A new crew of four flight engineers will undertake unprecedented zero-gravity science experiments on the International Space Station (ISS). However, the Experiment 70 crew stays aboard the space station for months and leaves it with essential experiments and precise operations maintenance.
The “rookies”—Matthew Dominick, Jeanette Epps, Alexander Grebenkin, and Michael Barratt—started their first day aboard the ISS. After overcoming weightlessness this week and learning space station procedures, they will spend six months conducting high-tech space research and orbiting lab maintenance.
After the Expedition 70 crew expansion, another quartet prepares for a joyful landing after 102 days in orbit from August 27, 2023. NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, Pilot Andreas Mogensen, Mission Specialists Satoshi Furukawa and Konstantin Borisov, and SpaceX Dragon “Endurance” spacecraft will undock from the Harmony module’s forward port to land on the Atlantic Ocean on Monday, March 11.
Scientific researchers and trip planners comprised the team. Before returning to Earth, the crew tested their pressure suits. After their peer session, they began the space station overview with their orbital counterparts.
With these plans, space research never stops. Matthew Dominick prepared medical equipment, including an ultrasound probe, and scanned NASA Flight Engineer Loral O’Hara for the CIPHER suites of human research experiments. This lab monitors astronaut health during long-term space missions.
Satoshi Furukawa studied space-based semiconductor fabrication in the Destiny laboratory module, which could improve future space and Earth technology. Janyette Epps’ microscopy studies on cell growth could help construct prosthetic organs for transplant patients. Finally, Alexander Grebenkin wore sensors to measure his heart rate in microgravity. After its last chapters, the ISS remains a center of scientific study, where each mission expands our understanding of space and its possible impact on Earth.
