Research for Space Manufacturing, Crew Health Begins Week Aboard Station

Lead-free soldering, space science hardware, and human research were the main science focus aboard the International Space Station on Monday. The Expedition 75 crew members also programmed automated Earth photography gear and serviced a variety of life support hardware aboard the orbital outpost.

NASA flight engineer Anil Menon spent Monday working on the MIYOKA lead-free soldering experiment inside the Harmony module. He worked on Harmony's maintenance work area and set up safety gear to contain fumes and prevent damage, installed the experiment's internal hardware, and tested power connections. Next, he soldered components on a circuit board to demonstrate the manufacturing and repair of electronics in microgravity. The space-soldered samples will be returned to Earth for analysis and compared to identical ground-soldered samples. Results may lead to reduced reliance on costly resupply missions. Menon also joined Roscosmos flight engineers Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina for computerized hearing tests in the Quest airlock to check for hearing changes that may occur in the operational environment of the station.

Flight engineer Sophie Adenot of ESA (European Space Agency) began her shift in the Columbus laboratory module setting up the Kubik research incubator and centrifuge for remote operations controlled by researchers on the ground. Next, Adenot refilled Human Research Facility supply kits in Columbus with blood tubes, needles, wipes, and more. She wrapped up her day working out on the new European Enhanced Exploration Exercise Device (E4D) helping researchers evaluate its effectiveness for use on future long-duration missions.

NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, station commander and flight engineer respectively, focused primarily on lab hardware and life support maintenance throughout Monday. Meir first swapped modular payload containers, or lockers, inside an EXPRESS rack that houses and supports numerous investigations aboard the space station. Next, she inspected stowage areas inside the Harmony module to prepare space for the upcoming arrival of NASA's SpaceX Crew-13 mission. Hathway began his shift in the Kibo laboratory module removing plant experiment containers and installing biological incubators on the Saibo rack. He wrapped up his day collecting fluid samples from the orbiting lab's internal thermal control system in the U.S. segment. The samples will be returned to Earth and analyzed for corrosive chemicals and microbial growth.

Dubrov and Kikina also took turns wearing virtual reality goggles and responding to computerized stimuli for the long-running Virtual experiment that tests how a crew member's sense of balance and direction adapts to microgravity. Kikina later assisted Roscosmos flight engineer Andrey Fedyaev as he tested the lower body negative pressure suit that reverses space-caused fluid shifts from the head toward the feet. The specialized suit may offset the effects of microgravity and ease the adjustment to Earth's gravity after a long-term spaceflight. Fedyaev also activated automated Earth-imaging gear to capture imagery of mountains, lakes, and deserts across Africa.

Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog , @space_station on X, as well as the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.

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