The Expedition 73 crew aboard the International Space Station (ISS) is actively involved in post-spacewalk activities and various scientific research endeavors [1].
Following their spacewalk lasting five hours and 44 minutes on May 1, 2025, NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers are currently reorganizing the Quest airlock and servicing their spacesuits [1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 23]. They are also analyzing water samples from the spacesuit tanks and reviewing their spacewalk accomplishments with ground engineers, joined by NASA's Jonny Kim and JAXA's Takuya Onishi [1].
During the spacewalk, McClain and Ayers installed a modification kit on the ISS's port side truss, preparing it for new solar array installation [1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 23]. They also relocated a communications antenna and completed other tasks [1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 23]. Jonny Kim is photographing tomato plants for a space agricultural study focused on cultivating crops without photosynthesis [1, 14, 18]. Takuya Onishi is using a 3D microscope to study bacteria behavior in liquid, aiming to improve water quality monitoring and spacecraft safety [1, 14, 18].
The Roscosmos cosmonauts, Sergey Ryzhikov, Alexey Zubritsky, and Kirill Peskov, are engaged in their own science and maintenance tasks in the Russian segment [1]. Ryzhikov photographed a landslide in Brazil, Zubritsky analyzed vibration data from spacecraft docking, and Peskov inspected radiation detectors and cleaned smoke detectors [1].
These activities highlight the diverse research and maintenance efforts essential for the continued operation and scientific output of the International Space Station [1].
The International Space Station Research and Development Conference will take place July 28-31, 2025, in Seattle [8, 13, 32, 36].