The Expedition 74 crew studied how the brain receives signals in space and demonstrated advanced technology to remove humidity from spacecraft on Thursday. Other activities aboard the International Space Station included servicing a metal 3D printer and continuing to unpack a cargo resupply ship.
NASA flight engineers Jack Hathaway and Chris Williams joined each other in the Columbus laboratory module and explored how the brain processes balance and orientation in the microgravity environment. Hathaway led the study operating gear that sent visual signals to specialized goggles that Williams wore tracking his eye alignment and motion using high-speed video recordings. Researchers will use the data to understand any structural changes an astronaut’s sense of motion and balance may experience during a long-term spaceflight.
Afterward, the duo switched crew medical officer roles as Williams guided Hathaway during an eye exam inside the Harmony module. Williams operated medical imaging gear that Hathaway peered into while doctors on the ground viewed his retina, lens, and cornea in real-time. Vision is critical to a mission’s success and doctors regularly check the astronauts’ eyes to counteract the potential effects of living in space.
NASA flight engineer Jessica Meir kicked off her shift setting up advanced hardware in Harmony’s maintenance work area to demonstrate the removal of humidity aboard spacecraft. Capturing water from a spacecraft’s atmosphere will be a necessary part of regenerative life-support systems as human missions travel farther away from Earth and are unable to rely on resupply missions. Afterward, Meir ran a physics experiment in the Destiny laboratory module‘s Microgravity Science Glovebox exploring ways to control a spacecraft’s fuel tank pressure due to cryogenic fuel propellants evaporating from the surrounding heat. Results could lead to improved spacecraft designs and advanced storage systems on Earth.
Flight engineer So …