Axiom Mission 3 (Ax-3) Commander Michael López-AlegrÃa, Pilot Walter Villadei, Mission Specialist Alper Gezeravcı, and Mission Specialist Marcus Wandt entered the International Space Station (ISS) around 6:15 a.m. CT on Jan. 20 after docking to the ISS Harmony module at 4:42 a.m. CT, while soaring over the Pacific Ocean. Today officially marks the crew’s fourth flight day after launching to the ISS at 3:49 p.m. CT on Jan. 18 from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The fourth flight day was the crew’s first full day aboard the orbiting laboratory to kick off their two-week stay — they are happy, healthy, and eager to begin a full slate of microgravity research, technology demonstrations, and outreach engagements.
Since arriving to the ISS, the Ax-3 crew has worked to settled in on station. The crew set up their sleeping bags in their sleeping quarters — with MLA located in the airlock campout, Villadei in the Dragon, Gezeravcı in the JEM campout, and Wandt in Columbus. The crew also synced up with their Expedition 70 crew colleagues for handover activities and to help them acclimate to the microgravity environment.
After their first sleep on the ISS, the Ax-3 crew completed unpacking the Dragon cargo. The ISS emergency roles and responsibility review was also completed, ensuring the entire crew aboard the ISS is ready to respond in case of a contingency.
During the planned 14-day stay on the ISS, the Ax-3 crew will conduct over 30 research projects and experiments on station. Today, Gezeravcı began preparations for the Extremophyte Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR) experiment in the Destiny laboratory module. Gezeravcı set up the lights and plant samples. Led by TÜBİTAK UZAY, this project will examine how the stress responses of plants in microgravity could translate to improved agricultural practices on Earth, in space, or on other terrestrial bodies for future space exploration missions.
Villadei started preparations for the PROtection MEdiated by antioxidant nanoTEchnOlogy against neuronal damage in space II (PROMETEO II)experiment—the payload was installed in the Columbus Kubik facility. Led by the Italian Space Agency (ASI), this project is a continuation of an ongoing study aimed to investigate how exposure to microgravity and space radiation affects cellular response to stress, as well as the neuroprotective effects of cerium oxide nanoparticles.
Yesterday, soon after entering the ISS, the Ax-3 crew was greeted by the Expedition 70 crewmembers and celebrated their arrival during the welcome ceremony. During the live event, MLA presented his Ax-3 crewmates with their official astronaut pins, declaring Gezeravcı to be the 676th and Wandt the 677th to go to space. Villadei became number 666 during his Virgin Galactic flight on Jun. 29, 2023.
Tomorrow at 9:55 a.m. CT, MLA will be joined by Gezeravcı for the first (out of three) webcast mission updates, which will provide insight into the work, experiences, and day-to-day activities of the crewmembers at the beginning, middle, and upon the conclusion of their 14-day stay aboard the space station. Â
The Ax-3 crew will also participate tomorrow at 11:30 a.m. CT, in a NASA PAO event, with the Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC) for a live Q&A. SGAC is a professional network with more than 27,000 members from more than 165 countries bringing together the views of students and young space professionals to the United Nations, space industry, and other organizations.
Tomorrow, Gezeravcı will have his first interaction, since going to space, with Türkiye President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. During this NASA PAO event, the Ax-3 Mission Specialist and Türkiye President will conduct a public celebration of Gezeravcı being the first Turkish astronaut and commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Republic of Türkiye.
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