Station Crew Conducts Science While Awaiting Next Cargo Launch

While awaiting the launch of the next shipment of supplies to the International Space Station, the six-person Expedition 38 crew participated in a wide range of experiments studying the effects of long-duration spaceflight on the human body Tuesday.

Flight Engineer Mike Hopkins spent much of his morning participating in the Body Measures experiment, which collects anthropometric data to help researchers understand the magnitude and variability of the changes to body measurements during spaceflight. Predicting these changes will maximize crew performance, prevent injury and reduce time spent altering or adjusting spacesuits and workstations. The investigation also could help scientists understand the effects of prolonged bed rest, which produces physiological changes similar to those experienced in microgravity. Flight Engineer Koichi Wakata assisted Hopkins throughout the experiment session, setting up the calibration tape, collecting data and taking photographs.

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Wakata also conducted an ultrasound scan on Flight Engineer Rick Mastracchio for the ongoing Spinal Ultrasound investigation. Medical researchers have observed that astronauts grow up to three percent taller during their long duration missions aboard the station and return to their normal height when back on Earth. The Spinal Ultrasound investigation seeks to understand the mechanism and impact of this change while advancing medical imaging technology by testing a smaller and more portable ultrasound device aboard the station.