ISS Expedition 73 contributes to bone, brain, and health research, improving the safety of astronauts and providing perspectives on new missions in space.

The crew of the International Space Station Expedition 73 completed a set of experiments this week, advancing space science related to astronaut health and mission safety.

In the Kibo laboratory, in the Life Science Glovebox, NASA astronaut Jonny Kim investigated bone stem cells to gain insight into long-term bone loss during spaceflight. This science is not only concerned with the health of skeletons in space but can also provide information to cure bone ailments on Earth. Elsewhere, Oleg Platonov, a cosmonaut at Roscosmos, tested virtual reality to study the brain mechanism of adapting to weightlessness, which could have applications in astronaut training.

Meanwhile, astronaut Zena Cardman was testing spacesuit jetpacks as emergency safety measures during spacewalks and conducted ultrasound eye testing with her colleagues, crewmen Mike Fincke and Kimiya Yui. Doctors on Earth observe the changes in optic health they monitor in space.

Commander Sergey Ryzhikov performed ventilation work on the Zvezda module and photographed the Earth, and cosmonaut Alexey Zubritsky helped conduct navigation research and educational science demonstrations.

These activities highlight the importance of the ISS as a scientific facility, training astronauts to complete subsequent missions as well as providing payoffs to life back here on the ground.