Crew Studies Health, Earth Photography, and Works Dragon Preps - NASA

Biomedical research to promote astronaut health and Earth observations topped the science schedule aboard the International Space Station on Wednesday. The Expedition 74 trio is also gearing up for the arrival of the SpaceX Crew-12 mission while continuing lab maintenance for the upkeep of the orbiting lab.

A second day of CIPHER human research operations awaited NASA Flight Engineer Chris Williams as doctors on the ground continuously monitor how an astronaut’s body adapts to weightlessness. Williams collected blood samples, processed them in a centrifuge, photographed sample tube configurations, and stowed the samples in a science freezer for later analysis.

Researchers use the biomedical data to understand how human health changes before, during, and after a spaceflight, knowledge critical for safeguarding crews on future missions farther from Earth. After lunch, Williams held a video conference with the four SpaceX Crew-12 members, who are targeted to launch to the orbital outpost no earlier than Feb.

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