NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test Starliner spacecraft is pictured docked at the Harmony module’s forward port while the International Space Station was in orbit 262 miles above the Egyptian Mediterranean coast. Credit: NASA
Crew members aboard the ISS focused on spacewalk preparations, system maintenance and scientific experiments, including botanical and biomedical research, with upcoming discussions on the Starliner mission .
For the seven members of the Expedition 71 crew and the two astronauts on board NASADuring the Boeing crew flight test, the week began with preparations for the spacewalk and a series of advanced microgravity research. The nine residents on board the International Space Station (ISS) also maintained electronic, life support and orbital plumbing systems.
Two spacewalks are now planned for June 24 and July 2. The first spacewalk will see two spacewalkers remove faulty radio equipment and clean station surfaces for microorganisms. Tasks planned for the second spacewalk include removing and replacing a gyroscope, moving an antenna, and preparing the Alpha magnetic spectrometer for future upgrades.
Throughout the day Monday, NASA flight engineers Matthew Dominick, Mike Barratt and Jeanette Epps worked on various spacesuit tasks, including cleaning cooling loops inside a spacesuit and swapping spacesuit components in the Quest airlock.
NASA astronauts (left to right) Suni Williams, Tracy C. Dyson and Jeanette Epps pose for a lunchtime portrait aboard the Unity module of the International Space Station. Williams is NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test pilot and Dyson and Epps are both Expedition 71 flight engineers. Credit: NASA
Epps started his day in the Kibo lab module by removing the camera hardware inside Kibo’s airlock for reconfiguration and storage with Barratt’s help. Epps then worked in the Destiny Lab module exchanging sample cartridges within the Materials Science Lab, a research center used to discover new applications for existing materials and new or improved materials. Barratt inspected and maintained components of the Tranquility Module Advanced Resistive Exercise Machine, a workout piece of equipment that mimics inertial forces on Earth when lifting free weights.
NASA flight engineer Tracy C. Dyson fitted biomedical equipment, then wore a vest and headband filled with sensors that recorded her heart and lung data while she pedaled an exercise bike. Afterwards, she worked on space botany equipment to remove water bags before a plant experiment.
Starliner pilot Suni Williams began her day transferring wastewater between station modules, then replaced a video camera in the Columbus laboratory module. Then she moved to the Kibo laboratory and watered the advanced plant habitat to prepare for the upcoming science operations.
The Progress 88 supply ship from Roscosmos approaches the International Space Station with approximately three tons of food, fuel and supplies for the Expedition 71 crew. The cargo ship would dock with the Poisk module a few moments later for a five-month stay at the orbital outpost. Credit: NASA
Starliner Commander Butch Wilmore worked in the Harmony module’s maintenance area, setting up equipment and researching liquid flows to improve the health and food industries. The Gaucho Lung study explores ways to optimize medication delivery for respiratory conditions, treat infants with respiratory distress syndrome, and prevent tube contamination from intermittent streams of fluids.
NASA and Boeing will discuss the Starliner mission and departure from the orbital outpost as part of the agency’s crew flight test during a media teleconference at 12 p.m. EDT on Tuesday 18 June. Audio from the teleconference will be streamed live on the NASA website at https://nasa. .gov/nasatv.
Roscosmos Flight engineer Nikolai Chub spent his day testing the operation of a 3D printer while his compatriot Alexander Grebenkin studied the vibrations experienced by the space station orbiting Earth. Cosmonaut and station commander Oleg Kononenko worked throughout the day Monday to replace smoke detectors on the Russian segment of the space station.
