Washington, D.C., July 3 (ANI): As crews aboard the International Space Station (ISS) continued ongoing space biology research, brain studies took center stage this week, while preparations advanced for a cargo craft launch to resupply the orbital outpost, NASA reported Wednesday.
NASA Flight Engineer Nichole Ayers participated in the Drain Brain 2.0 human research experiment inside the Columbus laboratory module, wearing neck and chest electrodes to measure oscillations in blood flow from her brain to her heart. Meanwhile, Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) private astronaut Tibor Kapu wore a cap that imaged cerebral artery blood flow using Doppler ultrasound for the Cerebral Hemodynamics study. Ax-4 Commander Peggy Whitson assisted Kapu with the biomedical hardware and measured his blood pressure inside the Tranquility module.
The Drain Brain 2.0 experiment seeks to prevent space-induced blood clots, while Cerebral Hemodynamics aims to protect visual processing and perception in microgravity, NASA said.
Later, Ayers joined Commander Takuya Onishi of JAXA and NASA Flight Engineer Anne McClain for eye checks using high-resolution, near-infrared imaging. McClain led the B Complex optical investigation in the Harmony module as Ayers and Onishi underwent real-time optic nerve examinations by doctors on the ground. The research explores whether B vitamin supplements can help protect vision in microgravity.
NASA Flight Engineer Jonny Kim spent part of his day inspecting portable emergency equipment, including fire extinguishers and breathing masks. He later practiced using respirators alongside Soyuz MS-27 crewmates Sergey Ryzhikov and Sergey Zubritskiy of Roscosmos in preparation for a potential chemical leak emergency.
Ryzhikov and Zubritskiy began their shift repairing a treadmill in the Zvezda service module. Ryzhikov also donned virtual reality glasses for a study on how balance and visual perception adapt to microgravity, while Zubritskiy maintained physics hardware that measures neutron radiation. Flight Engineer Kirill Peskov serviced plumbing systems and activated Earth observation equipment in the Roscosmos segment.
Ax-4 crewmates Shubhanshu Shukla and Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski collaborated in Columbus on near-infrared technology to record brain activity for brain-computer interface research. Uznanski-Wisniewski wore a specialized Bluetooth-connected cap to record brain signals, while Shukla calibrated the hardware and optimized signal quality. They also recorded and transmitted video footage for the Astronaut Mental Health study. In addition, Shukla examined muscle stem cell cultures under a microscope to study muscle repair in microgravity.
Meanwhile, the next uncrewed cargo mission, Progress 92, is counting down to launch at 3:32 p.m. Thursday (local time) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The spacecraft is expected to dock with the Poisk module at 5:27 p.m. Saturday, delivering roughly 3,000 pounds of food, fuel, and supplies for the ISS crew.
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