Crew relaxes before Canadarm2 repair as cosmonauts conduct research

Four Expedition 74 crew members enjoyed an off-duty day on Friday relaxing ahead of a robotics repair spacewalk planned for next week. Flight engineers Jessica Meir and Chris Williams, the two spacewalkers scheduled to exit the orbital outpost on Tuesday, June 30, along with flight engineers Jack Hathaway and Sophie Adenot of ESA (European Space Agency), cleared their schedule on Friday beginning a three-day weekend.

The four astronauts will use their free time to connect with family members on Earth, look at our planet from the cupola, watch movies, play games, and more. The quartet will go into the weekend with light house-keeping duties and continue their daily workouts to maintain their muscle and bone health in microgravity.

On Monday, Williams and Meir will complete spacewalk preparations, ensuring their gear such as tethers, pistol grip tools, cameras, and more will be ready for use. They will also check their spacesuits for air and pressure leaks then stage them inside the Quest airlock to wear the following day.

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