Seamless Communication with the Space Station Reestablished, Astrobee Free-Roaming Robots Activated

Astrobee robots displayed in a simulation on the International Space Station. Courtesy: NASA

A new session of safety training started on Wednesday, July 27, aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The Expedition 69 crew tackled a variety of tasks, encompassing robotics, ultrasound testing, and space station upkeep.

Astrobee Robotics Tasks

Sultan Alneyadi, the Flight Engineer from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), began his day by activating Astrobee, the free-roaming robots of the station. Later, NASA astronaut Woody Hoburg initiated a Zero Robotics dry run with Astrobee situated in the Japanese Experiment Module. By aiding ground teams in several software test iterations, he helped confirm different elements and programming for the Zero Robotics student contest. This contest provides students with the unique chance to program one of the three Astrobee robots, thereby sparking the interests of prospective explorers, scientists, and engineers.

NASA astronaut and Expedition 69 Flight Engineer Woody Hoburg observes an Astrobee robotic free-flyer in the Kibo laboratory module as it undergoes testing in collaboration with mission controllers. The robotics work aims to showcase methods to command the free-flyers through student-written code that acknowledges multiple gestures. Credit: NASA

Preparing for Northrop Grumman’s Resupply Mission

Alneyadi was also charged with organizing food resources as the crew readied for the docking of Northrop Grumman’s 19th commercial resupply mission. The launch is scheduled for Tuesday, August 1, with capture projected for Friday, August 4.

Health Evaluations

In the afternoon, NASA astronaut Stephen Bowen, with the assistance of Hoburg, carried out ISAFE measurements. In a microgravity setting, blood and fluids move towards the head, which might lead to structural changes in the eye. The ISAFE tool employs ultrasound to assess changes in the eye, brain, and blood vessels under microgravity. This data supports researchers in forecasting eye alterations in future lengthy spaceflights more accurately.

Upkeep and Microscope Tasks

NASA Flight Engineer Frank Rubio also dedicated his morning to computer upkeep in the Japanese Experiment Module. He later concluded maintenance work on the Confocal Space Microscope. This apparatus, provided by the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), enables the collection of fluorescent images of biological specimens.

Rubio ended the day together with Alneyadi, Hoburg, Bowen, and Roscosmos’ crew members, Commander Sergey Prokopyev and Flight Engineers Dmitri Petelin and Andrey Fedyaev. Together, they finished a second series of safety exercises.

Before the training, Prokopyev performed maintenance duties in the Zvezda service module. Concurrently, Fedyaev undertook inventory in the Functional Cargo Block, or the Zarya module, while Petelin performed experiments examining liquid stages in microgravity.

Communication Restored on the ISS

Following a power outage to the primary ground communication equipment at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, the Mission Control Center Houston has returned to regular operations with complete communication with the ISS restored on July 25.

The incident occurred during scheduled upgrades to the ground power system to maintain the mission control power grid’s reliability. Backup control center systems at the agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, were utilized to reestablish communications with the space station while engineers resolved the power problem in Houston. These backup systems are typically employed during events like hurricanes when evacuation from the Mission Control Center Houston may be necessary.

The Houston flight controllers maintained communication with the Expedition 69 crew aboard the ISS through Roscosmos and backup channels, ensuring the crew’s safety. All equipment tests proceeded as planned following the reestablishment of power.

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More about Astrobee robots

• International Space Station
• Astrobee robots
• Zero Robotics student competition
• Northrop Grumman’s resupply mission
• ISAFE measurements and eye health in space
• NASA’s Johnson Space Center