Water Processor Assembly Restored, Spacewalk Preps, Immunity Research Round “Magical” Day on Station

NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough sets up hardware for the SUBSA physics investigation in the Microgravity Science Glovebox.
NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough sets up hardware for the SUBSA physics investigation inside the Microgravity Science Glovebox.

The station’s Water Processing Assembly (WPA), located in the Tranquility module, was reactivated today and is operating at full functionality after crew members successfully completed repair work throughout the week. The WPA was powered off last week due to a suspected leak.

This hardware is used to recycle water from multiple sources into clean, drinkable water for crew members aboard the International Space Station. The space station serves a vital role in testing and maturing life support technologies that will be required for future missions to the Moon and Mars. Repairs provide invaluable data to engineers refining these systems for use in future spacecraft and missions.

The Expedition 65 crew wrapped up its workweek continuing to research the immune system and preparing for next month’s spacewalk. There was also a bit of magic on the orbital lab today to illustrate the challenges of living in space.

NASA Flight Engineers Mark Vande Hei and Megan McArthur were back on the Celestial Immunity study during Friday afternoon. The duo took turns working in the Life Sciences Glovebox where the experiment takes place. The experiment may help scientists understand how weightlessness affects donor cell samples compared to cell cultures harvested on Earth. Observations may lead to new insights possibly improving vaccines and disease treatments on the ground.

McArthur started her day inside BEAM, the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module, stowing cargo and servicing sensors. She was assisted throughout Friday morning inside the five-year-old module by fellow flight engineers Shane Kimbrough of NASA and Thomas Pesquet of ESA (European Space Agency).

Kimbrough spent the first part of the afternoon packing trash for disposal aboard the U.S. Cygnus space freighter. He wrapped up his day in the U.S. Destiny laboratory module swapping samples for a physics study exploring ways to improve the production of semiconductor crystals.

Pesquet spent most of his morning in the Columbus laboratory module videotaping himself performing magic tracks for the Illusion educational study. The experiment sponsored by ESA illustrates how visual perception and the central nervous system is impacted in microgravity.

The next spacewalk at the orbital lab is planned for June 2. The two Roscosmos flight engineers, Oleg Novitskiy and Pyotr Dubrov, will work outside in the vacuum of space for external maintenance and science experiment installations for about six-and-a-half hours. The duo spent most of Friday getting their spacewalking tools and Orlan spacesuits ready for their first career excursions.



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