The Expedition 73 crew continued their scientific research and maintenance aboard the International Space Station (ISS) this week, all while a U.S. government shutdown unfolded back on Earth. Despite the turmoil below, the astronauts focused on their various tasks and experiments.
Kimiya Yui, a JAXA astronaut, shared updates from space, stating, “Today was a busy day as well, but I was able to take some photos in between workouts.” On Thursday, October 2, Yui documented their flight path, capturing images of the Mediterranean before noting, “About 25 minutes after taking photos, we passed over Japan’s Honshu. Those who saw the ISS and waved to it were waving to me while I was doing strength training looking out the window.”
This week’s research on the ISS included several notable projects. NASA astronaut Jonny Kim activated the State-of-the-art Humidity Removal in Microgravity Payload, a system designed to reclaim moisture from the spacecraft’s atmosphere for reuse. Additionally, Mike Fincke installed a new experiment called Heat Transfer Host 2, aimed at studying condensation as gas transitions to liquid. This research may enhance thermal systems in crewed spacecraft intended for deep-space missions.
Zena Cardman, another NASA flight engineer, contributed by installing new sample cassettes for the Advanced Space Experiment Processor-4, which supports the development of pharmaceuticals in microgravity.
In addition to research, the crew undertook essential maintenance to ensure the station’s operational readiness. Fincke and Kim configured the European Space Agency’s Fluid Science Laboratory, focusing on the physics of fluids in microgravity. They changed electrical cables and assembled components, preparing for future experiments.
Fincke also installed a TransAstra Fly Trap Capture Bag Demo within the NanoRacks Bishop airlock. This technology will be tested for its ability to contain and dispose of space debris in the weightless environment of space. Meanwhile, Kimiya Yui upgraded the Electrostatic Levitation Furnace by replacing specimen handling hardware and configuring cables to study material properties at ultra-high temperatures.
As of Friday, October 3, there are seven crew members aboard the ISS: Expedition 73 commander Sergey Ryzhikov and fellow cosmonauts Alexey Zubritsky and Oleg Platonov from Roscosmos, along with NASA astronauts Jonny Kim, Zena Cardman, and Mike Fincke, plus Kimiya Yui from JAXA.
Two crewed spacecraft are currently docked to the ISS: SpaceX’s Dragon “Endeavour,” attached to the Harmony module, and Roscosmos’ Soyuz MS-27 at the Prichal node. Four cargo spacecraft are also present: two Progress vehicles from Roscosmos and Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus XL, known as the “SS William C. ‘Willie’ McCool.”
Notably, the ISS has been continuously crewed for an impressive 24 years, 11 months, and 1 day, marking a significant achievement in space exploration and human presence in orbit.
Original Source: https://www.space.com/space-exploration/international-space-station/astronauts-work-through-the-u-s-government-shutdown-on-the-international-space-station-sept-29-oct-3-2025
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Publish Date: 2025-10-04 03:30:00
