Expedition 74 Crew Prepares for Earth Return While Conducting Research

Four crew members of Expedition 74 are preparing for their imminent return to Earth aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. As they ready for departure, the astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) are also engaged in crucial research activities, including spacesuit maintenance, space biology studies, and artificial intelligence projects.

The mission team has advanced the return date for the four astronauts, although a specific departure date has yet to be announced. As part of their preparations, the crew has begun checking the fit and functionality of their Dragon pressure suits. This fit verification is essential due to the physiological changes experienced in microgravity, such as spinal elongation and fluid shifts, which can alter body dimensions.

Zena Cardman, the Dragon Commander, will lead the team comprising Pilot Mike Fincke, Mission Specialist Kimiya Yui from JAXA, and Oleg Platonov from Roscosmos back to Earth. The quartet has started to gather personal items and pack them for stowage aboard the spacecraft.

In addition to preparing for their return, Cardman performed maintenance on two spacesuits inside the Quest airlock. She cleaned and flushed the internal water-cooling loops, which are crucial for regulating a spacewalker’s body temperature. Following this, she powered down the suits, conducted an inspection, and removed hardware, components, and batteries.

Yui concluded his shift by swapping out sample cassettes that hold protein crystal samples within the Advanced Sample Experiment Processor-4. This work supports the Pharmaceutical In-Space Laboratory experiments aimed at enhancing the development and manufacturing of medicines in space, taking advantage of the unique conditions provided by microgravity.

Meanwhile, Platonov focused on vascular health as part of the Endothelium human research experiment. While wearing chest electrodes and blood pressure cuffs on his arms and fingers, he studied the behavior of the inner lining of blood vessels to understand how weightlessness and space radiation impact cardiovascular health during spaceflight. Medical teams are monitoring how these conditions affect the arteries, blood pressure, and heart functions of cosmonauts in orbit.

In another research initiative, Roscosmos Flight Engineers Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev continued their investigations into artificial intelligence applications for space. They are testing AI systems capable of transcribing audio files, documenting daily crew activities, and optimizing operational procedures aboard the spacecraft. Earlier, the pair recorded Platonov’s activities related to his blood study, inventoried hardware in the Rassvet and Nauka modules, and prepared obsolete equipment for disposal inside the Progress 93 cargo craft.

For continuous updates about ISS activities, followers can visit the space station blog and social media accounts on platforms like X, Facebook, and Instagram. The ongoing efforts of Expedition 74 not only prepare the crew for their return to Earth but also contribute significantly to advancing scientific research in space.