The Expedition 73 crew aboard the International Space Station (ISS) has remained dedicated to their scientific research and maintenance tasks this week, despite the challenges posed by a recent U.S. government shutdown. This commitment underscores the resilience and importance of space exploration, ensuring that vital experiments and maintenance continue without interruption.
Nasa astronaut Kimiya Yui shared insights on social media, stating, "Hello from space! Today was a busy day as well, but I was able to take some photos in between workouts." On October 2, Yui captured stunning photographs while the ISS passed over key locations, including the Mediterranean and Honshu, Japan. He noted that those who spotted the ISS in the evening and waved were actually waving at him during his strength training session by the window.
This week, the Expedition 73 crew engaged in several significant research projects aboard the ISS:
SHRIMP — NASA astronaut Jonny Kim activated the State-of-the-art Humidity Removal in Microgravity Payload, a crucial device designed to extract moisture from the spacecraft's atmosphere for reuse. Heat Transfer Host 2 — Mike Fincke, another NASA astronaut, installed a new experiment aimed at studying condensation processes when gas transitions into liquid. This research could enhance the development of thermal systems for future crewed spacecraft on deep-space missions. ADvanced Space Experiment Processor-4 — NASA flight engineer Zena Cardman set up new sample cassettes for a study that focuses on the manufacturing of medicines in microgravity, a crucial advancement for pharmaceutical development.In addition to their research endeavors, the Expedition 73 crew participated in essential maintenance activities to ensure the ISS remains operational and ready for future research. Key tasks included:
Fluid Science Laboratory — Mike Fincke and Jonny Kim worked on configuring this European Space Agency (ESA) apparatus for fluid physics research in microgravity, involving the replacement of electrical cables and mounting foam coarsening samples. Capture Bag Demo — Fincke installed the TransAstra Fly Trap Capture Bag Demo into the NanoRacks Bishop airlock, preparing for tests to evaluate its capability to function in the weightlessness of space. This technology could potentially offer solutions for capturing and disposing of space debris. Electrostatic Levitation Furnace — JAXA astronaut Kimiya Yui replaced handling hardware and configured cables for this device, which utilizes lasers to heat materials to ultra-high temperatures while collecting data on their thermo-physical properties.As of October 3, there are seven crew members aboard the ISS, including Expedition 73 commander Sergey Ryzhikov from Roscosmos, along with fellow cosmonauts Alexey Zubritsky and Oleg Platonov. Joining them are NASA astronauts Jonny Kim, Zena Cardman, and Mike Fincke, as well as Kimiya Yui from JAXA, all serving as flight engineers.
The ISS currently hosts two docked crew spacecraft: SpaceX's Dragon Endeavour at the zenith port of the Harmony module and Roscosmos' Soyuz MS-27 at the Earth-facing port of the Prichal node. Additionally, there are four docked cargo spacecraft: Roscosmos' Progress MS-31 and Progress M-32, SpaceX's CRS-33 Dragon, and Northrop Grumman's NG-23 Cygnus XL, named SS William C. 'Willie' McCool, all contributing to the station's ongoing research and resupply missions.
