Biotechnology Tops Research Schedule to Keep Crews on Long Missions
Biotechnology got on the International Space Station as the crew of Expedition 72 explored ways to counter the effects of microgravity and produce vitamins and nutrients during long-term space missions.
Lack of gravity leads to fluids moving towards the astronaut’s head, potentially causing eye structure and vision problems. NASA flight engineers Nick Hague and Butch Wilmore spent the whole day Monday investigating the phenomenon as a potential countermeasure for liquid shifts in the head using thigh cuffs. The Hague wore electrodes, and Wilmore performed an ultrasound scan with the Hague, measuring the fluid pressure in the eye, and blood pressure tests confirmed the effectiveness of the biomedical device. The tight-leg cuffs are compact and lightweight, making them perfect for spacecrafts and could help protect crews on missions from the Moon, Mars and beyond.
As NASA and its international partners plan long-term missions far from the planet, providing vitamins and nutrients to keep their crew healthy is another important research goal. Station Commander Suni Williams reviewed the procedure Monday for bio-nuten biotechnology research to demonstrate the production of fresh nutrients in space. When nutrients are stored in long-term space missions, nutrients will drop over time. However, genetically modified yeasts can be used to enable on-demand production of nutrients and supplement potential vitamin losses from stored foods.
NASA flight engineer Dom Petit spent the day inside the tranquility module of orbital plumbing operations that replaces the hydraulic components of the waste and sanitary compartment, or the hydraulic components of the bathrooms of the space station.
Astronauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner tested communications with the 89 cargo ships ongoing, leaving at the end of February after six months were docked into the rear port of the Zvezda service module.
Obtinin then moved to Zvezda’s ventilation system and began packing progress 89 with garbage and waste gear. Vagner worked on track piping to repair repair pumps and pipes in Zvezda’s bathrooms in the toilets in the Roscosmos segment. Flight engineer Aleksandr Gorbunov spent the day with the Nauka Science module, first replacing the electrical hardware and inspecting and cleaning the laptop computer.
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February 10, 2025
