NASA Astronaut Frank Rubio Achieves One-Year Milestone in Outer Space

NASA Astronaut Frank Rubio Achieves One-Year Milestone in Outer Space

NASA astronaut Frank Rubio, who also served as a Flight Engineer for Expedition 68, is seen engaged in tasks within the Quest airlock of the International Space Station. Image Courtesy: NASA

Crew members of Expedition 69 on the International Space Station (ISS) had an eventful week filled with cleaning, routine upkeep, and scientific endeavors. Frank Rubio, along with Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin, commemorated their one-year anniversary in space, as others in the crew participated in an array of activities and research projects.

Approaching the conclusion of their weekly duties, the ten ISS residents finalized diverse cleaning and maintenance activities on Thursday, September 21, within the International Space Station.

Having commenced his mission on September 21, 2022, NASA’s Frank Rubio completed one year in space today. This landmark mission featured numerous scientific studies, aiding researchers in understanding how humans can sustain life while residing and working in the extraterrestrial environment. On his 365th day aboard the ISS, Rubio focused on station maintenance, specifically working on the Human Research Facility by removing and replacing its pressure sensor block. Later in the evening, he gathered biological specimens for the continuing Standard Measures study.

Frank Rubio, a NASA astronaut and also Expedition 68 Flight Engineer, is captured observing through one of the cupola’s seven apertures, considered the ISS’s “window to the world.” Image Courtesy: NASA

In related news, NASA Flight Engineers Jasmin Moghbeli and Loral O’Hara commenced their day in the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM), focusing on the cleaning of smoke detectors. After breaking for lunch, the pair separated; Moghbeli shifted her attention to changing cables in the Destiny Laboratory Module’s network router, while O’Hara concentrated on reading training materials related to the station’s new Potable Water Dispenser. O’Hara later teamed up with ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen for a briefing on spacesuit functions.

JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) Flight Engineer Satoshi Furukawa began his day fulfilling the astronaut’s obligatory two-hour exercise regimen, utilizing the ISS’s CEVIS bicycle and the Advanced Resistive Exercise Device (ARED). He spent the remainder of the day in JEM, obtaining water samples from the Water Recovery System for upcoming analysis.

Frank Rubio, also serving as a Flight Engineer for Expedition 68, is seen performing maintenance chores inside the International Space Station’s Harmony module. Image Courtesy: NASA

Five cosmonauts from Roscosmos, currently in low-Earth orbit, engaged in discrete activities today. Two of them are slated to return to Earth in the upcoming week. Flight Engineer Konstantin Borisov was busy in the Nauka module, where he replaced vacuum pumps. Concurrently, Flight Engineer Nikolai Chub operated the 3D printer in the Zvezda service module. Meanwhile, their colleague Oleg Kononenko, who joined the ISS just last week with O’Hara and Chub, carried out an experiment focused on cardiovascular and respiratory systems.

The two other veterans aboard the ISS, Commander Sergey Prokopyev and Flight Engineer Dmitri Petelin, celebrated their one-year space tenure today, along with Rubio. They spent their 365th day preparing for their impending return to Earth, scheduled for September 27.

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