Week starts on ISS with spacewalk preparations and research activities

Week starts on ISS with spacewalk preparations and research activities
by Clarence Oxford
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Dec 13, 2024

Preparations for an upcoming spacewalk highlighted the beginning of the week aboard the International Space Station (ISS) as the Expedition 72 crew members also engaged in a variety of research tasks across physics and biology.

Roscosmos Flight Engineers Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner focused their Monday schedule on preparing for a spacewalk scheduled for Dec. 19. The pair will exit through the Poisk module's airlock at approximately 10:10 a.m. EST to spend over six hours completing tasks such as removing external experiments and relocating hardware associated with the European robotic arm.

The cosmonauts began their day by testing hand grip strength, an essential aspect for handling intricate tasks while wearing Orlan spacesuits. Later, they worked on fitting their suits with life support components and other critical systems.

Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the station, NASA astronauts and space station Commander Suni Williams and Flight Engineer Don Pettit focused on maintaining U.S. spacesuits. Working inside the Quest airlock, the duo cleaned cooling loops, inspected life support equipment, and verified communication systems. These efforts are part of preparations for additional spacewalks planned for early 2025.

In addition to spacesuit maintenance, Williams participated in a vision test alongside NASA Flight Engineer Butch Wilmore, using an eye chart to monitor eye health in microgravity. She also continued research by imaging colloid samples under a fluorescence microscope to study gel formation. Pettit, with Wilmore's assistance, reorganized tools and stowed equipment, transferring items from the Permanent Multipurpose Module to the Zarya module.

Wilmore also captured photographs of CubeSats recently deployed outside the Kibo laboratory module, part of an educational research initiative.

NASA Flight Engineer Nick Hague concentrated on biological research and health monitoring. He utilized the advanced resistive exercise device and jogged on the COLBERT treadmill before donning a Bio-Monitor headband and vest for a 48-hour session. Hague also installed research incubators inside the Columbus laboratory module to support ongoing experiments.

Roscosmos Flight Engineer Aleksandr Gorbunov conducted diagnostics on the Plasma Kristall-4 experiment, which explores advanced space physics methods with implications for spacecraft design. Gorbunov later reviewed techniques for robotic and spacecraft piloting, emphasizing their application to future planetary exploration missions.