Blood-clotting research, spacewalk cleanup wrap up week on space station

Expedition 74 crew members focused Friday on blood-clotting and immune-function experiments to advance human health in microgravity. Flight engineers Chris Williams and Jessica Meir, along with Sophie Adenot, took turns processing blood platelet samples inside the Kibo laboratory module’s Life Science Glovebox.

Jack Hathaway assisted by collecting the platelet samples and placing them in the KERMIT fluorescent microscope to observe potential space-caused biological changes. Doctors study how microgravity alters blood platelets — cell fragments that form clots and prevent bleeding — to protect human health on and off the Earth.

Living in space raises astronauts’ risks for abnormal blood clots, infections and overactive inflammation, so the team also examined immune function. The quartet kept up other research and maintenance tasks. Williams managed water transfers between NASA and Roscosmos tanks, then paired with Meir for an eye exam measuring horizontal and vertical range, including peripheral vision.

expedition 74, blood clotting, platelets, microgravity, immune function, kibo module, glovebox, kermit microscope, nasa roscosmos, space station