24/7 Space News
SPACE TRAVEL
Crew prepares for departure while new arrivals ramp up Station activities
illustration only
Crew prepares for departure while new arrivals ramp up Station activities
by Clarence Oxford
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Sep 19, 2024

As two crews prepare to conclude their missions aboard the International Space Station (ISS), science operations and station maintenance continue in full swing.

NASA astronaut Tracy C. Dyson and Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub are set to return to Earth next week. Their departure is scheduled for Sept. 23 at 4:37 a.m. EDT, when they will undock the Soyuz MS-25 spacecraft from the Prichal module. The crew will re-enter Earth's atmosphere and land in Kazakhstan around 8 a.m. EDT. Dyson will complete her six-month mission, while Kononenko and Chub will return after spending just over a year in orbit.

The crew practiced undocking and descent procedures today, boarding the Soyuz MS-25 as part of their preparation for re-entry. Dyson spent additional time packing personal items and cargo for return, while Kononenko and Chub donned lower body negative pressure suits designed to help the body adapt more quickly to Earth's gravity. They also tested the spacecraft's systems and controls.

Following the return of the Soyuz MS-25 crew, the SpaceX Crew-8 team will prepare for its own journey home. NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Mike Barratt, and Jeanette Epps, along with Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin, are slated to depart in the SpaceX Dragon Endurance spacecraft. The crew recently practiced operation procedures aboard Dragon, which is docked at the Harmony module. Dominick, meanwhile, continued maintenance work in the Destiny module, replacing components of an oxygen generator.

The station's newest arrivals, NASA astronaut Don Pettit and Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner, have completed initial orientation tasks after arriving on Sept. 11 aboard the Soyuz MS-26. The new crew members have now turned their focus to scientific research and regular maintenance. Pettit worked in the Kibo laboratory, preparing CubeSats for deployment into Earth orbit, where they will conduct technology demonstrations. Ovchinin and Vagner focused on studying the effects of microgravity on their circulatory systems.

NASA Flight Engineers Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who have been aboard since June 6, spent part of their day reviewing systems aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. Wilmore also tested the Sphere Camera-2's capability to capture high-resolution images in the space environment. Meanwhile, Williams carried out routine inspections of smoke detectors, reconfigured a radiation detector, and assisted Dominick with cleaning after his oxygen generator maintenance work.

Related Links
International Space Station
Space Tourism, Space Transport and Space Exploration News

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
SPACE TRAVEL
Russia's Soyuz rocket launch to ISS called flawless for NASA veteran's first space trip in decade
Washington DC (UPI) Sep 11, 2024
An American astronaut and two Russian cosmonauts successfully launched Wednesday for a six-month mission to the International Space Station and the transition from one mission crew to another. Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner departed Earth in a live-streamed event with NASA astronaut Don Pettit on time at 12:23 p.m. EDT aboard the Russian Soyuz spacecraft atop a Soyuz rocket from Baikonur Cosmodrome in east-central Kazakhstan, a large former Soviet satellite nation south of ... read more

SPACE TRAVEL
Rob Gutro: Clear Science in the Forecast

Crew prepares for departure while new arrivals ramp up Station activities

Vegetable seeds from space thrive in Shanxi county, boosting yields

Station crew showcases AI Assistant and 12K ultra-high-resolution camera

SPACE TRAVEL
CSPAR gains 2 scale models of spacecraft crucial to its work

FAA proposes $630,000 fine against SpaceX for 2023 regulatory violations

French rockets to launch from Arnhem Space Centre starting in 2026

Elon Musk's Starlink internet launches in war-scarred Yemen

SPACE TRAVEL
Organic molecules on Mars linked to atmospheric formaldehyde

Study reveals surprising behavior of Mars' induced magnetosphere

Solar Wind effects on Mars' nightside magnetic field revealed

Reaching New Heights to Unravel Deep Martian History!

SPACE TRAVEL
China launches Yaogan 43B remote-sensing satellites from Xichang

Shenzhou-18 Crew Tests Fire Alarms and Conducts Medical Procedures in Space

Astronauts on Tiangong Space Station Complete Fire Safety Drill

Shenzhou XVIII Crew Conducts Emergency Drill on Tiangong Space Station

SPACE TRAVEL
Sidus strengthens LizzieSat operations with Neuraspace partnership

Iridium approves $500M stock buyback, total program reaches $1.5B

Simple shift could make low Earth orbit satellites high capacity

Satellite launches set to average seven tons daily through 2033

SPACE TRAVEL
Advanced instrument offers new insights into Van Allen Radiation Belts

Orion spacecraft radiation protection tested

The Best Practices to Minimize Exposure to Welding Fumes

Algorithm from Mars Rover assists data analysis for Earth Sciences

SPACE TRAVEL
Astronomers identify new Neptunian Ridge between Exoplanet Desert and Savanna

UTA physicists publish study on habitability of F-Type Star Systems

Formation of super-Earths proven limited near metal-poor stars

AI-Assisted Discovery Reveals How Microbial Proteins Adapt to Extreme Pressures

SPACE TRAVEL
Volcanoes may help reveal interior heat on Jupiter moon

Technicians prep Europa Clipper for propellant loading

JunoCam identifies new volcanic feature on Io

Mystery of Trans-Neptunian Orbits Solved by Stellar Flyby

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.