Expedition 72 thread

[Yellowstone10]

The 6U CubeSat SNOOPI (Signals of Opportunity P-band Investigation) re-entered on Saturday, September 28 (per Celestrak). It was deployed as part of NRCSD27 back on April 18, but unfortunately does not seem to have entered service as expected. From a NASA site:

SNOOPI launched to the International Space Station on March 21, 2024 and deployed on April 18, 2024. The team had challenges working through spacecraft commissioning. A number of the attitude control system sensors were not functioning nominally. The team was able to achieve stability in a sun point configuration, take data from the instrument, and make progress towards achieving the necessary three axis control to conduct the science operations. The mission experienced a power system anomaly and eventually lost two reaction wheels. The team recently lost contact with the spacecraft and is working to regain it.

https://smallsat.wff.nasa.gov/missions/snoopi.php

This leaves just one CubeSat from NRCSD27 on orbit - officially "Object WL", but I'm guessing it's HyTI, since that's the one un-identified 6U satellite. It's still up above 350 km - seems to be doing quite a bit better than its deployment-mates.

[ddspaceman]

A. Pettit
@PettitFrontiers
My father caught the first ever Dragon craft to the ISS in 2012.

Now he gets to see crewed versions bring fellow astronauts!

SpaceX has come so far. @elonmusk and team should be proud!

Will make sure @astro_Pettit snaps the next Starship launch too, if kind orbits.

Don Pettit
@astro_Pettit
Here Be Dragons! Crew-9 Dragon spaceship “Freedom” arrived to @Space_Station last night. The approach and docking sequence naturally draws our crew to a window; in this case, about five of us were crowded in Dragon Crew-8 to watch Dragon Crew-9 dock. With everyone bouncing around for a peek out the window, this photo was a quick handheld snap, complete with window reflections and streaky stars. This Dragon snorts fire! Welcome aboard Crew-9.

Nikon Z9, 85mm f1.4, 1/3 sec, ISO 12800, adjusted with Photoshop.

https://twitter.com/PettitFrontiers/status/1840867996761538635

[Targeteer]

Butch and Sunny are doing SpaceX suit and Dragon seat fit checks right now.

[ddspaceman]

ISS Research
@ISS_Research
That’s a wrap! 🎬

#Crew8 is finishing up research aboard @Space_Station. Growing protein crystals, deploying satellites, and studying microbes were all accomplished during their stay. Check out the research they conducted: http://go.nasa.gov/3Bmlkv2

https://twitter.com/ISS_Research/status/1841130961851072985

[ddspaceman]

ISS National Lab
@ISS_CASIS
Age-related macular degeneration—a leading cause of blindness in older adults—affects  200+ million people globally. Science launched to the #ISS from #biotech innovator @oculogenex "may open new avenues for treating vision loss."  #pharma #AMD
Details: https://ow.ly/xUBB50TAfOb

https://twitter.com/ISS_CASIS/status/1841141768173031691

[ddspaceman]

Don Pettit
@astro_Pettit
Wow, comet C/2023-A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) is growing a long tail! Canadarm is shown for scale.

Nikon Z9, 50mm, f1.2, ½ second, ISO 12600, processed with FastStone.

https://twitter.com/astro_Pettit/status/1841155613016920571

[ddspaceman]

Dragon Suit, Seat Checks During Crew Departure Preps and Space Science

Mark Garcia Posted on October 1, 2024

Expedition 72 Commander Suni Williams and Flight Engineer Butch Wilmore, both NASA astronauts, tried on their SpaceX Dragon pressure suits for the first time on Tuesday with assistance from new crewmate Nick Hague of NASA. The NASA trio checked out their pressurized suits, tested the suits’ audio configurations, and conducted seat fit checks inside the Dragon Freedom spacecraft while wearing the suits.

The three astronauts later joined Roscosmos Flight Engineer Aleksandr Gorbunov and practiced emergency drills inside the Dragon docked to the Harmony module’s forward port. Williams and Wilmore, who rode the Boeing Starliner spacecraft to the International Space Station in June, will return to Earth with Hague and Gorbunov aboard the Dragon spacecraft in February.

In the meantime, four other Expedition 72 crewmates are nearing the end of their space research mission that began on March 5. NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick will command the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft leading Pilot Mike Barratt and Mission Specialists Jeanette Epps and Alexander Grebenkin back to Earth on a date soon to be set by NASA and SpaceX mission managers. The homebound SpaceX Crew-8 quartet has been packing personal items and other station cargo inside Endeavour for the ride home. Grebenkin also tested the Roscosmos-designed lower body negative pressure suit that may help ease the adjustment to Earth’s gravity and offset space-caused symptoms.

NASA Flight Engineer Don Pettit and Roscosmos Flight Engineers Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner, who have been aboard the orbital outpost since Sept. 11, spent Tuesday working on a variety of physics and biology investigations. Pettit worked inside the Microgravity Science Glovebox testing advanced life support hardware that may be used on future space missions operating in different gravity environments. Ovchinin strapped on a sensor-packed cap that measured his responses while practicing futuristic planetary and robotic piloting techniques on a computer. Vagner assisted Grebenkin as he tried on the specialized suit that may counteract the effects of living in weightlessness.

At the end of the crew shift on Tuesday, all 11 space station crew residents gathered together and reviewed their roles and responsibilities in the unlikely event of an emergency. The orbital crew coordinated with mission controllers from around the world familiarizing themselves with using personal protective equipment and fire extinguishers. The astronauts and cosmonauts also reviewed the necessary actions and evacuation procedures in case of a fire, a chemical leak, or a pressure leak.

https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/2024/10/01/dragon-suit-seat-checks-during-crew-departure-preps-and-space-science/

The SpaceX Dragon Freedom spacecraft carrying NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov approaches the International Space Station on Sept. 29, 2024.

[Targeteer]

Butch and Sunny are doing SpaceX suit and Dragon seat fit checks right now.

A question called down to CAPCOM asked what to do with the protective materials for the two SpaceX helmets now being used by Sunny and Butch.  The impression I got is that the helmets were already on station, long term.  NASA has stated 1 suit was already on board but there may have been 2 helmets...

[Targeteer]

Butch and Sunny are doing SpaceX suit and Dragon seat fit checks right now.

A question called down to CAPCOM asked what to do with the protective materials for the two SpaceX helmets now being used by Sunny and Butch.  The impression I got is that the helmets were already on station, long term.  NASA has stated 1 suit was already on board but there may have been 2 helmets...

https://blogs.nasa.gov/crew-9/2024/10/01/nasa-astronauts-wilmore-williams-complete-move-to-crew-9-spacecraft/?utm_source=TWITTER&utm_medium=Commercial_Crew&utm_campaign=NASASocial&linkId=608199512

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are fully integrated into the newly arrived Crew-9 spacecraft docked to the International Space Station. The duo tried on their SpaceX Intravehicular Activity spacesuits and completed pressurized suit leak checks on Tuesday. They also tested the suits’ audio configurations and conducted seat fit checks inside the Dragon spacecraft, completing the work required to return on the spacecraft that delivered NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov to the station on Sept. 29.

[ddspaceman]

Zebulon Scoville
@Explorer_Flight
When flying @Space_Station and all MCC flight controllers stop in breathless awe at a glimpse of the solar system that is so close, yet so far from our daily lives. I have built a career in this room and have been shown by @dominickmatthew how much there is to see when we explore

https://twitter.com/Explorer_Flight/status/1841205564078244080

[ddspaceman]

Don Pettit
@astro_Pettit
City at Night: Amsterdam edition. Space travelers from all over the world (more than 100 astronauts from 38 countries) are there right now for the Association of Space Explorers Planetary Congress. Technical exchange is flowing freely as they continue to build and strengthen the international cooperation that makes it possible for humans to explore the stars.

Nikon Z9, 200mm, f2, 1/320th second, ISO 25600.

https://twitter.com/astro_Pettit/status/1841227982481834300

[ddspaceman]

Dragon Operations and Space Science Fill Station’s Midweek Schedule

Mark Garcia Posted on October 2, 2024

Dragon spacecraft operations are underway aboard the International Space Station as a new crew gets up to speed with life in microgravity and another crew turns its attention toward returning to Earth. Amid the crew swap activities, advanced space biology research continued apace on Wednesday exploring unique phenomena impossible to achieve in Earth’s gravity environment.

New Expedition 72 Flight Engineer Nick Hague spent his day with fellow flight engineers Matthew Dominick and Mike Barratt readying the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft for its upcoming return to Earth. The three NASA astronauts reconfigured seats inside Dragon setting it up for a four-person crew and transferred standard emergency gear back into the spacecraft.

Dominick and Barratt, SpaceX Crew-8’s commander and pilot respectively, are getting ready to fly back to Earth with Mission Specialists Jeanette Epps of NASA and Alexander Grebenkin of Roscosmos. Officials from NASA and SpaceX will soon announce the date and time of Endeavour’s undocking from the Harmony module’s forward port and its splashdown off the coast of Florida. Before Crew-8 departs, the foursome will provide farewell remarks at 9:55 a.m. EDT on Sunday live on NASA+ and the agency’s website. Learn how to stream NASA content through a variety of platforms, including social media.

Veteran NASA Flight Engineer Don Pettit, who arrived at the station on Sept. 11, worked in Harmony exploring the genetic risks space travelers face by analyzing and amplifying RNA samples. Observations may help doctors identify mechanisms that lead to a variety of diseases and improve the diagnosis of illnesses both on Earth and in space. Commander Suni Williams cleaned the inside of the Life Science Glovebox following earlier stem cell research promoting therapies for certain blood diseases and cancers. NASA Flight Engineer Butch Wilmore refilled the Columbus laboratory module’s Human Research Facility with medicine, blood kits, and needles.

Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, who docked to the orbital outpost with Hague aboard the SpaceX Dragon Freedom on Sept. 29, partnered with Grebenkin who trained him to use the European robotic arm. Gorbunov also continued familiarizing himself with station operations then installed Earth observation hardware in the Nauka science module to image the atmosphere in ultraviolet wavelengths. Grebenkin installed more Earth monitoring gear to obtain visible and near infrared imagery of landmarks in the Amazon, Portugal, and Germany.

New station flight engineers, Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner, who began their mission with Pettit aboard the Soyuz MS-26 crew ship, split their day on Roscosmos research and lab maintenance. Ovchinin joined Grebenkin setting up the Earth monitoring gear and also serviced carbon dioxide removal hardware. Vagner worked on routine upkeep of the Zvezda service module’s ventilation systems.

https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/2024/10/02/dragon-operations-and-space-science-fill-stations-midweek-schedule/

The city lights of central Asia and an aurora crowning Earth’s horizon are pictured from the International Space Station as it orbited above western Kazakhstan.

[Targeteer]

One of the Dragons was configured this morning for 7 crew return contingency, assuming it was Crew 9...

[ddspaceman]

Don Pettit
@astro_Pettit
Cities at night: Cairo with pyramids and Luxor (Thebes) with the Karnak Temple. Can you find them?  While Luxor is well lit, the City of the Dead is respectfully dark. There is some ancient human feeling, a residual in our being, that draws one to the Nile River, on Earth and especially so from orbit. I once sailed down the Nile River in an open felucca from Aswan to Luxor and now fly above from space. What a strange juxtaposition of views.

Nikon Z9, Nikon 200mm f2 lens, 1/320th sec, ISO 25800, adjusted in Photoshop.

https://twitter.com/astro_Pettit/status/1841883776973983895

[ddspaceman]

NASA Space Operations
@NASASpaceOps
Media accreditation is open for the next launch to deliver @NASA science investigations, supplies, and equipment to the @Space_Station. This launch is the 31st SpaceX commercial resupply services mission to the orbital laboratory for the agency and will liftoff on the company’s Falcon 9 rocket.

NASA and @SpaceX are targeting no earlier than Wednesday, Oct. 30, to launch the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft from Launch Complex 39A @NASAKennedy in Florida.

Learn more: http://nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-invites-media-to-spacexs-31st-resupply-launch-to-space-station/

https://twitter.com/NASASpaceOps/status/1841892805238509797

[ddspaceman]

Ongoing Crew Return Preps and Biology, Earth Science Top Crew’s Day

Mark Garcia Posted on October 3, 2024

Dragon configurations topped the schedule once again on Thursday as four Expedition 72 crewmates target a return to Earth next week. Meanwhile, critical space research and lab maintenance filled the rest of the day for the International Space Station’s orbital residents.

The SpaceX Crew-8 mission that began with a launch to the orbital outpost on March 3 is coming to an end and its four crew members will share their farewell message at 9:55 a.m. EDT on Sunday live on NASA+. NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Mike Barratt, and Jeanette Epps, along with Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin will return to Earth aboard SpaceX Dragon Endeavour next week on a date soon to be announced by NASA and SpaceX officials. The Commercial Crew quartet is completing a six-and-a-month space residency that saw dozens of science investigations promoting advanced therapies, technology demonstrations, and more benefitting humans on and off the Earth.

Dominick spent Thursday inside Dragon Endeavour checking seat configurations and synchronizing computer tablets with SpaceX networks ahead of Earth return. Barratt joined NASA Flight Engineer Nick Hague inside Dragon Freedom, docked adjacent to Endeavour on the Harmony module, and set up the spacecraft with standard emergency hardware.

Hague’s SpaceX Crew-9 crewmate, Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, kicked off his shift setting up hardware to monitor Earth’s nighttime atmosphere in near-ultraviolet wavelengths. Later, the first-time space flyer studied space station systems and procedures then serviced an oxygen generator

Epps and Grebenkin have also been preparing for the ride back to Earth. Epps packed personal items and cargo inside Dragon. Grebenkin completed testing the Roscosmos-designed lower body negative pressure suit that may speed up a crew member’s adjustment to Earth’s gravity.

Expedition 72 Commander Suni Williams, who will be staying in space until February 2025, began her day with a cognition test measuring how microgravity affects characteristics such as memory, attention, reasoning, and more to ensure safe and successful space missions. Afterward, she assembled stem cell research hardware in the Life Science Glovebox then installed new wireless hardware aboard Harmony.

NASA Flight Engineer Butch Wilmore, who will return to Earth with Williams, documented his meals for the day in a nutrition tracker. Afterward, he assisted with cargo packing inside the homebound Dragon Endeavour.

NASA astronaut Don Pettit and his Soyuz MS-26 crewmates, cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner had their day full of science maintenance and health research. Pettit, on his fourth spaceflight, swapped gas bottles inside research hardware that explores how fires spread in weightlessness to improve fire safety in space. Ovchinin and Vagner paired up for blood pressure measurements and hearing exams helping inform doctors how living in microgravity affects humans.

On Friday at 11 a.m., NASA astronaut Tracy C. Dyson will discuss on NASA+ her recently completed mission aboard the orbiting lab. She launched to the station on March 23 and returned to Earth aboard the Soyuz MS-25 crew ship with cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub on Sept. 23.
Author Mark GarciaPosted on October 3, 2024Categories Expedition 72Tags Canadian Space Agency, Commercial Crew, dragon, European Space Agency, International Space Station, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, JAXA, NASA, Roscosmos, science, Soyuz, SpaceX   
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https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/2024/10/03/ongoing-crew-return-preps-and-biology-earth-science-top-crews-day/

The four SpaceX Crew-8 members are pictured during pre-flight training in January inside the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Credit: SpaceX

[ddspaceman]

ASE @ 35th Planetary Congress in the Netherlands
@ASE_Astronauts
#ASE35 Day 4: For the first time ever at a Planetary Congress, ASE members aboard the @Space_Station called in live via a downlink! Michael Barratt and @astro_Pettit joyfully greeted everyone (including moderator @Astro_Payette) before giving everyone a virtual tour of the ISS!

https://twitter.com/ASE_Astronauts/status/1842008647888408893

[ddspaceman]

Katya Pavlushchenko
@katlinegrey
An ISS orbit correction was performed today at 08^44 UTC to maintain the station's orbit altitude. The engines of #ProgressMS28 fired for 1207.62 seconds, increasing the ISS orbit altitude for 2.9 km.

https://twitter.com/katlinegrey/status/1842151666302214331

[ddspaceman]

International Space Station
@Space_Station
It’s #WorldSpaceWeek!

Did you know observing Earth at night from the space station can tell us a lot about our home planet? Researchers use astronauts’ images—like this one—to study urban night lighting, atmospheric processes, storms, and more.

More of #EarthFromSpace: http://flic.kr/s/aHsmACYoYM

https://twitter.com/Space_Station/status/1842200299794276719

[ddspaceman]

Don Pettit
@astro_Pettit
The junction between Sicily and the “Boot” in near infrared false colors. Mount Etna is quiet today. Here the wavelength of light is restricted from 550nm (green) to 1200nm (near infrared), capturing light and detail that we cannot see with our eyes nor with normal photography. The color spectrum assigned here renders highly reflective infrared subjects as red and magenta. This yields lush vegetation as red-magenta and brings out details in the ocean currents that are difficult to otherwise see.
 
Nikon Z9 with IR blocking filter removed, sensitive from 550 to 1200 nm, Nikon 70-200mm zoom set 70mm, f8, 1/6400 sec, ISO 500, adjusted in Photoshop (noise reduction, red-blue color swap, contrast).

https://twitter.com/astro_Pettit/status/1842271289152848023