The Axiom Mission-4 (Ax-4) crew members, commander Peggy Whitson, pilot Group Captain Shubhanshu “Shax” Shukla, and mission specialists Slawosz “Svav” Uznanski-Wisniewski and Tibor Kapu, successfully completed their third day of operation on the International Space Station (ISS). According to Axiom Space, the team accelerated scientific research as well as global outreach efforts during this period.
Peggy Whitson continued her study on “Cancer in Low Earth Orbit”, collecting imaging samples to understand the behavior of cancer in microgravity. This research is being done in collaboration with the Sanford Stem Cell Institute and may provide new directions in the treatment of aggressive types of cancer on Earth.
She also set a record for student projects and experiments under the Saudi Space Agency’s “Microgravity Challenge” competition. More than 80,000 students from Arab countries participated in this competition.
Shubhanshu Shukla worked on the Space Microalgae experiment, where he installed sample bags and imaged algae species that could be potential sources of food during future long-duration space missions.
The entire team collected data for a study called “Neuro Motion VR,” in which astronauts perform mental tests with the help of virtual reality headsets and their brain activity is monitored to understand the mental and physical effects of microgravity.
Additionally, under the “Telemetric Health AI” project, the team also collected biometric and mission data to understand the effects on the cardiovascular system and balance during space travel.f
Svab Uznansky-Wisniewski studied the behavior of fluids in microgravity using the KERMIT imaging tool in the “Microfluidic Design” experiment. It aims to develop equipment for automated drug testing in space.
Tibor Kapu held a virtual conversation with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, as part of the mission’s global outreach efforts. Peggy and Swaav discussed radiation safety for astronauts with Dr. Lucie Lo (Chief Scientist of Axiom Space). Tibor will also interact with Hungarian journalists in the coming days. Also, Peggy and Tibor will record the first update on crew acclimatization and mission progress.
All these activities began after the successful docking of SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft, which managed to automatically attach to the space-facing port of the Harmony module at 4:05 pm (IST) on Thursday, ahead of schedule. During this, NASA engineers Anne McLane and Nicole Ayers monitored the docking process.
At noon IST on June 25, former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla of ISRO, Slawosz of Poland from ESA, and Tibor Kapu of Hungary took off on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.
