Crew Status
Today, Axiom Mission 3 (Ax-3) Commander Michael López-Alegría, Pilot Walter Villadei, Mission Specialist Alper Gezeravcı, and Mission Specialist Marcus Wandt completed their 11th full day (flight day 14) on the International Space Station (ISS).
Highlights of the Day
The Ax-3 crew is making final rounds to complete their research and science experiments and preparing payloads for return to Earth. They also spent time conducting their last outreach engagements.
Research
MLA assisted the NASA Expedition 70 crew with packing hardware equipment, which will return with the Ax-3 crew in the Dragon spacecraft.
MLA supported Gezeravcı with the second session of the microgravity effects on metal particles dynamics in fluids (gMETAL) project, which investigates how the lack of gravity impacts mixing solid particles in a gas (two-phase mixture formation) within a contained environment.
In addition, MLA helped Gezeravcı with a video recording showing meal preparation and consumption.
Today was Villadei’s turn to provide an audio sample for the Vokalkord experiment, which uses an artificial intelligence system to detect over 70 types of disease by analyzing respiratory, speaking, and cough sounds.
Villadei inserted Beta Amyloid Aggregation samples into the Minus Eighty-Degree Laboratory Freezer for preservation. This project investigates the aggregation of amyloid beta (Aβ) proteins, which are implicated in neurodegenerative diseases (e.g., Alzheimer's disease).
Villadei also executed the Italian Space Operations Centre (ISOC) technology demonstration to perform an ISS space debris conjunction analysis and verify potential space weather alerts. The ISOC system provides an updated space object catalogue with state-of-the-art algorithms to detect space-related events (such as collisions). The ISOC was operated in space for the first time during the Ax-3 mission.
Gezeravcı took photographs to track the progress of algae samples and then placed them into the Glacier for cryogenic preservation. This project, called Algalspace, investigates the survival and growth of algae in space.
Wandt spent the day working on CIMON to test the Guidance, Navigation and Control (GNC) system functionalities and chat capabilities of this free-flying AI- powered crew companion.
Wandt completed another Orbital Architecture assessment with the fNIRS headcap to document his cognitive performance, stress levels, and stress recovery rate.
Wandt also completed another virtual reality on board training session.
Outreach
Gezeravcı participated in a Q&A with kindergarten and nursery school children from Türkiye’s capital, Ankara.
Villadei spoke to Italian high school teachers and students, research and development representatives, and other authorities during an outreach event. He highlighted Ax-3 mission experiments, daily activities aboard the space station, and recognized stakeholders in relation to the experiments.
Tomorrow, Gezeravcı will participate in another Q&A with students from schools affected by the recent earthquake in Türkiye.