NASA astronaut Tracy C. Dyson is set to share insights from her recent six-month mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS) during a news conference scheduled for Friday, Oct. 4, at 11 a.m. EDT. This event will take place at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston and will be streamed live on NASA+ and the agency’s website. It presents a unique opportunity for the public to explore Dyson’s space journey and the groundbreaking scientific work she conducted.
Members of the media wishing to attend in person must contact the NASA Johnson newsroom by 5 p.m.on Thursday, Oct. 3. Those who wish to participate via phone should reach out at least two hours before the event. Reporters calling in are advised to join the line 10 minutes early, and questions can also be submitted through social media using the hashtag #AskNASA.
A remarkable journey highlights of Dyson’s third spaceflight
Dyson’s third spaceflight lasted 184 days, during which she completed 2,944 orbits of Earth and travelled a total of 78 million miles. Serving as a flight engineer for Expeditions 70 and 71, she participated in a 31-minute spacewalk, bringing her career total to 23 hours and 20 minutes over four missions. Dyson returned to Earth on Sept. 23, along with Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub.
Her mission commenced with a launch on March 23, followed by her arrival at the ISS on March 25, alongside Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Novitskiy and Belarusian spaceflight participant Marina Vasilevskaya. Novitskiy and Vasilevskaya spent 12 days aboard the station before returning to Earth with NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara on April 6.
Key contributions to science and technology during Dyson’s ISS mission
During her time aboard the ISS, Dyson participated in various scientific and technological projects designed to advance space exploration and improve life on Earth. One of her notable activities involved remotely controlling a robot on Earth from space, which helped evaluate orbit-to-ground operations. She also employed a 3D bioprinter to create cardiac tissue samples, a project with potential implications for organ transplants in the future.
Additionally, Dyson conducted experiments on the crystallisation of model proteins, which could lead to pharmaceutical advancements. She also collaborated with students on software development for the station’s free-flying robots, fostering interest and innovation among the next generation of scientists. Dyson’s contributions to scientific research and technology during her ISS mission are paving the way for future space endeavours and enhancing our understanding of life both in space and on Earth. Her insights during the upcoming news conference are eagerly awaited by the space exploration community and the public alike.
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