Ax-4 crew to leave ISS on July 14, splash down next day off California
Explaining the undocking, a senior ISRO scientist said that while Shux was slated to dock the spacecraft, he did it partially as the docking mainly happened in an autonomous mode. The undocking, too, will be carried out in an autonomous mode.
'Soon after splash down, he and his crew mates will need at least seven to adapt to gravity on Earth, and they will also be kept under strict medical observation for effects of the space environment on their bodies. All the experiments Shux is doing are as per schedule and the final reports will be known only after he reaches the base camp,' the scientist said.
After six delays, the commercial low-Earth orbit Axiom-4 mission had finally lifted off on June 25, and the spacecraft docked with the ISS on June 26. He, along with his three crewmates from Hungary, Poland and the US, are conducting 60 experiments on board the ISS, with inputs from 31 countries.
ISRO scientists added that Shux is actively advancing a suite of seven microgravity experiments as part of India's participation in the Axiom-4 mission. Of these, four experiments have been successfully completed, including one with the Indian strain of tardigrades involving their survival, revival, reproduction and transcriptome (the total messenger RNA molecules expressed from its genes); Myogenesis, studying the impact of space environment on human muscle cells; sprouting of methi and moong seeds in microgravity with relevance to crew nutrition; and Cyanobacteria experiments studying the growth of two of its varieties with relevance to life support systems.
The completed microgravity experiments are being readied for their journey back to earth for further analysis. Also, three experiments are nearing completion. They include studying microalgae, crop seeds and Voyager Display – the last, investigating physical and cognitive impacts due to utilizing computer screens in microgravity.
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Hindustan Times
an hour ago
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