Weekly Highlights: Exciting Advances in Spacesuit Technology and Life Science Research Aboard the Space Station

This week on the International Space Station, the crew focused on spacesuit maintenance and studying how living in microgravity affects blood pressure and breathing. The astronauts worked on various systems that support scientific experiments and life support onboard.

Two NASA astronauts, Commander Suni Williams and Flight Engineer Butch Wilmore, are preparing for an upcoming spacewalk. They plan to start work outside the station next week. Williams spent her Friday in the Quest airlock charging batteries needed for the spacesuits. She also cleaned the water systems that help cool the suits. Meanwhile, Wilmore checked the functionality of important components, such as glove heaters and helmet lights. Together, they are getting ready to replace radio antennas and search for microbes during their six-and-a-half-hour spacewalk.

NASA Flight Engineer Nick Hague spent his day in the Columbus laboratory. He installed experimental containers in the BioLab, a facility for research on microbes and other biological materials in weightlessness. At the same time, Flight Engineer Don Pettit activated life support gear in the Unity module and removed old hardware from the Tranquility module. They later joined forces to review procedures for maintaining the thermal control system that helps keep essential equipment cool.

On the Russian side, Flight Engineers Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner began their day with human research. Ovchinin wore sensors to track his breathing, providing insights into how microgravity affects the respiratory system. Vagner monitored his vascular system’s function during their time in space. Cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov focused on plumbing tasks in the Nauka science module and then checked storage spaces in the Roscosmos segment of the ISS.