ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut and Expedition 70 Commander Andreas Mogensen smiles for a portrait as he maneuvers in the vestibule in between the Unity and Tranquility modules aboard the International Space Station. Credit: NASA
Blood tests, cardiac research, and scientific maintenance were the prime duties aboard the International Space Station on Thursday, February 22. The Expedition 70 crew also kept up its work on a variety of life support gear and exercise hardware throughout the day.
NASA astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli and Loral O’Hara kicked off the day studying accelerated aging-like symptoms seen in astronauts’ arteries after a long-duration mission. The duo collected and processed blood samples for the Vascular Aging investigation to understand these space-caused mechanisms and physiological changes. Observations from the long-running experiment may help doctors improve cardiovascular health in space, as well as on Earth.
Expedition 70 Flight Engineers (from left) Jasmin Moghbeli and Loral O’Hara, both from NASA, pose together for a portrait inside the International Space Station’s Unity module. Credit: NASA
ESA (European Space Agency) Commander Andreas Mogensen started his day exploring how virtual reality movies may improve crew morale as spaceflight missions last longer and travel farther away from Earth. Mogensen then spent the afternoon replacing components inside a carbon dioxide removal device.
Meanwhile, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) Flight Engineer Satoshi Furukawa installed external science hardware inside the Kibo laboratory module’s airlock. Afterward, he joined Moghbeli and Mogensen and tried on a specialized suit that may help maintain an astronaut’s heart rate and blood pressure while adjusting to gravity shortly after returning to Earth.
Snow covers the Coast Mountains, highlighting the various peaks of the rugged terrain as the International Space Station orbited 263 miles above the South coast of British Columbia. Credit: NASA
The orbiting lab’s three cosmonauts from Roscosmos had a light duty day but did find time for science and exercise. Flight Engineers Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub partnered together during the morning for a cardiac study observing heart performance in weightlessness. Kononenko photographed Chub as he conducted the research while attached to sensors measuring his heart activity.
Flight Engineer Konstantin Borisov spent his morning on orbital plumbing before joining his astronaut crewmates for the “anti-gravity” suit fit check. Borisov along with Moghbeli, Mogensen, and Furukawa are due to return to Earth in March aboard the SpaceX Dragon Endurance spacecraft.
Will the suits be poo-able?