experiments to International Space Station to Expand Scientific Knowledge in Support of WarfightersApril 25, 2025The U.S. Space Force (USSF) Space Systems Command (SSC), in partnership with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), successfully launched the Space Test Program-Houston 10 (STP-H10) mission, which delivered five U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and one NASA experimental science payloads, as a part of a resupply mission to the International Space Station (ISS).The DoD Space Experiments Review Board (SERB) and NASA experiments, representing a collaboration between SSC, NASA, the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), the U.S. Air Force Academy (USAFA), and the Missile Defense Agency (MDA), hitched a ride aboard SpaceX’s Commercial Resupply Service (CRS)-32 mission. Liftoff occurred on Monday, April 21, at 4:15 am EDT, from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A), Kennedy Space Center, Florida, with the experiments traveling inside a Cargo Dragon spacecraft.The STP-H10 payload was robotically installed on the exterior of the European Space Agency (ESA) Columbus module. This strategic location will provide the experiments with the necessary power and data connections to operate for their one-year mission duration.[...]The six experiments comprising the STP-H10 mission are:- the Neutron Radiation Detection Instrument - 1B (NeRDI-1B), from NRL, which will characterize the on-orbit performance of microstructured semiconductor neutron detectors;- the Falcon Optical Defense and Intelligence through Neuromorphics (Falcon ODIN), from USAFA, which will demonstrate the ability to use high speed imagery from space to investigate the basic physics aspects of lightning and sprites in the earth’s atmosphere;- the cadmium zinc TElluride Radiation Imager (TERI), from NRL, which will space qualify large-volume cadmium zinc telluride (CZT) radiation detectors;- the Space Edge Experiments and Demonstrations (SEED), from MDA and Novi, LLC, which will test processing hardware and machine learning algorithms to deliver near-real time actionable information;- the Space Plasma Diagnostic Suite 3 (SPADE-3), from NRL, which will monitor space weather conditions and spacecraft charging, providing critical situational awareness for spacecraft operators;the Solar Flare X-Ray Timing Investigation (SFXTI), from Montana State University and sponsored by NASA, which will reveal the temporal dynamics of solar flares;[...]In addition to managing the mission, the STP team designed and built the integrated payload that will connect the six experiments to the ISS infrastructure, enabling seamless data collection. Furthermore, STP-developed avionics are integral to the build and testing of these experimental platforms on the ISS.[...]
Date: May 22, 2025Time: 15:45 UTCCoverage of the Undocking of the SpaceX CRS-32 Dragon Cargo Ship from the International Space Station (Undocking scheduled at 12:05 p.m. EDT).
080939Z MAY 25NAVAREA XII 288/25(GEN).EASTERN NORTH PACIFIC.CALIFORNIA.1. HAZARDOUS OPERATIONS, SPACE DEBRIS: A. 232215Z TO 232245Z MAY, ALTERNATE 242155Z TO 282050Z MAY IN AREA WITHIN NINE MILES OF 33-40.72N 119-09.15W. B. 230615Z TO 230645Z MAY, ALTERNATE 242145Z TO 282040Z MAY IN AREA WITHIN NINE MILES OF 33-00.72N 117-44.88W. C. 230620Z TO 230650Z MAY, ALTERNATE 242140Z TO 282040Z MAY IN AREA WITHIN NINE MILES OF 32-36.17N 117-42.27W. D. 230615Z TO 230650Z MAY, ALTERNATE 232215Z TO 282050Z MAY IN AREA BOUND BY 19-48.00N 134-48.00W, 17-06.00N 131-48.00W, 28-18.00N 121-54.00W, 29-54.00N 124-24.00W. E. 230615Z TO 230650Z MAY, ALTERNATE 232215Z TO 282050Z MAY IN AREA BOUND BY 46-00.00N 135-42.00W, 44-48.00N 139-00.00W, 37-12.00N 124-54.00W, 37-30.00N 123-42.00W, 38-36.00N 124-12.00W.2. CANCEL THIS MSG 282150Z MAY 25.
NASA and its international partners will soon receive scientific research samples and hardware after a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft departs the International Space Station on Thursday, May 22, for its return to Earth.Live coverage of undocking and departure begins at 11:45 a.m. EDT on NASA+. Learn how to watch NASA content through a variety of platforms, including social media.The Dragon spacecraft will undock from the zenith, or space-facing, port of the station’s Harmony module at 12:05 p.m. and fire its thrusters to move a safe distance away from the station under command by SpaceX’s Mission Control in Hawthorne, California.After re-entering Earth’s atmosphere, the spacecraft will splash down on Friday, May 23, off the coast of California. NASA will post updates on the agency’s space station blog. There is no livestream video of the splashdown.Filled with nearly 6,700 pounds of supplies, science investigations, equipment, and food, the spacecraft arrived at the space station on April 22 after launching April 21 on a Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida for the agency’s SpaceX 32nd commercial resupply services mission.Some of the scientific hardware and samples Dragon will return to Earth include MISSE-20 (Multipurpose International Space Station Experiment), which exposed various materials to space, including radiation shielding and detection materials, solar sails and reflective coatings, ceramic composites for reentry spacecraft studies, and resins for potential use in heat shields. Samples were retrieved on the exterior of the station and can improve knowledge of how these materials respond to ultraviolet radiation, atomic oxygen, charged particles, thermal cycling, and other factors.Additionally, Astrobee-REACCH (Responsive Engaging Arms for Captive Care and Handling) is returning to Earth after successfully demonstrating grasping and relocating capabilities on the space station. The REACCH demonstration used Astrobee robots to capture space objects of different geometries or surface materials using tentacle-like arms and adhesive pads. Testing a way to safely capture and relocate debris and other objects in orbit could help address end-of-life satellite servicing, orbit change maneuvers, and orbital debris removal. These capabilities maximize satellite lifespan and protect satellites and spacecraft in low Earth orbit that provide services to people on Earth.Books from the Story Time from Space project also will return. Crew members aboard the space station read five science, technology, engineering, and mathematics-related children’s books in orbit and videotaped themselves completing science experiments. Video and data collected during the readings and demonstrations were downlinked to Earth and were posted in a video library with accompanying educational materials.Hardware and data from a one-year technology demonstration called OPTICA (Onboard Programmable Technology for Image Compression and Analysis) also will return to Earth. The OPTICA technology was designed to advance transmission of real-time, ultra-high-resolution hyperspectral imagery from space to Earth, and it provided valuable insights for data compression and processing that could reduce the bandwidth required for communication, lowering the cost of acquiring data from space-based imaging systems without reducing the volume of data. This technology also could improve services, such as disaster response, that rely on Earth observations.
Ayers also joined NASA Flight Engineer Anne McClain and transferred frozen research samples into portable science freezers that will soon be packed inside the SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft. McCain also installed EXPRESS rack hardware that houses science experiments and more research samples inside Dragon. The U.S. cargo spacecraft is being readied to end its cargo mission and undock from the Harmony module’s space-facing port at 12:05 p.m. EDT on Thursday. Dragon will parachute back to Earth the following day and return the completed science experiments and space station hardware for retrieval and analysis.
The SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft is one day away from departing the International Space Station and the Expedition 73 crew members are finishing packing it with science and cargo. The orbital residents also continued their life science activities and lab maintenance duties on Wednesday.Four station astronauts worked together throughout their day loading several tons of completed science experiments and station hardware inside Dragon. NASA Flight Engineers Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers kicked off their shift loading and securing a variety of cargo inside the spacecraft ahead of its departure and undocking planned for 12:05 p.m. EDT on Thursday. Toward the end of their shift, they removed portable science freezers containing research samples from station EXPRESS racks and installed them inside Dragon.Station Commander Takuya Onishi spent the majority of his day assisting with the Dragon loading as the U.S. spacecraft nears the end of 30 days docked to the Harmony module’s space-facing port. NASA Flight Engineer Jonny Kim, who will be on duty Thursday monitoring Dragon as it departs the station, also joined in on the cargo transfers. The four crew members will be back on cargo duty early Thursday loading time sensitive, critical research samples on Dragon for the ride back to Earth. NASA+ will begin its live broadcast of Dragon’s departure at 11:45 a.m. Thursday.
Date: May 23, 2025Time: 15:45 UTC
NASA and SpaceX are standing down from Thursday’s undocking opportunity of Dragon, filled with science, from the International Space Station. Mission teams will continue to review weather conditions off the coast of California, which currently are not favorable for splashdown operations, and set a new target opportunity for the return of SpaceX’s 32nd commercial resupply services mission for NASA.The next weather review is planned for 12 p.m. EDT, with the next available undocking opportunity on Friday, May 23. NASA will provide additional information on the next undocking opportunity as available.
In lieu of an evening DPC, CAPCOM reported delay caused by a marine fog layer.
Small Craft AdvisoryURGENT - MARINE WEATHER MESSAGENational Weather Service Los Angeles/Oxnard CA230 PM PDT Thu May 22 2025PZZ673-676-230530-/O.CON.KLOX.SC.Y.0083.000000T0000Z-250522T2200Z//O.CON.KLOX.GL.W.0028.250522T2200Z-250524T1000Z/Waters from Pt. Sal to Santa Cruz Island CA and westward 60 nmincluding San Miguel and Santa Rosa Islands-Outer waters from Santa Cruz Island to San Clemente Island to60 NM offshore including San Nicolas and Santa Barbara Islands-230 PM PDT Thu May 22 2025...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 3 PM PDT THISAFTERNOON......GALE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 3 AM PDT SATURDAY...* WHAT...Northwest winds 20 to 30 kt with gusts up to 35 kt and combined seas 7 to 11 ft expected when conditions are worst.* WHERE...Waters from Pt. Sal to Santa Cruz Island CA and westward 60 nm including San Miguel and Santa Rosa Islands and Outer waters from Santa Cruz Island to San Clemente Island to 60 NM offshore including San Nicolas and Santa Barbara Islands.* WHEN...For the Small Craft Advisory, until 3 PM PDT this afternoon. For the Gale Warning, from 3 PM this afternoon to 3 AM PDT Saturday.* IMPACTS...Strong winds will create dangerous sea conditions which could capsize or damage small and large vessels.* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...See the Coastal Waters Forecast (CWFLOX) for more.PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...Mariners should alter plans to avoid these hazardous conditions.Remain in port, seek safe harbor, alter course, and/or secure thevessel for severe conditions.