Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus space freighter dominates this long-duration photograph with the atmospheric glow blanketing Earth’s horizon as the International Space Station orbited 261 miles above the Brittany region of France. Credit: NASA
On Tuesday, astronauts aboard the International Space Station focused on two key tasks: preparing for an upcoming spacewalk and conducting research on space gardening. In addition, the seven-member Expedition 72 crew worked on electronics maintenance and packed a cargo spacecraft for its scheduled departure.
Suiting Up for Thursday’s Spacewalk
NASA Commander Suni Williams and Flight Engineer Butch Wilmore began their day with routine health checks, a crucial step before any spacewalk. They monitored their vital signs, including temperature, blood pressure, and breathing rate, and then sent the data to mission control for medical review. Later, the two astronauts moved to the Quest airlock, where they organized and inspected their spacewalking gear, including tethers, pistol grip tools, and other specialized equipment.
Williams and Wilmore are set to begin their spacewalk at 8 a.m. EST on Thursday, marking the second extravehicular activity (EVA) of 2025. During the six-and-a-half-hour mission, they will remove outdated radio communications hardware and search for microbes on the station’s exterior. NASA+ will provide live coverage starting at 6:30 a.m. EST, offering an up-close look at this critical maintenance and research operation.
Two spacesuits are pictured staged inside the International Space Station’s Quest airlock ahead of a spacewalk planned for NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore. The two spacewalkers are scheduled to exit the Quest airlock on January 30 to remove a radio frequency group antenna assembly and search for microbes outside the orbital outpost. Credit: NASA
Prepping Tools and Equipment
NASA Flight Engineer Nick Hague participated in the spacewalk preparations Tuesday collecting the hardware necessary to remove the radio frequency group antenna assembly. Next, he photographed the tools Williams and Wilmore staged inside Quest for documentation. Hague wrapped up his shift reconfiguring computer network hardware then resupplying medical kits with blood tubes, needles, gloves, and more inside the Human Research Facility racks.
Growing Food in Space
NASA Flight Engineer Don Pettit spent his day working on space agricultural hardware to learn how to grow food in space and sustain future crews on long-term missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. The four-time station visitor first watered thale cress plants growing to understand the effects of microgravity and ultraviolet radiation on plant life. Afterward, Pettit removed research components from inside the Advanced Plant Habitat that recently hosted a small crop of red lettuce that was harvested and preserved and will soon be tested for its nutritional value.
NASA astronaut and Expedition 72 Commander Suni Williams is pictured during maintenance activities inside the International Space Station’s Unity module. Credit: NASA
Fitness, Cargo, and System Upgrades
Exercise research, cargo packing, and lab maintenance topped the schedule for the cosmonauts working in the Roscosmos segment of the orbiting lab. Flight Engineer Aleksandr Gorbunov attached electrodes to himself and jogged on a treadmill for a physical fitness evaluation in the Zvezda service module. Flight Engineer Alexey Ovchinin spent his day loading trash and discarded gear inside the Progress 89 cargo craft due to depart Zvezda next month. Flight Engineer Ivan Vagner spent his day inside Zvezda installing new command and telemetry hardware that can communicate with Soyuz and Progress spacecraft, ground stations, and orbiting satellites.
