The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft carrying the Axiom Mission 3 crew is pictured approaching the International Space Station on Jan. 20, 2024.
Credit: NASA
NASA, Axiom Space, and SpaceX are targeting 8:22 a.m. EDT, Tuesday, June 10, for launch of the fourth private astronaut mission to the International Space Station, Axiom Mission 4.
The mission will lift off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The crew will travel to the orbiting laboratory on a new SpaceX Dragon spacecraft after launching on the company’s Falcon 9 rocket. The targeted docking time is approximately 12:30 p.m., Wednesday, June 11.
NASA will stream live coverage of launch and arrival activities on NASA+. Learn how to watch NASA content through a variety of platforms, including social media.
NASA’s mission responsibility is for integrated operations, which begins during the spacecraft’s approach to the space station, continues during the crew’s approximately two-week stay aboard the orbiting laboratory while conducting science, education, and commercial activities, and concludes once the spacecraft exits the station.
Peggy Whitson, former NASA astronaut and director of human spaceflight at Axiom Space, will command the commercial mission, while ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla will serve as pilot. The two mission specialists are ESA (European Space Agency) project astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski of Poland and Tibor Kapu of Hungary.
As part of a collaboration between NASA and ISRO, Axiom Mission 4 delivers on a commitment highlighted by President Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to send the first ISRO astronaut to the station. The space agencies are participating in five joint science investigations and two in-orbit science, technology, engineering, and mathematics demonstrations. NASA and ISRO have a long-standing relationship built on a shared vision to advance scientific knowledge and expand space collaboration.
The private mission also carries the first astronauts from Poland and Hungary to stay aboard the space station.
NASA will join the mission prelaunch teleconference hosted by Axiom Space (no earlier than one hour after completion of the Launch Readiness Review) at 6 p.m., Monday, June 9, with the following participants:
Dana Weigel, manager, International Space Station Program, NASA
Allen Flynt, chief of mission services, Axiom Space
William Gerstenmaier, vice president, Build and Flight Reliability, SpaceX
Arlena Moses, launch weather officer, 45th Weather Squadron, U.S. Space Force
To join the teleconference, media must register with Axiom Space by 12 p.m., Sunday, June 8, at:
NASA’s mission coverage is as follows (all times Eastern and subject to change based on real-time operations):
Tuesday, June 10
6:15 a.m. – Axiom Space and SpaceX launch coverage begins.
7:25 a.m. – NASA joins the launch coverage on NASA+.
8:22 a.m. – Launch
NASA will end coverage following orbital insertion, which is approximately 15 minutes after launch. As it is a commercial launch, NASA will not provide a clean launch feed on its channels.
Wednesday, June 11
10:30 a.m. – Arrival coverage begins on NASA+, Axiom Space, and SpaceX channels.
12:30 p.m. – Targeted docking to the space-facing port of the station’s Harmony module.
Arrival coverage will continue through hatch opening and welcome remarks.
All times are estimates and could be adjusted based on real-time operations after launch. Follow the space station blog for the most up-to-date operations information.
The International Space Station is a springboard for developing a low Earth economy. NASA’s goal is to achieve a strong economy off the Earth where the agency can purchase services as one of many customers to meet its science and research objectives in microgravity. NASA’s commercial strategy for low Earth orbit provides the government with reliable and safe services at a lower cost, enabling the agency to focus on Artemis missions to the Moon in preparation for Mars while also continuing to use low Earth orbit as a training and proving ground for those deep space missions.
Learn more about NASA’s commercial space strategy at:
NASA and ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) are collaborating to launch scientific investigations aboard Axiom Mission 4, the fourth private astronaut mission to the International Space Station. These studies include examining muscle regeneration, growth of sprouts and edible microalgae, survival of tiny aquatic organisms, and human interaction with electronic displays in microgravity.
The mission is targeted to launch no earlier than Tuesday, June 10, aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft on the company’s Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Regenerating muscle tissue
Immunofluorescent image of human muscle fibers for Myogenesis-ISRO, showing nuclei (blue) and proteins (red).
Institute for Stem Cell Science and Regenerative Medicine, India
During long-duration spaceflights, astronauts lose muscle mass, and their muscle cells’ regenerative ability declines. Researchers suspect this may happen because microgravity interferes with metabolism in mitochondria, tiny structures within cells that produce energy. The Myogenesis-ISRO investigation uses muscle stem cell cultures to examine the muscle repair process and test chemicals known to support mitochondrial function. Results could lead to interventions that maintain muscle health during long-duration space missions, help people on Earth with age-related muscle loss and muscle-wasting diseases, and assist athletes and people recovering from surgery.
Sprouting seeds
This preflight image shows sprouted fenugreek seeds for the Sprouts-ISRO investigation.
Ravikumar Hosamani Lab, University of Agricultural Sciences, India
The Sprouts-ISRO investigation looks at the germination and growth in microgravity of seeds from greengram and fenugreek, nutritious plants commonly eaten on the Indian subcontinent. Bioactive compounds in fenugreek seeds also have therapeutic properties, and the leaves contain essential vitamins and minerals. Learning more about how space affects the genetics, nutritional content, and other characteristics over multiple generations of plants could inform the development of ways for future missions to reliably produce plants as a food source.
Microalgae growth
Culture bags for Space Microalgae-ISRO.
Redwire
Space Microalgae-ISRO studies how microgravity affects microalgae growth and genetics. Highly digestible microalgae species packed with nutrients could be a food source on future space missions. These organisms also grow quickly, produce energy and oxygen, and consume carbon dioxide, traits that could be employed in life support and fuel systems on spacecraft and in certain scenarios on Earth.
Tiny but tough
NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson sets up the BioServe microscope, which will be used by the Voyager Tardigrade-ISRO investigation.
NASA
Tardigrades are tiny aquatic organisms that can tolerate extreme conditions on Earth. Voyager Tardigrade-ISRO tests the survival of a strain of tardigrades in the harsh conditions of space, including cosmic radiation and ultra-low temperatures, which kill most life forms. Researchers plan to revive dormant tardigrades, count the number of eggs laid and hatched during the mission, and compare the gene expression patterns of populations in space and on the ground. Results could help identify what makes these organisms able to survive extreme conditions and support development of technology to protect astronauts on future missions and those in harsh environments on Earth.
Improving electronic interactions
NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara interacts with a touchscreen. Voyager Displays-ISRO examines how spaceflight affects use of such devices.
NASA
Research shows that humans interact with touchscreen devices differently in space. Voyager Displays – ISRO examines how spaceflight affects interactions with electronic displays such as pointing tasks, gaze fixation, and rapid eye movements along with how these interactions affect the user’s feelings of stress or wellbeing. Results could support improved design of control devices for spacecraft and habitats on future space missions as well as for aviation and other uses on Earth.
Download high-resolution photos and videos of the research mentioned in this article.
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
How do we do research in zero gravity?
Actually when astronauts do experiments on the International Space Station, for instance, to environment on organisms, that environment is actually technically called microgravity. That is, things feel weightless, but we’re still under the influence of Earth’s gravity.
Now, the very microgravity that we’re trying to study up there can make experiments actually really kind of difficult for a bunch of different reasons.
First of all, stuff floats. So losing things in the ISS is a very real possibility. For example,
there was a set of tomatoes that was harvested in 2022 put it in a bag and it floated away and we couldn’t find it for eight months.
So to prevent this kind of thing from happening, we use a lot of different methods, such as using enclosed experiment spaces like glove boxes and glove bags. We use a lot of Velcro to stick stuff to.
Another issue is bubbles in liquids. So, on Earth, bubbles float up, in space they don’t float up, they’ll interfere with optical measurements or stop up your microfluidics. So space experiment equipment often includes contraptions for stopping or blocking or trapping bubbles.
A third issue is convection. So on Earth, gravity drives a process of gas mixing called convection and that helps circulate air. But without that in microgravity we worry about some of our experimental organisms and whether they’re going to get the fresh air that they need. So we might do things like adding a fan to their habitat, or if we can’t, we’ll take their habitat and put it somewhere where there might already be a fan on the ISS or in a corridor where we think they are going to be a lot of astronauts moving around and circulating the air.
Yet another issue is the fact that a lot of the laboratory instruments we use on Earth are not designed for microgravity. So to ensure that gravity doesn’t play a factor in how they work, we might do experiments on the ground where we turn them on their side or upside down, or rotate them on a rotisserie to make sure that they keep working.
So, as you can tell, for every experiment that we do on the International Space Station, there’s a whole team of scientists on the ground that has spent years developing the experiment design. And so I guess the answer to how we do research in microgravity is with a lot of practice and preparation.
When it comes to experiments in space, astronauts on the International Space Station face challenges you won’t find on Earth: bubbles don’t rise, things floa...
NASA astronaut Anne McClain points a camera at herself and takes a “space-selfie” during a May 1, 2025, spacewalk outside the International Space Station.
Credit: NASA
NASA astronaut and Spokane, Washington, native Anne McClain will participate in an event with students from the Mobius Discovery Center located in her hometown. McClain will answer prerecorded questions submitted by students from aboard the International Space Station.
The event will take place at 1:25 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, May 27. Media interested in covering the event must RSVP no later than 5 p.m. EDT on Friday, May 23, to Karen Hudson at 509-321-7125 or via email at: mkhudson@mobiusspokane.org.
The Mobius Discovery Center will host the event for elementary, middle, and high school students from various schools across the region, nonprofit organizations, and the Kalispel Tribe. This event is designed to foster imagination among students through exploration of hands-on exhibits and science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics learning opportunities while inspiring students to consider McClain’s career path.
For more than 24 years, astronauts have continuously lived and worked aboard the space station, testing technologies, performing science, and developing skills needed to explore farther from Earth. Astronauts aboard the orbiting laboratory communicate with NASA’s Mission Control Center in Houston 24 hours a day through SCaN’s (Space Communications and Navigation) Near Space Network.
Important research and technology investigations taking place aboard the space station benefit people on Earth and lays the groundwork for other agency missions. As part of NASA’s Artemis campaign, the agency will send astronauts to the Moon to prepare for future human exploration of Mars, inspiring Artemis Generation explorers, and ensuring the United States continues to lead in space exploration and discovery.
See videos of astronauts aboard the space station at:
Megan Harvey is a utilization flight lead and capsule communicator, or capcom, in the Research Integration Office at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. She integrates science payload constraints related to vehicles’ launch and landing schedules. She is also working to coordinate logistics for the return of SpaceX vehicles to West Coast landing sites.
Read on to learn about Harvey’s career with NASA and more!
Megan Harvey talking to a flight director from the Remote Interface Officer console in the Mission Control Center at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
NASA/Mark Sowa
Johnson Space Center is home to the best teams, both on and off the planet!
Megan Harvey
Utilization Flight Lead and Capsule Communicator
Where are you from?
I am from Long Valley, New Jersey.
How would you describe your job to family or friends who may not be familiar with NASA?
Many biological experiments conducted on the space station have specific time constraints, including preparation on the ground and when crew interacts with them on orbit. I help coordinate and communicate those kinds of constraints within the International Space Station Program and with the scientific community. This is especially important because launch dates seldom stay where they are originally planned! I am also currently working in a cross-program team coordinating the logistics for the return to West Coast landings of SpaceX vehicles.
As a capcom, I’m the position in the Mission Control Center in Houston that talks to the crew. That would be me responding to someone saying, “Houston, we have a problem!”
I’ve worked in the Research Integration Office since the beginning of 2024 and have really enjoyed the change of pace after 11 years in the Flight Operations Directorate, where I supported several different consoles for the International Space Station. I’ve kept my capcom certification since 2021, and it is an absolute dream come true every time I get to sit in the International Space Station Flight Control Room. Johnson Space Center is home to the best teams, both on and off the planet!
How long have you been working for NASA?
I have been working for the agency for 13 years.
What advice would you give to young individuals aspiring to work in the space industry or at NASA?
Some things that I have found that helped me excel are:
1. Practice: I am surprised over and over again how simply practicing things makes you better at them, but it works!
2. Preparation: Don’t wing things!
3. Curiosity: Keep questioning!
4. Enthusiasm!
Megan Harvey and friends after biking 25 miles to work.
Since going to Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama, when I was 10 years old, I wanted to be a capcom and work for NASA.
Megan Harvey
Utilization Flight Lead and Capsule Communicator
What was your path to NASA?
I had a very circuitous path to NASA. Since going to Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama, when I was 10 years old, I wanted to be a capcom and work for NASA. I also traveled to Russia in high school and loved it. I thought working on coordination between the Russian and U.S. space programs would be awesome. In pursuit of those dreams, I earned a bachelor’s degree in physics with a minor in Russian language from Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, but I had so much fun also participating in music extracurriculars that my grades were not quite up to the standards of working at NASA. After graduation, I worked at a technology camp for a summer and then received a research assistant position in a neuroscience lab at Princeton University in New Jersey.
After a year or so, I realized that independent research was not for me. I then worked in retail for a year before moving to California to be an instructor at Astrocamp, a year-round outdoor education camp. I taught a number of science classes, including astronomy, and had the opportunity to see the Perseverance Mars rover being put together at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. It dawned on me that I should start looking into aerospace-related graduate programs. After three years at Embry-Riddle in Daytona Beach, Florida, I received a master’s degree in engineering physics and a job offer for a flight control position, initially working for a subcontractor of United Space Alliance. I started in mission control as an attitude determination and control officer in 2012 and kept that certification until the end of 2023. Along the way, I was a Motion Control Group instructor; a Russian systems specialist and operations lead for the Houston Support Group working regularly in Moscow; a Remote Interface Officer (RIO); and supported capcom and the Vehicle Integrator team in a multipurpose support room for integration and systems engineers. I have to pinch myself when I think about how I somehow made my childhood dreams come true.
Is there someone in the space, aerospace, or science industry that has motivated or inspired you to work for the space program? Or someone you discovered while working for NASA who inspires you?
After I switched offices to Houston Support Group/RIO, most of my training was led by Sergey Sverdlin. He was a real character. Despite his gruffness, he and I got along really well. We were very different people, but we truly respected each other. I was always impressed with him and sought out his approval.
Megan Harvey in Red Square in Moscow, Russia.
What is your favorite NASA memory?
The most impactful experience I’ve had at NASA was working together with the Increment 68 leads during the days and months following the Soyuz coolant leak. I was increment lead RIO and just happened to be in the Increment Management Center the day of a planned Russian spacewalk. The increment lead RIO is not typically based in the Increment Management Center, but that day, things were not going well. All of our Russian colleagues had lost access to a critical network, and I was troubleshooting with the Increment Manager and the International Space Station Mission Management Team chair.
I was explaining to International Space Station Deputy Program Manager Dina Contella the plan for getting our colleagues access before their off-hours spacewalk when we saw a snowstorm of flakes coming out of the Soyuz on the downlink video on her office’s wall. Those flakes were the coolant. It was incredible watching Dina switch from winding down for the day to making phone call after phone call saying, “I am calling you in.” The Increment Management Center filled up and I didn’t leave until close to midnight that day. The rest of December was a flurry (no pun intended) of intense and meaningful work with the sharpest and most caring people I know.
What do you love sharing about station? What’s important to get across to general audiences to help them understand the benefits to life on Earth?
There is so much to talk about! I love giving insight into the complexities of not only the space station systems themselves, but also the international collaboration of all the teams working to keep the systems and the science running.
If you could have dinner with any astronaut, past or present, who would it be?
I would have dinner with Mae Jemison or Sally Ride. It’s too hard to pick!
Do you have a favorite space-related memory or moment that stands out to you?
I was selected by my management a few years ago to visit a Navy aircraft carrier with the SpaceX Crew-1 crew and some of the Crew-1 team leads. We did a trap landing on the deck and were launched off to go home, both via a C-2 Greyhound aircraft. It was mind blowing! I am also very lucky that I saw the last space shuttle launch from Florida when I was in graduate school.
Megan Harvey and NASA colleagues on the Nimitz aircraft carrier.
What are some of the key projects you’ve worked on during your time at NASA? What have been your favorite?
My first increment lead role was RIO for Increment 59 and there was a major effort to update all our products in case of needing to decrew the space station. It was eye-opening to work with the entire increment team in this effort. I really enjoyed all the work and learning and getting to know my fellow increment leads better, including Flight Director Royce Renfrew.
Also, in 2021 I was assigned as the Integration Systems Engineer (ISE) lead for the Nanorack Airlock. I had never worked on a project with so many stakeholders before. I worked close to 100 revisions of the initial activation and checkout flowchart, coordinating with the entire flight control team. It was very cool to see the airlock extracted from NASA’s SpaceX Dragon trunk and installed, but it paled in comparison to the shift when we did the first airlock trash deploy. I supported as lead ISE, lead RIO, and capcom all from the capcom console, sitting next to the lead Flight Director TJ Creamer. I gave a countdown to the robotics operations systems officer commanding the deploy on the S/G loop so that the crew and flight control team could hear, “3, 2, 1, Engage!”
I’ll never forget the satisfaction of working through all the complications with that stellar team and getting to a successful result while also having so much fun.
Megan Harvey at a bouldering gym.
What are your hobbies/things you enjoy outside of work?
I love biking, rock climbing, cooking, board games, and singing.
Day launch or night launch?
Night launch!
Favorite space movie?
Space Camp. It’s so silly. And it was the first DVD I ever bought!
NASA “worm” or “meatball” logo?
Worm
Every day, we’re conducting exciting research aboard our orbiting laboratory that will help us explore further into space and bring benefits back to people on Earth. You can keep up with the latest news, videos, and pictures about space station science on the Station Research & Technology news page. It’s a curated hub of space station research digital media from Johnson and other centers and space agencies.
Sign up for our weekly email newsletter to get the updates delivered directly to you.
Follow updates on social media at @ISS_Research on Twitter, and on the space station accounts on Facebook and Instagram.
The SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft, on NASA’s 30th Commercial Resupply Services mission, is pictured docked to the space-facing port on the International Space Station’s Harmony module on March 23, 2024.
Credit: NASA
Editor’s Note: This advisory was updated on May 22, 2025, to reflect new return timing for SpaceX’s 32nd commercial resupply services mission for NASA.
Editor’s Note: This advisory was updated on May 22, 2025, as NASA and SpaceX are standing down from Thursday’s undocking opportunity of Dragon. NASA will provide additional information on the next undocking opportunity as available.
NASA and its international partners will soon receive scientific research samples and hardware after a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft departs the International Space Station on Friday, May 23, for its return to Earth.
Live coverage of undocking and departure begins at 11:45 a.m. EDT on NASA+. Learn how to watch NASA content through a variety of platforms, including social media.
The Dragon spacecraft will undock from the zenith, or space-facing, port of the station’s Harmony module at 12:05 p.m. and fire its thrusters to move a safe distance away from the station under command by SpaceX’s Mission Control in Hawthorne, California.
After re-entering Earth’s atmosphere, the spacecraft will splash down at approximately 1:45 a.m. on Sunday, May 25, off the coast of California. NASA will post updates on the agency’s space station blog. There is no livestream video of the splashdown.
Filled with nearly 6,700 pounds of supplies, science investigations, equipment, and food, the spacecraft arrived at the space station on April 22 after launching April 21 on a Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida for the agency’s SpaceX 32nd commercial resupply services mission.
Some of the scientific hardware and samples Dragon will return to Earth include MISSE-20 (Multipurpose International Space Station Experiment), which exposed various materials to space, including radiation shielding and detection materials, solar sails and reflective coatings, ceramic composites for reentry spacecraft studies, and resins for potential use in heat shields. Samples were retrieved on the exterior of the station and can improve knowledge of how these materials respond to ultraviolet radiation, atomic oxygen, charged particles, thermal cycling, and other factors.
Additionally, Astrobee-REACCH (Responsive Engaging Arms for Captive Care and Handling) is returning to Earth after successfully demonstrating grasping and relocating capabilities on the space station. The REACCH demonstration used Astrobee robots to capture space objects of different geometries or surface materials using tentacle-like arms and adhesive pads. Testing a way to safely capture and relocate debris and other objects in orbit could help address end-of-life satellite servicing, orbit change maneuvers, and orbital debris removal. These capabilities maximize satellite lifespan and protect satellites and spacecraft in low Earth orbit that provide services to people on Earth.
Books from the Story Time from Space project also will return. Crew members aboard the space station read five science, technology, engineering, and mathematics-related children’s books in orbit and videotaped themselves completing science experiments. Video and data collected during the readings and demonstrations were downlinked to Earth and were posted in a video library with accompanying educational materials.
Hardware and data from a one-year technology demonstration called OPTICA (Onboard Programmable Technology for Image Compression and Analysis) also will return to Earth. The OPTICA technology was designed to advance transmission of real-time, ultra-high-resolution hyperspectral imagery from space to Earth, and it provided valuable insights for data compression and processing that could reduce the bandwidth required for communication, lowering the cost of acquiring data from space-based imaging systems without reducing the volume of data. This technology also could improve services, such as disaster response, that rely on Earth observations.
For more than 24 years, people have lived and worked continuously aboard the International Space Station, advancing scientific knowledge, and conducting critical research for the benefit of humanity and our home planet. Space station research supports the future of human spaceflight as NASA looks toward deep space missions to the Moon under the Artemis campaign and in preparation for future human missions to Mars, as well as expanding commercial opportunities in low Earth orbit and beyond.
Learn more about the International Space Station at:
Unearthly Plumbing Required for Plant Watering in Space
NASA is demonstrating new microgravity fluids technologies to enable advanced “no-moving-parts” plant-watering methods aboard spacecraft.
NASA Astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore during operations of Plant Water Management-6 (PWM-6) aboard the International Space Station.
Image: NASA
Crop production in microgravity will be important to provide whole food nutrition, dietary variety, and psychological benefits to astronauts exploring deep space. Unfortunately, even the simplest terrestrial plant watering methods face significant challenges when applied aboard spacecraft due to rogue bubbles, ingested gases, ejected droplets, and myriad unstable liquid jets, rivulets, and interface configurations that arise in microgravity environments.
In the weightlessness of space, bubbles do not rise, and droplets do not fall, resulting in a plethora of unearthly fluid flow challenges. To tackle such complex dynamics, NASA initiated a series of Plant Water Management (PWM) experiments to test capillary hydroponics aboard the International Space Station in 2021. The series of experiments continue to this day, opening the door not only to supporting our astronauts in space with the possibility of fresh vegetables, but also to address a host of challenges in space, such as liquid fuel management, Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC); and even urine collection.
The latest PWM hardware (PWM-5 and -6) involves three test units, each consisting of a variable-speed pump, tubing harness, assorted valves and syringes, and either one serial or two parallel hydroponic channels. This latest setup enables a wider range of parameters to be tested—e.g., gas and liquid flow rates, fill levels, inlet/outlet configurations, new bubble separation methods, serial and parallel flows, and new plant root types, numbers, and orders.
Most of the PWM equipment shipped to the space station consists of 3-D printed, flight-certified materials. The crew assembles the various system configurations on a workbench in the open cabin of the station and then executes the experiments, including routine communication with the PWM research team on the ground. All the quantitative data is collected via a single high-definition video camera.
The PWM hardware and procedures are designed to incrementally test the system’s capabilities for hydroponic and ebb and flow, and to repeatedly demonstrate priming, draining, serial/parallel channel operation, passive bubble management, limits of operation, stability during perturbations, start-up, shut-down, and myriad clean plant-insertion, saturation, stable flow, and plant-removal steps.
PWM-5 Hydroponic channel flow on the International Space Station with: (1) packed synthetic plant root model in passive bubble separating hydroponic channel, (2) passive aerator, (3) passive fluid reservoirs for water and nutrient solution balance, (4) passive bubble separator, (5) passive water trap, and (6) passive gas/bubble diverter. The flow is left to right across the channel and the aerated oxygenating bubbly flow is fully separated (no bubbles) by the bubble separator returning only liquid to the ‘root zone.’ The water trap, bubble diverter, root bundle and hydroponic channel dramatically increase the reliability of the plumbing by providing redundant passive bubble separating functions.
Image: J. Moghbeli/NASA
PWM-5 and -6 Root Models R1 – R4 from smallest to largest: perfectly wetting polymeric strands modelling Asian Mizuna.
Image: IRPI LLC
The recent results of the PWM-5 and -6 technology demonstrations aboard the space station have significantly advanced the technology used for passive plant watering in space. These quantitative demonstrations established hydroponic and ebb and flow watering processes as functions of serial and parallel channel fill levels, various types of engineered plant root models, and pump flow rates—including single-phase liquid flows and gas-liquid two-phase flows.
Critical PWM plumbing elements perform the role of passive gas-liquid separation (i.e., the elimination of bubbles from liquid and vice versa), which routinely occurs on Earth due to gravitational effects. The PWM-5 and -6 hardware in effect replaces the passive role of gravity with the passive roles of surface tension, wetting, and system geometry. In doing so, highly reliable “no-moving-parts” plumbing devices act to restore the illusive sense of up and down in space. For example,
hundreds of thousands of oxygenating bubbles generated by a passive aerator are 100% separated by the PWM bubble separator providing single-phase liquid flow to the hydroponic channel,
100% of the inadvertent liquid carry-over is captured in the passive water trap, and
all of the bubbles reaching the bubble diverter are directed to the upper inlet of the hydroponic channel where they are driven ever-upward by the channel geometry, confined by the first plant root, and coalesce leaving the liquid flow as a third, redundant, 100% passive phase-separating mechanism.
The demonstrated successes of PWM-5 and -6 offer a variety of ready plug-and-play solutions for effective plant watering in low- and variable-gravity environments, despite the challenging wetting properties of the water-based nutrient solutions used to water plants. Though a variety of root models are demonstrated by PWM-5 and -6, the remaining unknown is the role that real growing plants will play in such systems. Acquiring such knowledge may only be a matter of time.
100% Passive bubbly flow separations in microgravity demonstrated for PWM ‘devices’: a. bubble separator, b. bubble diverter, c. hydroponic channel and root model, and d. water trap. Liquid flows denoted by red arrows, air flows denoted by white arrows.
Astronaut Anne McClain is pictured on May 1, 2025, near one of the International Space Station’s main solar arrays.
Credit: NASA
Editor’s Note: This advisory was updated on Thursday, May 22 to correct that NASA astronaut Anne McClain will participate in the event on Friday, May 23, with Vermillion High School and to reflect that the start time for the event has changed to 10:10 a.m. EDT.
NASA astronauts Nichole Ayers and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi will answer prerecorded questions submitted by middle school students from New York and NASA astronaut Anne McClain will address high school students from Ohio. Both groups will hear from the astronauts aboard the International Space Station in two separate events.
The first event at 10:20 a.m. EDT on Tuesday, May 20, includes students from Long Beach Middle School in Lido Beach, New York. Media interested in covering the event at Long Beach Middle School must RSVP no later than 5 p.m. Monday, May 19, to Christi Tursi at: ctursi@lbeach.org or 516-771-3960.
The second event at 10:10 a.m. EDT on Friday, May 23, is with students from Vermilion High School in Vermilion, Ohio. Media interested in covering the event at Vermilion High School must RSVP no later than 5 p.m. Thursday, May 22, to Jennifer Bengele at: jbengele@vermilionschools.org or 440-479-7783.
Long Beach Middle School will host the event for students in grades 6 through 8. The school aims to provide both the students and community with an experience that bridge gaps in space sciences with teaching and learning in classrooms.
Vermilion High School will host the event for students in grades 9 through 12, to help increase student interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics career pathways.
For more than 24 years, astronauts have continuously lived and worked aboard the space station, testing technologies, performing science, and developing skills needed to explore farther from Earth. Astronauts aboard the orbiting laboratory communicate with NASA’s Mission Control Center in Houston 24 hours a day through SCaN’s (Space Communications and Navigation) Near Space Network.
Research and technology investigations taking place aboard the space station benefit people on Earth and lay the groundwork for other agency missions. As part of NASA’s Artemis campaign, the agency will send astronauts to the Moon to prepare for future human exploration of Mars, inspiring Artemis Generation explorers and ensuring the United States continues to lead in space exploration and discovery.
See videos of astronauts aboard the space station at:
NASA astronaut Anne McClain prepares spacesuits ahead of the May 2025 spacewalk.
Credits: NASA
Science in Space: May
Crew members on the International Space Station periodically conduct spacewalks to perform a variety of tasks such as installing, upgrading, and repairing equipment. During a spacewalk on May 1, astronauts installed hardware to support the planned addition of a seventh roll-out solar array on the exterior of the space station. Each of these arrays produces more than 20 kilowatts of electricity and together they will increased power production by up to 30%, enabling more scientific operations on the orbiting lab.
NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore collects samples from the exterior of the space station for ISS External Microorganisms.
NASA
Some spacewalks include operations for scientific research. On January 20, 2025, crew members collected samples for ISS External Microorganisms, an investigation examining whether microorganisms have exited through station vents and can survive in space. Results could help determine changes needed in design of spacecraft (including spacesuits) to prevent human-associated microbes from contaminating Mars and other exploration destinations.
Radiation monitoring
CSA astronaut Dave Williams on a spacewalk in 2007. CSA studied the radiation dose crew members experience while outside the station.
NASA
The CSA (Canadian Space Agency) investigation EVA Radiation Monitoring, used a miniature, power-efficient wireless radiation measurement system or dosimeter worn by crew members during spacewalks. This type of device could help identify parts of the body that are exposed to the highest radiation levels during spacewalks. Results showed that this type of device is a feasible way to monitor individual dose during spacewalks. The device also has potential uses on Earth, such as monitoring radiation exposure during cancer treatments.
Spacesuit technology
Spacesuits are essentially one-person spacecraft that protect their wearers from the hazards of space, including radiation and extreme temperatures. Space station research is helping improve the suits and tools for spacewalks and activities outside spacecraft and for the exploration of the Moon and Mars.
SpaceSkin on ExHAM, a JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) investigation, evaluated the durability of a fabric with imbedded sensors to detect damage. Sensors integrated into the exposed outermost layer of a spacesuit could detect damage such as impacts from micrometeoroids. Researchers documented factors to consider in design of textiles with sensing capabilities as well as the ability to withstand the hazards of space. Such fabrics could be integrated into spacesuits and habitats to help protect astronauts on spacewalks and future exploration missions.
NASA astronaut Patrick G. Forrester works with the MISSE facility.
NASA
Researchers use the Materials International Space Station Experiment or MISSE facility on the exterior of the space station for experiments exposing various materials and components to the harsh environment of space. Along with solar cells, electronics, and coatings, MISSE-7 tested pristine fibers from Apollo mission spacesuits and others scratched by lunar dust to examine the combined effects of abrasion and radiation damage. Researchers report that the fabrics significantly degraded, suggesting the need for ways to prevent or mitigate radiation damage to spacesuits on extended missions to the Moon.
MISSE-9tested spacesuit materials treated with shear-thickening fluids. These suspensions of tiny particles in a fluid react to stress by quickly changing from a liquid to a solid. The research showedthat the materials maintained their mechanical performance characteristics and puncture resistance after extended exposure.
Keeping cool also is important on a spacewalk, where temperatures can reach 250 degrees. SERFE, or Spacesuit Evaporation Rejection Flight Experiment, tested a technology using water evaporation to remove heat from a spacesuit so crew members and equipment remain at appropriate temperatures during spacewalks. A current cooling method, called sublimation, exposes small amounts of water to space, causing it to freeze and then turn into vapor that disperses, removing heat as it does so. The SERFE technology may be less susceptible to water contamination than sublimation.
Exiting station
The Nanoracks Bishop Airlock is attached to the Canadarm2 robotic arm as the International Space Station orbits 264 miles above the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Brazil. Ocean off the coast of southern Brazil at the time of this photograph.
NASA
Crew members use specialized airlocks to exit the station for spacewalks. Airlocks also make it possible to deploy satellites and other external equipment. The Nanoracks Bishop Airlock was the first commercially owned and operated airlock installed on the space station. Its size, design, and automation enable faster and more efficient movement of materials out of and into the station, reducing the crew and robotics time needed. In addition to facilitating spacewalks, this facility could support increased commercial use of the space station and expand research capabilities.
Imagine you are an Astronaut on the Moon. Your job for the next eight hours will be exploring, collecting science samples, traversing up and down lunar hills...
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 members (from left to right) Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov, NASA astronauts Nichole Ayers and Anne McClain, and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi pictured training at SpaceX in Hawthorne, California.
Credit: SpaceX
Editor’s note:This advisory was updated on Feb. 12, 2025, to add the target launch time.
Media accreditation is open for the launch of NASA’s 10th rotational mission of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft, carrying astronauts to the International Space Station for a science expedition. The agency’s SpaceX Crew-10 mission is targeting launch at 7:48 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, March 12, from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The launch will carry NASA astronauts Anne McClain as commander and Nichole Ayers as pilot, along with JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov as mission specialists. This is the first spaceflight for Ayers and Peskov, and the second mission to the orbiting laboratory for McClain and Onishi.
Media accreditation deadlines for the Crew-10 launch as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program are as follows:
International media without U.S. citizenship must apply by 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 13.
U.S. media and U.S. citizens representing international media organizations must apply by 11:59 p.m. EST on Sunday, Feb. 23.
All accreditation requests must be submitted online at:
NASA’s media accreditation policy is online. For questions about accreditation or special logistical requests, email: ksc-media-accreditat@mail.nasa.gov. Requests for space for satellite trucks, tents, or electrical connections are due by Friday, Feb. 21.
For other questions, please contact NASA Kennedy’s newsroom at: 321-867-2468.
Para obtener información sobre cobertura en español en el Centro Espacial Kennedy o si desea solicitar entrevistas en español, comuníquese con Antonia Jaramillo: 321-501-8425, o Messod Bendayan: 256-930-1371.
For launch coverage and more information about the mission, visit:
NASA astronauts Don Pettit and Nick Hague are at the controls of the robotics workstation. Credit: NASA
Students from Rocky Hill, Connecticut, will have the chance to connect with NASA astronauts Nick Hague and Don Pettit as they answer prerecorded science, technology, engineering, and mathematics-related questions from aboard the International Space Station.
Watch the 20-minute space-to-Earth call at 11:40 a.m. EST on Tuesday, Feb. 18, on NASA+ and learn how to watch NASA content on various platforms, including social media.
The event for kindergarten through 12th grade students will be hosted at Rocky Hill Library in Rocky Hill, near Hartford, Connecticut. The goal is to engage area students by introducing them to the wide variety of STEM career opportunities available in space exploration and related fields.
Media interested in covering the event must contact by 5 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 14, to Gina Marie Davies at:gdavies@rockyhillct.gov or 860-258-2530.
For more than 24 years, astronauts have continuously lived and worked aboard the space station, testing technologies, performing science, and developing skills needed to explore farther from Earth. Astronauts aboard the orbiting laboratory communicate with NASA’s Mission Control Center in Houston 24 hours a day through SCaN’s (Space Communications and Navigation) Near Space Network.
Important research and technology investigations taking place aboard the space station benefit people on Earth and lay the groundwork for other agency missions. As part of NASA’s Artemis campaign, the agency will send astronauts to the Moon to prepare for future human exploration of Mars; inspiring Artemis Generation explorers and ensuring the United States continues to lead in space exploration and discovery.
See videos and lesson plans highlighting space station research at:
This study showed that the International Space Station’s ECOSTRESS instrument estimates of evapotranspiration (transfer of water to the atmosphere from Earth’s surface and plants) are comparable to ground-based reference values. This finding suggests space measurements could provide guidance for improved water management on large scales.
Worsening droughts due to climate change require better water management. Evapotranspiration is a critical part of the hydrologic cycle, but data are lacking on local water conditions and demands. California’s Eastern Municipal Water District uses the ground-based California Irrigation Management Information System to track evapotranspiration, but it has limited spatial coverage and consistency. Space-based estimates could be better and more consistent.
The ECOSTRESS instrument, the white box in the center, is visible on the outside of the station.
NASA
Four-legged robotic retrievers
Space station crew members successfully located and retrieved an object in a simulated Mars environment using a remotely controlled four-legged robot, Bert. Legged robots could provide the ability to explore and survey different extraterrestrial surfaces on future missions.
On uneven lunar and planetary surfaces, robots with legs could explore areas inaccessible to wheeled rovers. Surface Avatar, an investigation from ESA (European Space Agency), evaluated remote control of multiple robots in space, providing information on how human operators respond to physical feedback (such as feeling a bump when a robot arm makes contact) and identifying challenges for orbit-to-ground remote operation of robots. The German Aerospace Center is developing Bert.
ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti practices maneuvers for the Surface Avatar investigation.
NASA
Technology supports atmospheric studies
Researchers found that the Compact Thermal Imager (CTI) on the space station produced scientifically useful imagery of atmospheric phenomena, including gravity waves, clouds, and volcanic plumes. This technology could change current practices and instrument design for remote sensing of Earth from space.
The CTI is mounted on hardware for Robotic Refueling Mission 3, which tested technology for the robotic transfer and storage of cryogenic fluids in microgravity. The station’s orbit provides near-global coverage and CTI has reduced size, energy use, and cost. Its images can measure fires, ice sheets, glaciers, and snow surface temperatures on the ground and the transfer of water from soil and plants into the atmosphere.
NASA astronaut Anne McClain and CSA astronaut David Saint-Jacques installing the RRM3 hardware.
(Jan. 13, 2025) Astronaut Nick Hague swaps samples of materials to observe how they burn in weightlessness.
Credit: NASA
Students from the Thomas Edison EnergySmart Charter School in Somerset, New Jersey, will have the chance to connect with NASA astronaut Nick Hague as he answers prerecorded science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) related questions from aboard the International Space Station.
Watch the 20-minute space-to-Earth call at 11:10 a.m. EST on Tuesday, Feb. 11, on NASA+ and learn how to watch NASA content on various platforms, including social media.
Media interested in covering the event must RSVP by 5 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 6, to Jeanette Allison at: oyildiz@energysmartschool.org or 732-412-7643.
For more than 24 years, astronauts have continuously lived and worked aboard the space station, testing technologies, performing science, and developing skills needed to explore farther from Earth. Astronauts aboard the orbiting laboratory communicate with NASA’s Mission Control Center in Houston 24 hours a day through SCaN’s (Space Communications and Navigation) Near Space Network.
Important research and technology investigations taking place aboard the space station benefit people on Earth and lay the groundwork for other agency missions. As part of NASA’s Artemis campaign, the agency will send astronauts to the Moon to prepare for future human exploration of Mars; inspiring Artemis Generation explorers and ensuring the United States continues to lead in space exploration and discovery.
See videos and lesson plans highlighting space station research at:
NASA astronaut Don Pettit aboard the International Space Station. (Credit: NASA)
For the first time, NASA is hosting a live Twitch event from about 250 miles off the Earth aboard the International Space Station, bringing new audiences closer to space than ever before. Viewers will have the opportunity to hear from NASA astronauts live and ask questions about life in orbit.
The event will begin at 11:45 a.m. EST on Wednesday, Feb. 12, livestreamed on the agency’s official Twitch channel:
“This Twitch event from space is the first of many,” said Brittany Brown, director, Office of Communications Digital and Technology Division, at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “We spoke with digital creators at TwitchCon about their desire for streams designed with their communities in mind, and we listened. In addition to our spacewalks, launches, and landings, we’ll host more Twitch-exclusive streams like this one. Twitch is one of the many digital platforms we use to reach new audiences and get them excited about all things space.”
Although NASA has streamed events to Twitch previously, this conversation will be the first NASA event from the International Space Station developed specifically for the agency’s Twitch platform.
During the event, viewers will hear from NASA astronaut Don Pettit, who is currently aboard the orbiting laboratory, and NASA astronaut Matt Dominick, who recently returned to Earth after the agency’s Crew-8 mission.
The NASA astronauts will discuss daily life aboard the space station and the research conducted in microgravity. Additionally, the event will highlight ways for Twitch users to engage with NASA, including citizen science projects and science, technology, engineering, and math programs designed to inspire the Artemis Generation.
NASA is committed to exploring new digital platforms to engage with new audiences. Last year, the agency introduced its own streaming platform, NASA+, and redesigned nasa.gov and science.nasa.gov websites, creating a new homebase for agency news, Artemis information, and more.
To keep up with the latest news from NASA and learn more about the agency, visit:
For astronauts aboard the International Space Station, staying connected to loved ones and maintaining a sense of normalcy is critical. That is where Tandra Gill Spain, a computer resources senior project manager in NASA’s Avionics and Software Office, comes in. Spain leads the integration of applications on Apple devices and the hardware integration on the Joint Station Local Area Network, which connects the systems from various space agencies on the International Space Station. She also provides technical lead support to the Systems Engineering and Space Operations Computing teams and certifies hardware for use on the orbiting laboratory.
Spain shares about her career with NASA and more. Read on to learn about her story, her favorite project, and the advice she has for the next generation of explorers.
Tandra Spain’s official NASA portrait.
NASA
Where are you from?
I am from Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Tell us about your role at NASA.
I am the Apple subsystem manager where I lead the integration of applications on Apple devices as well as the hardware integration on the Joint Station Local Area Network. We use a variety of different software but I work specifically with our Apple products. I also provide technical lead support to the Systems Engineering and Space Operations Computing teams. In addition, I select and oversee the certification of hardware for use on the International Space Station, and I research commonly used technology and assess applicability to space operations.
How would you describe your job to family or friends who may not be familiar with NASA?
I normalize living and working in space by providing the comforts and conveniences of living on Earth.
Tandra spain
Computer Resources Senior Project Manager
I get the opportunity to provide the iPads and associated applications that give astronauts the resources to access the internet. Having access to the internet affords them the opportunity to stay as connected as they desire with what is going on back home on Earth (e.g., stream media content, stay in touch with family and friends, and even pay bills). I also provide hardware such as Bluetooth speakers, AirPods, video projectors, and screens.
How long have you been working for NASA?
I have been with the agency for 30 years, including 22 years as a contractor.
What advice would you give to young individuals aspiring to work in the space industry or at NASA?
I have found that there is a place for just about everyone at NASA, therefore, follow your passion. Although many of us are, you don’t have to be a scientist or engineer to work at NASA. Yearn to learn. Pause and listen to those around you. You don’t know what you don’t know, and you will be amazed what gems you’ll learn in the most unexpected situations.
Additionally, be flexible and find gratitude in every experience. Many of the roles that I’ve had over the years didn’t come from a well-crafted, laid-out plan that I executed, but came from taking advantage of the opportunities that presented themselves and doing them to the best of my ability.
Tandra Spain and her husband, Ivan, with NASA astronaut and Flight Director TJ Creamer when she was awarded the Silver Snoopy Award.
What was your path to NASA?
I moved to Houston to work at NASA’s Johnson Space Center immediately upon graduating from college.
Is there someone in the space, aerospace, or science industry that has motivated or inspired you to work for the space program? Or someone you discovered while working for NASA who inspires you?
I spent over half of my career in the Astronaut Office, and I’ve been influenced in different ways by different people, so it wouldn’t be fair to pick just one!
What is your favorite NASA memory?
I’ve worked on so many meaningful projects, but there are two recent projects that stand out.
Humans were not created to be alone, and connection is extremely important. I was able to provide a telehealth platform for astronauts to autonomously video conference with friends and family whenever an internet connection is available. Prior to having this capability, crew were limited to one scheduled video conference a week. It makes me emotional to think that we have moms and dads orbiting the Earth on the space station and they can see their babies before they go to bed, when they wake up in the morning, or even in the middle of the night if needed.
In addition, since iPads are used for work as well as personal activities on station, it is important for my team to be able to efficiently keep the applications and security patches up to date. We completed the software integration and are in the process of wrapping up the certification of the Mac Mini to provide this capability. This will allow us to keep up with all software updates that Apple releases on a regular basis and minimize the amount of crew and flight controller team time associated with the task by approximately 85%.
Tandra Spain, her mother, Marva Herndon, and her daughter, Sasha, at her daughter’s high school graduation in 2024.
What do you love sharing about station? What’s important to get across to general audiences to help them understand the benefits to life on Earth?
When I speak to the public about the space station, I like to compare our everyday lives on Earth to life on the station and highlight the use of technology to maintain the connection to those on Earth. For example, most people have a phone. Besides making a phone call, what do you use your phone for? It is amazing to know that the same capabilities exist on station, such as using apps, participating in parent teacher conferences, and more.
If you could have dinner with any astronaut, past or present, who would it be?
I would have dinner with NASA astronaut Ron McNair. He graduated from the same university as I did, and I’ve heard great stories about him.
Do you have a favorite space-related memory or moment that stands out to you?
As I mentioned previously, human connection is extremely important. As an engineer in the Astronaut Office, I worked on a project that provided more frequent email updates when Ku-Band communication was available. Previously, email was synced two to three times a day, and less on the weekend. When the capability went active, I sent the first email exchange.
What are some of the key projects you’ve worked on during your time at NASA? What have been your favorite?
There have been so many projects over the past 30 years that I don’t think I could select just one. There is something however, that I’ve done on many occasions that has brought me pure joy, which is attending outreach events as Johnson’s “Cosmo” mascot, especially Houston Astros games.
Tandra Spain representing NASA as “Cosmo” the astronaut mascot at a Houston Astros baseball game.
What are your hobbies/things you enjoy outside of work?
I enjoy crafting, traveling, mentoring students in Pearland Independent School District, spending time with family, and my Rooted Together community.
Day launch or night launch?
Night launch!
Favorite space movie?
Star Wars (the original version)
NASA “worm” or “meatball” logo?
Meatball
Every day, we’re conducting exciting research aboard our orbiting laboratory that will help us explore further into space and bring benefits back to people on Earth. You can keep up with the latest news, videos, and pictures about space station science on the Station Research & Technology news page. It’s a curated hub of space station research digital media from Johnson and other centers and space agencies.
Sign up for our weekly email newsletter to get the updates delivered directly to you.
Follow updates on social media at @ISS_Research on Twitter, and on the space station accounts on Facebook and Instagram.
The Axiom Mission 4, or Ax-4, crew will launch aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida no earlier than Spring 2025. From left to right: Tibor Kapu of Hungary, ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization) astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski of Poland.
Credit: SpaceX
Editor’s note: This release was updated on Jan. 31, 2025. Axiom Mission 4 will launch from Florida no earlier than spring 2025.
NASA and its international partners have approved the crew for Axiom Space’s fourth private astronaut mission to the International Space Station, launching from Florida no earlier than spring 2025.
Peggy Whitson, former NASA astronaut and director of human spaceflight at Axiom Space, will command the commercial mission, while ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization) astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla will serve as pilot. The two mission specialists are ESA (European Space Agency) project astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski of Poland and Tibor Kapu of Hungary.
“I am excited to see continued interest and dedication for the private astronaut missions aboard the International Space Station,” said Dana Weigel, manager of NASA’s International Space Station Program at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. “As NASA looks toward the future of low Earth orbit, private astronaut missions help pave the way and expand access to the unique microgravity environment.”
The Axiom Mission 4, or Ax-4, crew will launch aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and travel to the space station. Once docked, the private astronauts plan to spend up to 14 days aboard the orbiting laboratory, conducting a mission comprised of science, outreach, and commercial activities. The mission will send the first ISRO astronaut to the station as part of a joint effort between NASA and the Indian space agency. The private mission also carries the first astronauts from Poland and Hungary to stay aboard the space station.
“Working with the talented and diverse Ax-4 crew has been a deeply rewarding experience,” said Whitson. “Witnessing their selfless dedication and commitment to expanding horizons and creating opportunities for their nations in space exploration is truly remarkable. Each crew member brings unique strengths and perspectives, making our mission not just a scientific endeavor, but a testament to human ingenuity and teamwork. The importance of our mission is about pushing the limits of what we can achieve together and inspiring future generations to dream bigger and reach farther.”
The first private astronaut mission to the station, Axiom Mission 1, lifted off in April 2022 for a 17-day mission aboard the orbiting laboratory. The second private astronaut mission to the station, Axiom Mission 2, also was commanded by Whitson and launched in May 2023 with four private astronauts who spent eight days in orbit. The most recent private astronaut mission, Axiom Mission 3, launched in January 2024; the crew spent 18 days docked to the space station.
The International Space Station is a convergence of science, technology, and human innovation that enables research not possible on Earth. For more than 24 years, NASA has supported a continuous human presence aboard the orbiting laboratory, through which astronauts have learned to live and work in space for extended periods of time.
The space station is a springboard for developing a low Earth economy. NASA’s goal is to achieve a strong economy in low Earth orbit where the agency can purchase services as one of many customers to meet its science and research objectives in microgravity. NASA’s commercial strategy for low Earth orbit will provide the government with reliable and safe services at a lower cost, enabling the agency to focus on Artemis missions to the Moon in preparation for Mars while also continuing to use low Earth orbit as a training and proving ground for those deep space missions.
Learn more about NASA’s commercial space strategy at:
Resupply of life support elements such as air, water, food, clothing, and hygiene items will be impractical on missions to the Moon and beyond. This research assessed current use and resupply of these elements on the International Space Station and outlines technologies needed for sustained human presence in space, such as 3D printing maintenance parts, systems for laundering clothes, and improved recovery and recycling of elements.
Researchers analyzed the types and mass of elements supplied from Earth to the station and astronaut feedback from various studies and interviews. The paper also used data from ISS Internal Environments, a wide-ranging investigation that samples various aspects of the space station environment in support of many types of research.
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Satoshi Furukawa exercises on the station’s treadmill. Astronauts currently have no way to launder clothes in space.
NASA
Verifying a technique for analyzing emulsions
This paper presents a review of examining the behavior of emulsions (suspensions of particles in a liquid) in microgravity using a technique called diffusing wave spectroscopy. Results offer insights that could support development of technologies to improve living environments and foods for crew members on future missions.
FSL Soft Matter Dynamics – PASTA studied the dynamics of droplets in emulsions. Accurate study and characterization of the effects of additives on emulsion stability is possible in microgravity. Emulsions have applications in foods, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, fuels, paints and coatings, chemical processing, and materials.
European Space Agency astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti exchanges samples for the FSL Soft Matter Dynamics-PASTA investigation.
NASA
EEG measurements and predicting cognitive changes in spaceflight
Researchers used an electroencephalogram (EEG) to measure brainwave activity during a relaxed, wakeful state in crew members and found no significant differences before, during, and after flight. These types of measurements could serve as biomarkers of brain health status, helping to predict changes in cognitive performance and the need for prevention and countermeasure strategies during future missions.
Studies have shown that spaceflight can affect key cognitive and motor skills such as task management, attention, and movement speed and accuracy. Neurowellness in Space Ax-1 tested using a portable, easy to use EEG headset to measure ongoing and task-related brain activity in microgravity. The data could help predict and monitor neural changes on future space missions.
The 11-person crew aboard the station in April 2022 included Axiom Mission 1 astronauts (center row from left) Mark Pathy, Eytan Stibbe, Larry Conner, and Michael Lopez-Alegria.
NASA’s NICER Continues Science Operations Post Repair
NASA crew aboard the International Space Station installed patches to the agency’s NICER (Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer) mission during a spacewalk on Jan. 16. NICER, an X-ray telescope perched near the station’s starboard solar array, resumed science operations later the same day.
The patches cover areas of NICER’s thermal shields where damage was discovered in May 2023. These thin filters block sunlight while allowing X-rays to pass through. After the discovery, the NICER team restricted their observations during the station’s daytime to avoid overwhelming the mission’s sensitive detectors. Nighttime observations were unaffected, and the team was able to continue collecting data for the science community to make groundbreaking measurements using the instrument’s full capabilities.
The repair went according to plan. Data since collected shows the detectors behind the patched areas are performing better than before during station night, and the overall level of sunlight inside NICER during the daytime is reduced substantially.
While NICER experiences less interference from sunlight than before, after analyzing initial data, the team has determined the telescope still experiences more interference than expected. The installed patches cover areas of known damage identified using astronomical observations and from photos taken by both external robotic cameras and astronauts inside the space station. Measurements collected since the repair and close-up, high-resolution photos obtained during the spacewalk are providing new information that may point the way toward further daytime data collection.
In the meantime, NICER continues operations with its full measurement capabilities during orbit night to enable further trailblazing discoveries in time domain and multimessenger astrophysics.
On Tuesday, May 22, NASA’s NICER (Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer), an X-ray telescope on the International Space Station, developed a “light leak,” in which unwanted sunlight enters the instrument. While analyzing incoming data since then, the team identified an impact to daytime observations. Nighttime observations seem to be unaffected.
The team suspects that at least one of the thin thermal shields on NICER’s 56 X-ray Concentrators has been damaged, allowing sunlight to reach its sensitive detectors.
To mitigate the effects on measurements, the NICER team has limited daytime observations to objects far away from the Sun’s position in the sky. The team has also updated commands to NICER that automatically lower its sensitivity during the orbital day to reduce the effects from sunlight contamination. The team is evaluating these changes and assessing additional measures to reduce the impact on science observations.
To date, more than 300 scientific papers have used NICER observations, and the team is confident that NICER will continue to produce world-class science.
NASA astronaut Suni Williams is seen outside the International Space Station during the Jan. 16, 2025, spacewalk where she and fellow NASA astronaut Nick Hague replaced a rate gyro assembly that helps maintain the orientation of the orbital outpost. It was the fourth spacewalk for Hague and the eighth for Williams.
Williams and Hague also installed patches to cover damaged areas of light filters on the NICER (Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer) X-ray telescope, replaced a reflector device on one of the international docking adapters, and checked access areas and connector tools that astronauts will use for future Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer maintenance.
Researchers report details of phase and structure in the solidification of metal alloys on the International Space Station, including formation of microstructures. Because these microstructures determine a material’s mechanical properties, this work could support improvements in techniques for producing coatings and additive manufacturing or 3D printing processes.
METCOMP, an ESA (European Space Agency) investigation, studied solidification in microgravity using transparent organic mixtures as stand-ins for metal alloys. Conducting the research in microgravity removed the influence of convection and other effects of gravity. Results help scientists better understand and validate models of solidification mechanisms, enabling better forecasting of microstructures and improving manufacturing processes.
Image from the METCOMP investigation of how a metal alloy could look like as it solidifies.
E-USOC
Measuring the height of upper-atmospheric electrical discharges
Researchers determined the height of a blue discharge from a thundercloud using ground-based electric field measurements and space-based optical measurements from Atmosphere-Space Interactions Monitor (ASIM). This finding helps scientists better understand how these high-altitude lightning-related events affect atmospheric chemistry and could help improve atmospheric models and climate and weather predictions.
ESA’s ASIM is an Earth observation facility that studies severe thunderstorms and upper-atmospheric lighting events and their role in the Earth’s atmosphere and climate. Upper-atmospheric lightning, also known as transient luminous events, occurs well above the altitudes of normal lightning and storm clouds. The data collected by ASIM could support research on the statistical properties of many upper atmosphere lightning events, such as comparison of peak intensities of blue and red pulses with reports from lightning detection networks.
An artist’s impression of a blue jet as observed from the International Space Station.
Mount Visual/University of Bergen/DTU
Modeling a complex neutron star
Scientists report that they can use modeling of neutron star PSRJ1231−1411’s X-ray pulses to infer its mass and radius and narrow the possible behaviors of the dense matter at its core. This finding provides a better understanding of the composition and structure of these celestial objects, improving models that help answer questions about conditions in the universe.
The Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer provides high-precision measurements of pulses of X-ray radiation from neutron stars. This particular neutron star presented challenges in finding a fit between models and data, possibly due to fundamental issues with its pulse profile. The authors recommend a program of simulations using synthetic data to determine whether there are fundamental issues with this type of pulse profile that could prevent efforts to obtain tighter and more robust constraints.
Concentrators on the Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer instrument.
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