Robotics, Exercise Studies Improving Space Missions as Crew Swap Nears
In the final weeks of Expedition 73 aboard the International Space Station, astronauts and cosmonauts are conducting groundbreaking research into robotic control and exercise physiology—activities timed to inform upcoming crew transitions Jonny Kim tested space‑to‑ground robotic control methods—using consoles, touchscreens, haptic feedback, and virtual‑reality goggles—to explore how controllers orbiting in space might one day operate planetary robots on asteroids, the Moon, or Mars, with parallels for terrestrial disaster‑response operations.
Meanwhile, crew members Nichole Ayers and Anne McClain logged multiple exercise experiments in microgravity. Ayers and JAXA Commander Takuya Onishi pedalled exercise cycles while monitoring real‑time heart and respiration data, and McClain used the station’s advanced resistive exercise device coupled with a sensor‑laden Bio‑Monitor vest and headband—tools to refine workout regimes and equipment design for future long‑duration missions. The findings help researchers track astronaut cardiovascular and musculoskeletal health, paving the way for improved fitness protocols both in orbit and on Earth.
As the Crew‑10 mission wraps up and Crew‑11 prepares to launch, station personnel are intensively rehearsing re‑entry procedures aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, organising personal and scientific cargo for departure, and coordinating logistics with mission controllers in both NASA and SpaceX control centres. This coordinated activity underscores how insights from robotics and exercise studies, collected in the final days of one crew’s tenure, directly support operational readiness and mission safety for the next rotation.
