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NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 Scientific Mission on Space Station Concludes

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NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission with agency astronauts Nick Hague, Butch Wilmore, and Suni Williams, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov is preparing to return to Earth following their science mission aboard the International Space Station. Hague, Williams, and Wilmore completed more than 900 hours of research between over 150 unique scientific experiments and technology demonstrations during their stay aboard the orbiting laboratory.

Here’s a look at some scientific milestones accomplished during their journey:

Mighty microalgae

NASA astronaut Nick Hague processes samples for Arthrospira C, an investigation from ESA (European Space Agency) that transplants and grows Arthrospiramicro-algae eboard the International Space Station. These organisms conduct photosynthesis and could be used to convert carbon dioxide exhaled by crew members into oxygen, helping maintain a safe atmosphere inside spacecraft. Arthrospira also could provide fresh food on long-duration space missions.

Hague, wearing a red t-shirt, khaki pants, and a black headband, faces a blue worktable. In his right hand he holds a metal box about the size of a box of tissues with red panels and white wiring on the front. A laptop is attached to his pants and multiple wires, cords, equipment, and laptops are visible behind him.
NASA

Improving astronaut exercise

Researchers are testing the European Enhanced Exploration Exercise Device (E4D), a modular device that combines cycling, rowing, and resistance exercises to help keep crews healthy on long-duration missions. A single, small device effective at countering bone and muscle loss and improving cardiovascular health is needed for use on future spacecraft such as the Gateway lunar space station. NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore works on installing the device aboard the International Space Station ahead of its evaluation.

Wilmore is smiling at the camera and wearing a headlamp, long-sleeved black t-shirt, and khaki shorts with writing on one leg and a laptop attached by Velcro to the other. His left hand is gripping a metal pole with a metal box the size of a small suitcase on its end. The walls around him are covered with equipment, lights, wires, and cords.
NASA

Watering the garden

This red romaine lettuce growing in the International Space Station’s Advanced Plant Habitat is part of Plant Habitat-07, a study of how different moisture levels affect the microbial communities in plants and water. Results could show how less-than-ideal conditions affect plant growth and help scientists design systems to produce safe and nutritious food for crew members on future space journeys.

A cluster of reddish lettuce leaves rise from a perforated metal plate, with white cloth dividers separating the plant from another to the left. The side of the plant habitat to the right has two air vent panels, and a bright light shines from above.
NASA

Packing it in

Packed bed reactors are systems that “pack” materials such as pellets or beads inside a structure to increase contact between any liquids and gasses flowing through it. NASA astronaut Suni Williams installs hardware for the Packed Bed Reactor Experiment: Water Recovery Series (PBRE-WRS) investigation, which examines how gravity affects these systems aboard the International Space Station. Results could help scientists design better reactors for water recovery, thermal management, fuel cells, and other applications.

Williams, wearing a short-sleeved black t-shirt and blue latex gloves, smiles at the camera and gestures toward the Packed Bed Reactor in front of her. The front of the reactor has a silver box to her left and two gold boxes to her right, with multiple hoses and cords connecting them. There is a control panel across the top of the equipment with a row of switches and lights.
NASA

Fueling the flames

During the Residence Time Driven Flame Spread (SOFIE-RTDFS) investigation at the International Space Station, this sheet of clear acrylic plastic burns at higher oxygen levels and half the standard pressure of Earth’s atmosphere. From left to right, the image sequence shows a side and top view of the fuel and the oxygen slowly diffusing into the flame. Studying the spread of flames in microgravity could help improve safety on future missions.

This image shows a series of six flames viewed from the side and above against a black background. From left to right, the flame goes from blue to blue and yellow, then mostly yellow, and back to blue. Viewed from the side, the flame is shaped sort of like a triangle.
NASA

Monitoring microbes in space

During a recent spacewalk, NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore swabbed the exterior of the International Space Station for ISS External Microorganisms, an investigation exploring whether microorganisms leave the spacecraft through its vents and, if so, which ones survive. Humans carry microorganisms along with them wherever they go, and this investigation could help scientists take steps to limit microbial spread to places like the Moon and Mars.

Wilmore, in a white spacesuit, is floating horizontally, holding onto a copper-colored railing on top of a white, curved surface of the space station. In the background on the left of the image part of the station’s solar panels are visible, and the Canadarm robotic arm extends from behind Wilmore to the top of the image. Behind it is the blackness of space.
NASA

A hearty workout

NASA astronaut Nick Hague exercises on the International Space Station’s Advanced Resistive Exercise Device while wearing the Bio-Monitor vest and headband. This set of garments contains sensors that unobtrusively collect data such as heart rate, breathing rate, blood pressure, and temperature. The data supports studies on human health, including Vascular Aging, a CSA (Canadian Space Agency) investigation that monitors cardiovascular function in space.

Hague is wearing a black sleeveless vest and black headband and has a blue blood pressure cuff around his upper left arm. He has his back against the exercise device and is holding a lift bar behind his shoulders with both hands. His feet, in black and gold running shoes, are braced against the bottom of the device.
NASA

On-demand medical devices

NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore works with hardware for InSPA Auxilium Bioprinter, a study that tests 3D printing of an implantable medical device that could facilitate recovery from peripheral nerve damage, a type of injury that can cause sensory and motor issues. In microgravity, this manufacturing technique produces higher-quality devices that may perform better, benefitting crew members on future long-duration missions and patients back home.

Wilmore, wearing a blue, long-sleeved shirt with a Navy logo on the front, is looking at the camera. His left hand holds a silver box about the size of a watch box and there is a plastic zipper bag in his right hand. On the wall in front of him are several white panels with multiple hoses and connecting cords; one of the panels is open.
NASA

Could wood be better

A deployer attached to the International Space Station’s Kibo laboratory module launches LignoSat into space. JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) developed the satellite to test using wood as a more sustainable alternative to conventional satellite materials. Researchers previously exposed different woods to space and chose magnolia as the best option for the study, including sensors to evaluate the wood’s strain and its response to temperature and radiation. Researchers also are monitoring whether Earth’s geomagnetic field interferes with the satellite’s data transmission.

The tan, rectangular satellite deployer is visible on the upper right of this image and three cubes float a short distance below it. The middle one is the wooden LignoSat. One of the station’s solar panels is visible on the left and, in the background, the blackness of space above a blue, cloud-covered curve of Earth.
NASA

Making microbes in space

NASA astronaut Suni Williams poses with bacteria and yeast samples for Rhodium Biomanufacturing 03, part of an ongoing examination of microgravity’s effects on biomanufacturing engineered bacteria and yeast aboard the International Space Station. Microgravity causes changes in microbial cell growth, cell structure, and metabolic activity that can affect biomanufacturing processes. This investigation could clarify the extent of these effects and advance the use of microbes to make food, pharmaceuticals, and other products in space, reducing the cost of launching equipment and consumables from Earth.

Williams, wearing a black shirt and a watch on her left wrist, smiles at the camera. Two cylinders float in front of her, a long silver one with gold labels on the left and a shorter and fatter one on the right that is clear with three white discs inside. Behind Williams, a cloudy Earth is visible through four of the cupola windows.
NASA

A NICER spacewalk

The International Space Station’s Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer, or NICER, studies neutron stars, the glowing cinders left behind when massive stars explode as supernovas. NASA astronaut Nick Hague installs patches during a spacewalk to repair damage to thermal shields that block out sunlight while allowing X-rays to pass through the instrument. NICER continues to generate trailblazing astrophysics discoveries reported in hundreds of scientific papers.

Hague’s spacesuit helmet fills this image, with light sets on each side and the US flag patch on his shoulder visible. His hands, holding a camera, are reflected in his visor with the NICER panel of black, circular X-ray concentrator shields visible behind.
NASA

Earth from every angle

From inside the International Space Station’s cupola, NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore photographs landmarks on Earth approximately 260 miles (418 kilometers) below. Crew members have taken millions of images of Earth from the space station for Crew Earth Observations, creating one of the longest-running records of how our planet changes over time. These images support a variety of research, including studies of phenomena such as flooding and fires, atmospheric processes affected by volcanic eruptions, urban growth, and land use.

Wilmore, wearing a black polo shirt and a watch on his left wrist, holds a camera to his face with his right hand and adjusts the lens with his left. He is facing one of the cupola windows and a second window is visible to his right. A cloudy Earth below and a bit of one of the station’s solar panels can be seen through the windows.
NASA

An out-of-this-world sunrise

This photograph captures an orbital sunrise above the lights of Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo as the International Space Station orbits above Brazil. This image is one of the millions of photographs taken by crew members for Crew Earth Observations. These images teach us more about our home planet, and studies show that taking them improves the mental well-being of crew members. Many spend much of their free time pursuing shots that, like this one, are only possible from space.

Bright white light lines the curve of Earth’s horizon at the top of this image. Below the horizon, the ground is dark, with cities visible as bright patches of light at the top right and bottom middle of the image. Clouds cover the ground on the left.
NASA

Vital vitamins

The BioNutrients investigation demonstrates technology to produce nutrients during long-duration space missions using engineered microbes like yeast. Food stored for long periods can lose vitamins and other nutrients, and this technology could provide a way to make supplements on demand. NASA astronaut Suni Williams prepares specially designed growth packets for the investigation aboard the International Space Station.

Williams, wearing a long-sleeved green shirt and khaki pants, is smiling at the camera as she holds a black tray with both hands. On the tray are eight clear containers shaped like jelly jars. Each has an orange gel inside it and is connected by a white cord to a black control panel on the wall above her left shoulder.
NASA

Blowing in the solar wind

The International Space Station’s robotic hand, Dextre, attached to the Canadarm2 robotic arm, moves hardware into position for the COronal Diagnostic EXperiment, or CODEX. This investigation examines solar wind and how it forms using a solar coronagraph, which blocks out bright light from the Sun to reveal details in its outer atmosphere or corona. Results could help scientists understand the heating and acceleration of the solar wind and provide insight into the source of the energy that generates it.

Against the black background of space, the white Canadarm extends from the right side of this image to a joint, then extends toward the bottom of the image. Another arm extends upward from about midway down and attached to the end of that is the coronagraph, a round metal base with a white box connected to posts on either side.
NASA

Can you hear me now?

Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov conducts a hearing test in the relative quiet of the International Space Station’s Quest airlock. Crew members often serve as test subjects for research on how spaceflight affects hearing and vision, the immune and cardiovascular systems, and other bodily functions. This research supports the development of ways to prevent or mitigate these effects.

Gorbunov is wearing a black polo shirt, black pants, and a headset with large white headphones over his ears and a sensor on his forehead. He is smiling at the camera and has both hands on the keyboard of a laptop computer resting on a white storage bag. More storage bags are visible in the hatch behind him, and a spacesuit is tethered to the wall beside him.
NASA

Exposing materials to space

Euro Material Ageing, an ESA (European Space Agency) investigation, studies how certain materials age when exposed to the harsh space environment. Findings could advance design for spacecraft and satellites, including improved thermal control, as well as the development of sensors for research and industrial applications. NASA astronaut Suni Williams installs the experiment into the Nanoracks Bishop airlock for transport to the outside of the International Space Station.

Williams, wearing a black t-shirt, khaki pants, and blue latex gloves, smiles at the camera as she uses her left hand to hold on to the wall of the cylindrical airlock. In front of her is a large rectangular box with multiple panels on its top. The panels are covered in circles of different colors, each about the size of a quarter.
NASA

Sending satellites into space

NASA astronauts Don Pettit and Butch Wilmore remove a small satellite deployer from an airlock on the International Space Station. The deployer had released several CubeSats into Earth orbit including CySat-1, a remote sensor that measures soil moisture, and DORA, a receiver that could provide affordable and accurate communications among small spacecraft.

Pettit, on the left, is wearing a black t-shirt, khaki shorts, and black socks and using one foot under a blue railing to steady himself. He is looking at and using both hands to work on the deployer, a canvas covered box attached to a slide extending from a round hatch behind him. On the right, Wilmore floats above the hatch, wearing a black t-shirt, khaki shorts, and black socks. He is holding on to the hatch with his right hand and has his left braced above him.
NASA

Robotic relocation

The Responsive Engaging Arms for Captive Care and Handling demonstration (Astrobee REACCH) uses the International Space Station’s Astrobee robots to test technology for capturing objects of any geometry or material orbiting in space. This ability could enable satellite servicing and movement to maximize the lifespan of these tools and removal of space debris that could damage satellites providing services to the people of Earth. NASA astronaut Suni Williams checks out an Astrobee fitted with tentacle-like arms and adhesive pads for the investigation.

An Astrobee robot, a blue and black cube the size of a small carry-on, floats in the front of this image. It has two multi-jointed blue arms extending from its top like tentacles. Williams, smiling at the camera and wearing a long-sleeved black shirt and khaki shorts, floats behind the robot and holds her arms out in imitation.
NASA

Arms to hold

As part of a program called High school students United with NASA to Create Hardware, or HUNCH, NASA astronaut Nick Hague demonstrates the HUNCH Utility Bracket, a student-designed tool to hold and position cameras, tablets, and other equipment that astronauts use daily. Currently, crew members on the International Space Station use devices called Bogen Arms, which have experienced wear and tear and need to be replaced.

Hague, wearing a red t-shirt and green pants, holds himself upright and smiles at the camera. His right hand holds the post of the bracket, which has several cameras attached to it. A silver laptop floats just to his left, ready to be connected to the bracket.
NASA

A Dragon in flight

The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft fires its thrusters after undocking from the International Space Station as it flies 260 miles (418 kilometers) above the Pacific Ocean west of Hawaii. NASA’s commercial resupply services deliver critical scientific studies, hardware, and supplies to the station.

A cloud-dappled Earth covers the background on the right side of this image, its horizon arcing from top right to bottom left. The edge of the cupola window is visible in the upper right. The Dragon capsule is pointed away from the station, its firing thrusters sending red light shooting upward, green light shooting downward, and white lights to either side.
NASA
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