ISS: Expedition 64

ISS Expedition 64 began with the undocking of Russian spacecraft Soyuz MS-16 on October 21, 2020 at 23:32:09 UTC. The landing crew consisted of Anatoli Ivanishin, Ivan Vagner and Christopher Cassidy. Three-and-a-half-hours later the crew landed safely in Kazakhstan. So, the new Expedition 64 consisted of ISS Commander Sergei Ryzhikov, Sergei Kud-Sverchkov and Kathleen Rubins.

On November 12, 2020 an ISS reboost was performed using Progress MS-14 thrusters. This reboost was to set up for the launch of manned spacecraft Soyuz MS-18 in spring 2021. The engines started at 19:50 UTC and fired 363.5 seconds. After the corrective maneuver, the average orbit of the ISS increased by 1,100 meters. The actual parameters are 418.42 km x 437.95 km. The ISS needs 92.90 minutes for each orbit.

The SpaceX Crew-1 mission launched on November 16, 2020 from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This is the first crew rotation flight of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft on a Falcon 9 rocket following certification by NASA for regular flights to the space station as part of the agency's Commercial Crew Program.
The SpaceX Crew-1 flight carried Crew Dragon Commander Michael Hopkins, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialist Shannon Walker along with Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Mission Specialist Soichi Noguchi to the space station for a six-month science mission.
Following a 15-hours solo flight SpaceX Crew-1 docked to the International Space Station on November 17, 2020.

The first spacewalk in Expedition 64 was performed by Sergei Ryzhikov and Sergei Kud-Sverchkov on November 18, 2020 (6h 48m). They exited the space station through the Poisk module on the space-facing side of the station's Russian segment. The hatch was opened at 15:12 UTC a first time for leak tightness check for the exit hatch in Poisk and closed again at 15:20 UTC. The tasks after re-opening at 15:55 UTC were, replacement of the liquid flow regulator's removable panel on Zarya (aborted because of a "bulky bolt"), work on scientific equipment, commutation of the Tranzit-B antenna on Pirs to the Poisk module (to ensure continuity of communications with the Orlan suits) change the position of sensors for the precipitation and pressure control unit on the Poisk module. The Earth-facing Pirs will be replaced by the new Russian Multipurpose Laboratory Module, named "Nauka", Russian for "science", which is being prepared for launch at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.


Among the US experiments are:

Plant Habitat-02: A new crop is heading to the International Space Station: radishes! When astronauts travel to the Moon and Mars, they are likely to grow edible plants to supplement food brought from Earth. To produce nutritious food in space, we need to understand how the differences in gravity, atmosphere, and soil conditions affect the way plants grow. As part of ongoing efforts to produce food in space, the Plant Habitat-02 investigation uses the Advanced Plant Habitat aboard the space station to grow radishes in different types of light and soils. Radishes are nutritious, grow quickly, and are genetically similar to Arabidopsis, a plant that scientists have already studied a lot in microgravity. This research also evaluates the nutrition and taste of the plants, because even space explorers like their food to taste good.
Onco-Selectors: Scientists use many screening methods and models in efforts to develop cancer drugs that work better and have fewer harmful side effects. Leveraging Microgravity to Screen Onco-selective Messenger RNAs for Cancer Immunotherapy (Onco-Selectors) tests drugs based on messenger ribonucleic acids (mRNA) for treating leukemia. Found in all our cells, mRNA plays a role in the process of making proteins and it can be different in healthy versus cancer cells. Under normal gravity conditions, some drugs are onco-selective, or can tell cancer cells from healthy ones. Researchers expect the ones that also have this trait in microgravity will make good candidates for safer, more effective, and affordable medicines to treat leukemia and other cancers. Such drugs could improve survival rates for thousands of people every year.
BioAsteroid: Microscopic miners are going to work in space! Microbes that interact with rock have many potential uses in future space exploration. They could be used to create life support systems that use regolith (the dust-like material on the surface of the Moon and other planets), break down rocks into soils for plant growth, and extract useful minerals from rocks. Gravity affects how microbes and rocks interact, though. The Microbe-rock Interactions for Human Space Exploration (BioAsteroid) experiment studies these interactions, and whether physical and genetic changes occur in biofilms in space. Results could help us understand the physical interactions of liquid, rocks, and microorganisms. If crew members on future missions can build Lunar or Martian bases using materials found there, they could bring fewer resources from Earth. That would save room and fuel on the trip and preserve valuable resources for use here.
Cardinal Heart: Microgravity significantly affects heart tissues, causing molecular and structural abnormalities that can lead to disease. Such changes could pose a risk on future long-duration space missions. Effect of Microgravity on Drug Responses Using Engineered Heart Tissues (Cardinal Heart) uses engineered heart tissues (EHTs) to study changes in cardiovascular cells and tissues in microgravity. The investigation could help establish ways to predict cardiovascular risk prior to spaceflight. Because the response to microgravity is strikingly similar to heart diseases on Earth, the work also could help identify how these diseases develop and better ways to treat them. In addition, it advances the potential of EHTs to serve as a way to monitor systemic changes in diseased versus healthy individuals and provide new ways to develop countermeasures.