New Delhi: Nasa astronauts, staying at the International Space Station (ISS), are carrying out their scientific and maintenance tasks ahead of their upcoming return to Earth, according to reports, India Today reported.
Commander Sunita Williams and Flight Engineer Butch Wilmore will return home in February 2025 with Crew-9.
It is reported that both astronauts reviewed, among other tasks, the Dragon pressure suits they have to wear during their journey home.
Sunita Williams worked on cargo transfer operations, transporting supplies in and out of the Cygnus cargo craft ensuring that station is well-stocked, thus help bringing samples to Earth for analysis.
The blood samples that astronauts Jeanette Epps and Michael Barratt helped Williams collect will be processed and stored, and will later be analyzed to study effects of long-term spaceflight on human body, according to the report.
As part of maintaining the station's critical systems, Butch Wilmore joined fellow astronaut Victor Dominick to take care of the waste and hygiene compartment, also known as the space toilet, which is located in the Tranquility module.
Maintaining these systems is crucial for the crew's health during their stay in space.
Russian cosmonaut Oleg Grebenkin tested a lower body negative pressure suit, developed by Roscosmos, which will help future crews adjust more quickly to Earth’s gravity, reducing the physical challenges upon their return from space after long weightlessness.