NASA and international partners yesterday concentrated primarily on human research and space botany aboard the International Space Station in the hope of keeping astronauts healthy on extended trips. The seven members of the Expedition 67 crew ensured that the orbiting science laboratory was running smoothly by the end of the workweek.

NASA flight engineer Kjell Lindgren studies why microgravity increases the signs of aging in humans. He stored blood and urine samples in a scientific freezer to prepare samples for the Phospho-Aging study. By living in space, molecular processes that accelerate bone and muscle loss are altered.

Findings may contribute to the development of preventative methods to keep astronauts healthy for longer in space and enhance the quality of life for aging people on Earth.

Jessica Watkins, a NASA flight engineer, began harvesting radishes and mizuna greens grown without soil on Friday, June 24, 2022, for the XROOTS space gardening study.

Scientists are experimenting with hydroponic and aeroponic methods to grow edible plants in space so that future astronauts can sustain themselves during long-duration missions beyond low-Earth orbit.

NASA Flight Engineer Bob Hines today activated the Astrobee robots so that they could conduct autonomous maneuvering inside the Kibo laboratory module using smartphone technology. An astronaut from the European Space Agency (ESA) spent her day maintaining plumbing components inside the Earth orbital module Tranquility.

Cygnus spacecraft, developed by Northrop Grumman, will launch its first limited reboost of the International Space Station on Saturday, June 25. By reboosting the altitude of the space station, Cygnus's gimbaled delta velocity engine will be used to adjust the space station's orbit.

NASA will deploy this enhanced capability as a standard service for the first time on this Cygnus mission, following a demonstration of this capability on Cygnus' ninth resupply mission in 2018.

The Cygnus spacecraft, which arrived at the orbital outpost in February, is scheduled to depart from the outpost on Tuesday, June 28, where it will burn up harmlessly in the Earth's atmosphere. This event will be covered live on NASA TV, the agency's website and the NASA app beginning at 5:45 am EDT.

Oleg Artemyev programmed an Earth observation camera in the station's Russian segment while Denis Matveev transferred air and water from the Progress 81 cargo craft. Sergey Korsakov completed testing of the European robotic arm, then moved on to the ventilation system.

Reboost follows an attempt made on June 20 that was aborted as a precaution due to operating parameters that differed from that of the Cygnus. Fortunately, after engineers reviewed the parameters, they found they were suitable for reboost on Saturday.