Space to Ground: Crew-9: Oct. 04, 2024

NASA's Space to Ground is your weekly update on what's happening aboard the International Space Station.

What is said in the film

Welcome to Space to Ground, I'm Jaden Jennings. This week, a new crew has just entered the Villa, AKA, the International Space Station, while another crew prepares for departure. "Ignition. Full power and lift off! " On Saturday September 28th, NASA SpaceX Crew-9 crew, which included NASA astronaut Nick Hague as commander and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Gorbunov as Mission Specialist, launched on Crew Dragon "Freedom" from Launch Complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

Following a smooth 28 hour ride uphill, Freedom dock to station on September 29th. Once leak checks were completed and the hatches were open, Hague and Gorbunov were welcomed by the rest of the Expedition 72 crew, including NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Mike Barratt, Jeanette Epps, Don Petitt, Butch Wilmore, and Suni Williams, as well as Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexander Grebenkin, Alexey Ovchinin, and Ivan Vagner bringing the total number on station from 9 to 11. Crew-9 will be working on tons of experiments while in space, including repairs to an external telescope on station called NICER on an upcoming spacewalk. The Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer, or NICER, is a NASA X-ray telescope that studies Neutron Stars, Black Holes, and other phenomena from the International Space Station. The telescope recently experienced a light leak that allows sunlight to interfere with daytime measurements.

During an upcoming spacewalk, they will conduct a patch repair on NICER, which is designed to cover some of the damage returning the instrument to around-the-clock operations. All good things must come to an end, and for four crew members, it's almost time to leave the orbital outpost. NASA astronauts Mike Barratt, Matthew Dominick, and Jeanette Epps, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin are returning to Earth after months aboard the station conducting scientific experiments and technology demonstrations for the agency SpaceX Crew-8 mission. And while on board the crew successfully completed several scientific milestones ranging from microorganisms to remote control robots. You can keep up with the current crew on station as well as the science by following us on social media @NASA_Astronauts, @Space_Station and @ISS _ Research.

And that's Space to Ground for now. Thank you so much for watching.

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