Florida: Pilot Shubhanshu "Shux" Shukla, a member of the international Axiom Mission 4 crew aboard the International Space Station, completed a week in orbit on Wednesday, spending the day off duty speaking with family on Earth and preparing to resume his busy research schedule the following day, according to Axiom Space's official blog.
According to a blog post by Axiom Space, the Axiom Mission 4 (Ax4) crew of Commander Peggy Whitson, Pilot Shubhanshu "Shux" Shukla, and Mission Specialists Slawosz Suave UznanskiWisniewski and Tibor Kapu has now spent a full week on the International Space Station.
By the end of Wednesday, the astronauts will have completed roughly 113 orbits around Earth since docking on June 26, traveling over 2. 9 million miles.
To put it in perspective, that's almost 12 times the distance between Earth and the Moon, the article continued.
On Wednesday, the crew had a well-deserved off-duty day, allowing them to reconnect with family and friends on Earth. On Thursday, they'll return to a busy agenda of scientific research and technology demonstrations, which will last through the weekend.
The Ax4 astronauts have already made noteworthy contributions to scientific research in only seven days. Peggy has been engaged in cancer research using microgravity to study tumour cell behaviour in space, work that is contributing to the development of new therapeutic targets for metastatic cancers, the Axiom website stated.
Shux has been experimenting with the effects of microgravity on algae development and genetic behavior, as well as how tardigrades, resilient microscopic creatures, survive and reproduce in space. The discoveries may provide new insights into the molecular processes underlying cellular resilience, potentially leading to clinically relevant knowledge on Earth.
Suave has been evaluating a wearable acoustic monitoring device that improves the tracking of sound levels aboard the space station. This technology has the potential to improve astronaut health and influence the design of future spacecraft.
Meanwhile, Tibor has been measuring radiation levels with a Hungarian-developed dosimeter while also leading a project to cultivate microgreens in orbit, a step toward sustainable food production in space.
This mission is historic due to its international significance. It is the first time astronauts from India, Poland, and Hungary have performed a task aboard the space station, and it marks these nations' return to human spaceflight after more than four decades. The Ax4 team will conduct over 60 experiments throughout their two-week visit, demonstrating the increasing importance of commercial and international collaborations in space exploration.
With over a hundred sunrises and sunsets seen from orbit, the Ax4 mission is furthering scientific advancement in space while inspiring a new generation of adventurers. After a day of rest, the team will be ready to continue their busy research and outreach schedules.
Axiom Mission 4 was launched on June 25 at noon IST aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA's Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A in Florida.
The Dragon spacecraft effectively docked with the ISS on June 26 at 4:05 p. m. IST, ahead of schedule, linking to the spacefacing port of the station's Harmony module.
