As teams prep for Axiom-4's return, crew continues with science on orbit
BENGALURU: Weather permitting, the four-member Axiom-4 mission (Ax-4) crew, including Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla (Shux), is set to undock from the International Space Station (ISS) at around 4.35 pm IST on Monday (July 14).
Hours after Steve Stitch, manager, Nasa commercial crew programme had confirmed the undocking date, Axiom Space confirmed the targeted time for undocking, beginning the homeward journey of the crew and culminating with a splashdown and recovery.
The crew, which launched on June 25 and docked with the ISS the next day, has completed its planned 14-day tenure at the orbital lab and even 'enjoyed a rest day' upon completion of two weeks.
Now, even as teams from Axiom, Nasa and SpaceX prepare for the crew's return to Earth, Commander Peggy Whitson, Pilot Shux, and mission specialists Slawosz Uznanski and Tibor Kapu are making the most of their final days on orbit.
The science being done at ISS, Axiom said, was 'pushing forward a wide range of experiments that could shape the future of space exploration and improve life on Earth.'
From testing of a special champagne bottle to work that could aid in allowing people with diabetes to travel to space, and from irrigating sprouts to gathering data to check if thoughts could control machines, Ax-4 mission had a research complement of around 60 scientific studies, including seven from India.
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Aside from India, the scientific investigations are from 30 other countries, including the US, Poland, Hungary, Brazil, Nigeria, and Saudi Arabia.
'We're conducting more research studies than any private ISS mission before. It's not just about science—it's about international collaboration,' Whitson, the Ax-4 commander and a veteran astronaut, had said earlier.
India's contribution includes a diverse portfolio of experiments in fields like biotechnology, agriculture, and human physiology, designed by institutions across Bengaluru, Dharwad, Thiruvananthapuram, and New Delhi.
Among the Indian studies, one from IISc explored how humans interact with electronic screens in microgravity and investigated the resilience of tardigrades- microscopic organisms known for their survival capabilities.
An experiment by InStem, Bengaluru, examined the effect of metabolic supplements on muscle regeneration in space, while testing the sprouting of salad seeds, critical for space-based nutrition, was designed by University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad.
The International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), with NIPGR, designed the study to examine the behaviour of edible microalgae and cyanobacteria in space conditions. And Isro's IIST, alongside Kerala Agricultural University, sent experiments to investigate how microgravity influences the growth of food crops.
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