Starliner Flight Day 7 Activities Include Offworld Genomics and Biology Research

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who flew to the International Space Station on Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, spent June 12 focusing on lab maintenance and researching advanced biotechnology.

Wilmore started his day checking cargo stowed in the Harmony module before replacing components in the station’s bathroom, known as the waste and hygiene compartment located in the Tranquility module.

Williams extracted DNA from microbes collected from station water samples and sequenced their genes for identification in support of the Genes in Space Molecular Operations and Sequencing (GiSMOS) tech demo co-developed by Boeing and NASA. Results may inform ways to keep crews healthy and space habitats cleaner, which is vital for future long-duration and deep-space travel.

Having these two extra crew members on board the orbiting laboratory with experience in station work enabled the Expedition 71 crew to prepare for a June 13 spacewalk to remove a faulty electronics box from a communications antenna and collect samples of microorganisms on exterior surfaces.

Astrobiology