United space in Europe
Flying third class
Science & Exploration

Flying third class

22/12/2014 1591 views 15 likes 332653 ID
  • HI-RES JPG [1.90 MB]

Thank you for liking

You have already liked this page, you can only like it once!

Installing the Expose-R2 facility on the International Space Station.

As part of ESA’s Expose-R2 project, 46 species of bacteria, fungi and arthropods were delivered by a Progress supply ship to the Station in July 2014. Spacewalking cosmonauts Alexander Skvortsov and Oleg Artemyev attached the package to the outside of the Zvezda module on 18 August, where it will stay for 18 months.

The vacuum of space is sucking out the water, oxygen and other gases in the samples. Their temperature can drop to –12°C as the Station passes through Earth’s shadow, rising to 40°C at other times, and undergoing a similar process to the freeze-drying used to preserve foods.

The Expose experiments are exploring the limits of terrestrial life, whether the organisms can survive in space and how the full blast of solar radiation is affecting accompanying chemicals.

  • Roscosmos
  • Human Spaceflight
  • Blue Dot
Expose-R2
Science & Exploration

Expose-R2

Image 2131 views 23 likes
Expose-R2 in space
Science & Exploration

Expose-R2 in space

Image 1313 views 11 likes
Installing Expose-R2
Science & Exploration

Installing Expose-R2

Image 1171 views 13 likes
Installing Expose-R2
Science & Exploration

Installing Expose-R2

Image 759 views 6 likes
An impressive view
Science & Exploration

An impressive view

Image 1771 views 16 likes