ISS Crew Studies Bone Loss and Brain Adaptation to Safeguard Astronaut Health

ISS Experiments Conclude, Bone and Brain Studies Continue – The Expedition 73 crew worked towards several new goals throughout this week to maintain astronaut health in a weightless environment. NASA astronaut Jonny Kim studied bone stem cells to explore the molecular basis of bone deterioration during space travel, while Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov investigated how the brain adapts to weightlessness using virtual reality. In the interim, the astronauts checked spacesuit safety features, scanned their eyes with ultrasound and snapped pictures of Earth's landscapes, all of which will help make future human missions safer and more enduring in space.

Protecting Astronaut Health Through Space Science

As per NASA, bone strength and health are a concern in space because astronauts lose bone mass at a rate faster than when ageing on Earth's surface. To combat this, Kim grew bone stem cell samples inside the Kibo laboratory's Life Science Glovebox.

His research is about protecting skeletal systems in orbit and could provide insights to treat bone diseases on Earth as well. In the meantime, Platonov's new research into brain changes in microgravity focuses on balance and spatial navigation, and could eventually benefit the training of astronauts for long-duration missions in space.

Preparing for Future Missions with Research and Resupply

Astronaut Zena Cardman of NASA was inside the Quest airlock Tuesday afternoon, testing spacesuit jetpacks that could be used to help spacewalkers safely get back to the space station if they were to become accidentally untethered.

She also held canisters to remove carbon dioxide. Cardman Ulater teamed up with astronauts Mike Fincke and Kimiya Yui for ultrasound eye scans, while doctors on Earth disrupted them periodically to follow changes to the optic nerve, lens and cornea in near real-time.

While aboard the orbiting laboratory, Commander Sergey Ryzhikov serviced the Zvezda module's ventilation system and remotely took images of Australian and South American landmarks. Cosmonaut Alexey Zubritsky took navigation gear out of the Progress 92 resupply ship, then joined Platonov for an educational video filming an experiment on motion in space.