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- Into space for a premonition: Anna Kikina will check the safety of the ability to motherhood in orbit
Into space for a premonition: Anna Kikina will check the safety of the ability to motherhood in orbit
On the ISS, Anna Kikina will conduct experiments aimed at preserving the ability to have children after space flight. Her colleague Anil Menon will focus on printing living tissues, and crew commander Peter Dubrov will teach a teledroid robot to work on the outer skin of the orbital station. The launch of the spacecraft with the participants of the next orbital expedition took place on July 14 at 17:48 Moscow time. The astronauts will spend more than eight months aboard the ISS, complete a program of 38 experiments, and go into outer space twice.
How was the launch of the spacecraft
On Tuesday, July 14, at 17:48 Moscow time, a new expedition set off from the 31st site of the Baikonur cosmodrome to the ISS. It includes Roscosmos cosmonauts Peter Dubrov and Anna Kikina, as well as NASA astronaut Anil Menon.
The launch was carried out using a Soyuz-2.1a launch vehicle. She completed all the steps normally and after 8 minutes and 48 seconds launched the Soyuz MS-29 manned spacecraft into its calculated Earth orbit. The ship docked to the Berth module of the Russian segment of the ISS at 20:52 Moscow time. The spacecraft flew to the orbital station using an ultrashort two-turn scheme.
— The American delegation and the head of NASA, Jared Isaacman, are present at the launch today. We conduct cross-country flights. The joint crew consists of two Russians and an American. They have no one to rely on but each other, so we work closely together. This suggests that both our cosmonautics and the American ones are in demand. Despite all the complexities of our relationship, space remains an area where we find common understanding," said Dmitry Bakanov, head of Roscosmos, after the launch.
How to preserve women's health in space
According to Anna Kikina, one of the main breakthroughs in the scientific field may be related to the study of how a long flight can affect a woman's ability to have children.
— I have a super expectation — my participation in an experiment aimed at studying the female reproductive system. No one has ever done this in space flight. This is the first time people have received this data," the cosmonaut said at a pre—launch press conference.
According to her, the first stage of the research was carried out during the previous expedition, which took place from October 2022 to March 2023. Then the specialists studied the condition of the follicles. As part of this mission, the researchers plan to focus on studying the endometrium.
— At the first stage, significant results were obtained and a patent for an invention was registered. Now we are with the curator (of the experiment. — Editor's note) we are impressed, inspired and determined to receive super data that can be used for further research," explained Anna Kikina.
Since the beginning of the exploration of near-Earth orbit, scientists have conducted many experiments on the reproduction of living beings in zero gravity. One of the successful ones is obtaining the world's first population of space insects at the Institute of Biomedical Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences in 2024. This is a lineage in which five of the 14 generations of fruit flies were born in orbit. Also, offspring were recorded in flour crunchers and crickets.
The first vertebrates in space were Japanese quail chicks, born during an experiment by Soviet scientists at the Mir station in 1990. However, the birds could not adapt to weightlessness: they did not feel supported, lost their orientation in space and refused to eat. The first fish to spawn in orbit were Japanese jellyfish. Fry appeared from it, and later they gave normal offspring on Earth.
Mammals remain the most difficult organisms to reproduce in space, but there are achievements in this area. In 2021, Japanese scientists on the ISS grew blastocysts from two—cell embryos, an early stage of embryo development. The cells in them normally divided into two types of tissues, which confirmed the fundamental possibility of developing mammalian embryos in space conditions.
Problems with the birth of children are primarily related to the lack of gravity, which disrupts the correct alignment of body axes, leading to congenital pathologies. In addition, cosmic radiation increases the risk of mutations.
Artificial organ printing and a robot in outer space
NASA astronaut Anil Menon said that he is most interested in research on printing living tissues in microgravity.
— Experiments on the ISS are significantly different from similar studies on Earth. For example, when artificial organs are grown, their structure is often deformed by gravity. In space, this can be avoided, which makes it possible to obtain tissues closer to natural ones," the astronaut explained.
Crew commander Peter Dubrov noted the testing of a Teledroid, an anthropomorphic remote—controlled robot, among the most interesting studies. According to him, the experiment will be an important step in creating a system that will take over routine and dangerous operations outside the station.
— Our task is to create a robotic complex that can use tools originally developed for human hands and accurately repeat the movements of the operator. To do this, it is necessary to prepare the design and configuration of all system elements, as well as to work out a methodology for interacting with them. This is exactly the task of our project," he said.
The system will be delivered to the station by the nearest cargo flights, added Peter Dubrov. At the first stage, the Teledroid will be tested inside the ISS, controlling it both from the station and from the Mission Control Center on Earth. Then, during one of the planned spacewalks of the crew, the anthropomorphic robot will be installed outside on the multipurpose laboratory module Nauka.
After that, the astronauts will be able to control the Teledroid remotely using a master device. The algorithms will read the movements of the operator's hands and head and transmit them to the robot's actuators. This will allow the machine to perform work outside the station using standard tools such as screwdrivers, wrenches, clamps and other equipment.
— These technologies will allow in the future to create a universal useful system that can be used in the process of engineering activities. For example, it will be possible to carry out complex installation and repair work outside the station without exposing astronauts to unnecessary risk. In the future, such robots will become assistants in the exploration of deep space," concluded Peter Dubrov.
At the official press conference, which took place after the docking of the spacecraft and the orbital station, Dmitry Bakanov and Jared Isaakman announced the decision to extend the operation of the ISS until 2030. They also agreed to develop common standards for the space stations in order to be able to interact in the future. In addition, the parties discussed the possibility of more detailed coordination of national satellite groups.
The crew will spend more than eight months in orbit. During the flight, the expedition members will make two spacewalks and perform 38 scientific experiments.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
