Bioprinting, Space Manufacturing Top Research Schedule Aboard Station

Cartilage bioprinting and lead-free soldering topped the advanced microgravity research schedule aboard the International Space Station on Tuesday. The Expedition 75 crew members also explored blood pressure in weightlessness, serviced spacesuit components, and inspected lab hardware aboard the orbital outpost.

Bioprinting cartilage tissue in microgravity results in higher-quality tissues than those produced on Earth potentially leading to advanced treatments for cartilage injuries on and off the Earth. Expedition 75 crewmates Jessica Meir of NASA and Sophie Adenot of ESA (European Space Agency), station commander and flight engineer respectively, worked together processing cartilage cell samples stowed in the MERLIN research incubator then loaded them inside the Auxilium bioprinter. The bioprinting sessions take place inside the Kibo laboratory module 's Life Science Glovebox and can be run remotely possibly leading to personalized implants using the patient's own cells.

Meir also explored mindfulness and meditation techniques for the RelaxPro investigation to reduce stress and improve sleep quality for astronauts. Adenot inspected hatch seals throughout the orbital outpost's U.S. segment.

NASA flight engineer Anil Menon continued studying lead-free soldering techniques inside the Harmony module. Menon soldered components on a circuit board demonstrating the ability to manufacture and repair electronics in microgravity then photographed the results for analysis. The space-soldered samples will be returned to Earth and compared to identical ground-soldered samples. Results may lead to reduced reliance on costly resupply missions. Next, he cleaned a water filter cartridge in the Unity module's oxygen generation system then tested the operation of a spacesuit emergency jet pack in the Quest airlock.

NASA flight engineer Jack Hathaway worked on Quest's atmospheric control system and installed a new oxygen tank. Afterward, Hathaway checked out lithium-ion batteries that power spacesuits and the metal oxide canisters that remove carbon dioxide from the suits during a spacewalk.

Over in the Roscosmos segment's Nauka science module, flight engineers Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina checked the functionality and monitored the operations of research hardware that can heat and remove air pressure from material samples. Dubrov and Kikina also inspected air ducts and hatch seals throughout their portion of the space station.

Roscosmos flight engineer Andrey Fedyaev measured his blood pressure while wearing a series of cuffs on his arm, wrist, and fingers to understand how microgravity affects a crew member's microcirculatory system. Fedyaev wrapped up his shift inside Nauka working on ventilation system maintenance.

Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog , @space_station on X, as well as the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.

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