Immunity, Botany Studies Wrap Week Before Cargo Mission Arrives Saturday

The Progress 88 cargo craft from Roscosmos approaches the International Space Station on June 1, 2024.

The Expedition 72 crew members continued studying how the human immune system responds to weightlessness while also setting up space botany and exercise hardware at the end of the week. Meanwhile, a cargo craft is on its way to resupply the International Space Station on Saturday.

Three NASA astronauts worked throughout Friday processing cell samples inside the Kibo laboratory module's Life Science Glovebox. Flight Engineer Nick Hague kicked off the research work fixating bone marrow cell samples that produce platelets, or tiny blood cells that form clots to stop bleeding. Next, he imaged those samples in a fluorescent microscope to observe space-caused inflammation and immunity changes.

Commander Suni Williams joined in the sample processing and imaging work toward the end of her shift allowing Hague to take a break for his daily exercise sessions. Flight Engineer Butch Wilmore assisted the duo during the daylong biology research activating the microscope, handing over the cell samples to his teammates for examination, then collecting the processed samples for stowage in a science freezer. The Megakaryocyte Flying-One investigation seeks to protect astronaut health on space missions and provide insights for blood conditions on Earth.

Williams also set up the Advanced Plant Habitat in advance of research operations for the Plant Habitat-07 experiment. She added water to the facility then collected water samples for microbial analysis. The upcoming space botany study will explore how different water levels affect plant growth and the community of microorganisms that live on plants. Results may lead to improved methods for growing food on Earth and in space.

NASA Flight Engineer Don Pettit set up breathing measurement gear and exercise hardware on Friday. He attached sensors to his chest then pedaled on the Destiny laboratory module's exercise cycle checking out the performance of the biomedical instrumentation and systems.

A new cargo craft is orbiting Earth and on its way to deliver nearly three tons of food, fuel, and supplies to the Expedition 72 crew. Roscosmos Flight Engineers Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner will be on duty monitoring the Progress 90 resupply ship when it docks to the space station's Poisk module at 9:36 a.m. EST on Saturday. The hatches will open to Progress about three hours after its docking and the cosmonauts will begin unloading the new supplies.

Live coverage of Progress' rendezvous and docking begins at 8:45 a.m. Saturday on NASA+ and the agency's website. Learn how to watch NASA content through a variety of platforms, including social media.

Ovchinin and Vagner started Friday cleaning ventilation systems in the Zvezda service and Nauka science modules. The duo then called down to mission controllers and discussed Progress' automated approach and rendezvous procedures. Flight Engineer Aleksandr Gorbunov assisted his fellow cosmonauts with the cleaning duties, conducted a hearing test, then wrapped up his day maintaining life support equipment.

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

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