Crew Wraps Spacewalk Duties and Expands Crop Research in Orbit

Crew Wraps Spacewalk Duties and Expands Crop Research in Orbit
by Clarence Oxford
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Feb 04, 2025

The Expedition 72 crew began February by tidying up after last week's spacewalk, while also conducting ongoing research in space-based farming and microgravity physics. On Monday, they turned their attention to experiments involving human physiology, all while continuing to keep the station in prime working order.

NASA astronauts Suni Williams, serving as Commander, and Flight Engineer Butch Wilmore focused on tasks following the January 30 excursion, which removed aging radio communication gear and gathered samples of microorganisms from the exterior of the station. Williams spent her time in the Harmony module dismantling the radio frequency group antenna assembly, the same component she extracted during the five-hour, 26-minute spacewalk. Meanwhile, Wilmore managed the spacesuits used during the outing, cleaning and reconfiguring their cooling loops and testing their electrical systems.

NASA Flight Engineer Nick Hague assisted Williams in Harmony by completing the teardown of radio hardware and organizing the equipment for storage. Later, he switched to the Japanese Kibo laboratory module to replenish water in JAXA's Plant Experiment Unit. This advanced botany setup, operating within Kibo's Cell Biology Experiment Facility, supports a study on how ultraviolet light and microgravity affect plant development, with the long-term goal of cultivating crops and sustaining crews on extended missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.

Don Pettit, also a NASA Flight Engineer, spent the first part of his workday conducting space physics research in Kibo's Multi-Purpose Small Payload Rack. He opened the rack to swap out samples in its Electrostatic Levitation Furnace, which can heat materials beyond 2000 degrees Celsius to measure their properties and create novel materials in a weightless environment. After lunch, Pettit trained on ultrasonic diagnostic equipment, enhancing his skill set for on-orbit inspections.

Roscosmos cosmonauts Ivan Vagner and Alexey Ovchinin carried out a communications experiment aimed at refining how global crews coordinate with mission control centers worldwide. Ovchinin then used the latter part of his shift on computer simulations to test advanced spacecraft and robotic control techniques that could be applied to future planetary expeditions. Meanwhile, Flight Engineer Aleksandr Gorbunov examined storage areas in the Zvezda service module and evaluated Roscosmos life support systems.