Beyond Earth: Immunity, Aging, Quantum Cooling, and Jet Pack Testing on the ISS

 

The International Space Station rises 266 miles above Argentina's coast near the Rio de la Plata as it approaches an orbital sunset. The primary solar arrays of the station, the Canadarm2 robotic arm, and the exterior platform of the Kibo laboratory module are seen in the foreground, Credit NASA.

  On Thursday, September 7, research in life sciences and space physics proceeded aboard the International Space Station (ISS), with the goal of improving human health and advancing fundamental knowledge. The Expedition 69 crew also focused on spacesuit maintenance and ongoing cargo activities.

 

     Biological Studies in space

Andreas Mogensen and Satoshi Furukawa, flight engineers, focused their research on space biology to learn how weightlessness impacts human immunity and the aging process. Mogensen of the European Space Agency (ESA) spent his third day this week processing blood samples and preparing them for incubation in order to learn more about how space affects an astronaut's immune system. JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency)'s Furukawa collected water from the Kibo laboratory module's water recovery system, performed a hearing test, and then changed out commercial research apparatus.

Ensuring water Quality and quantum Research

   Frank Rubio, a NASA Flight Engineer, gathered samples from the potable water dispenser and tested them to discover bacteria and evaluate the water's quality. Rubio then completed hardware repair work within the Cold Atom Lab, ready the quantum research apparatus, which chills atoms to near absolute zero, for testing and operations.

    

Medical Inventory and Spacesuit Maintenance

Jasmin Moghbeli, a NASA Flight Engineer, inventoried medical items inside the Human Research Facility and photographed them for assessment by specialists on the ground. She then examined a spacesuit jet pack, checking its components and conducted leak tests. The jet pack, also known as the Simplified Aid for EVA Rescue (SAFER), is attached to the astronauts' spacesuits during spacewalks. The SAFER provides controls that allow a spacewalker to return to the station if they become detached from the orbiting lab.

    

Preparations by Roscosmos Flight Engineers

Dmitri Petelin and Konstantin Borisov of Roscosmos joined forces Thursday morning to test the lower body negative pressure suit, which may aid crew members in readjusting to Earth's gravity environment. Petelin also gathered water samples for testing from an Orlan spacesuit cooling system. Borisov collaborated with Commander Sergey Prokopyev to install docking hardware on the aft port of the Zvezda service module, where the Roscosmos Progress 85 resupply ship is docked.