A series of biomedical studies filled the day of the crew of Expedition 67 while NASA and its international partners continue to explore how living in space has a long-term impact on the human body. Residents on the International Space Station also set up a 3-D hologram device and tested a new robot arm.
The four astronauts from the orbiting lab took turns scanning each other’s veins with the Ultrasound 2 device on Tuesday morning. NASA Flight Engineers Jessica Watkins, Bob Hines, and Kjell Lindgren joined ESA (European Space Agency) Flight Engineer Samantha Cristoforetti and scanned their neck, shoulder and leg veins during the morning with researchers on the ground monitoring the data in real time. Doctors on Earth are beginning to understand how an astronaut’s heart, vessels, and muscle systems adapt to weightlessness.
Hines and Cristoforetti also spun blood samples in the Centrifuge of the Human Research Facility before storing them in a freezer for later analysis. Watkins spent the rest of his day inspecting U.S. modular hatch components and overhauling hardware inside the station’s depot. Cristoforetti worked on orbital plumbing tasks before reorganizing cargo to create more space on the space station.
Lindgren has loaded and tuned a headset that enables real-time 3-D high-definition holograms for immersive and innovative communication and research techniques. Later, he launched a computer application start-up session to show ways how holoporting can be used for teleconferencing and telemedicine, as well as assisting crew members with complex procedures in space.
Station Commander Oleg Artemyev and Flight Engineer Denis Matveev collaborated on ultrasound scanning of their digestive system after breakfast. Researchers are investigating how organs and vessels in the gastrointestinal tract adapt to microgravity. Flight engineer Sergey Korsakov worked on the Nauka multi-purpose laboratory module testing the operation and mobility of the new European robotic arm.
