The Expedition 69 and Axiom Mission-2 (Ax-2) crews worked throughout Thursday conducting a multitude of space research aboard the International Space Station. Meanwhile, the orbiting lab’s three cosmonauts started unpacking a new cargo ship and worked on the European robotic arm controller.
Science is moving full speed ahead aboard the orbital outpost as four Expedition 69 astronauts and four Ax-2 private astronauts focused their research activities on a variety of space biology studies on Thursday. The life science and human research studies may provide insights unattainable on Earth promoting healthier astronauts living in space and humans on the ground.
NASA Flight Engineers Stephen Bowen and Woody Hoburg participated in a pair of eye scans on Thursday. The duo’s first test saw them scanning each other’s eyes with the Ultrasound 2 in Columbus. Afterward, Hoburg examined Bowen’s eyes using standard medical imaging hardware in the Harmony module that can be found in an optometrist’s office on Earth. Doctors on the ground assisted the pair during both eye checks to understand how an astronaut’s eye shape and vision may change while living long-term in space.
Station Commander Sergey Prokopyev and Flight Engineer Dmitri Petelin, both from Roscosmos, began Thursday disassembling the new ISS Progress 84 (84P) resupply ship’s docking mechanism following its arrival at 11:19 a.m. EDT on Wednesday. Petelin would go on and unpack priority cargo from inside the 84P. Prokopyev studied futuristic spacecraft and robotic piloting techniques then stowed trash and discarded gear inside the ISS Progress 83 cargo craft. Meanwhile, Flight Engineer Andrey Fedyaev worked throughout Thursday configuring data on the European robotic arm’s internal controller located inside the Nauka science module.
Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_station and @ISS_Research on Twitter, as well as the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.
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