Andreas Mogensen wearing SkinSuit (right). Credits: ESA
Update: at the end of the day mission control confirmed that Andreas Mogensen completed all his planned tasks on time.
On flight day 5, Sunday, Andreas will continue testing the space snacks, Demes, and put on SkinSuit for the first time in space. Before and afterwards he will measure his height with the help of NASA astronaut Scott Kelly. He will wear the SkinSuit for around six hours to see if it helps reduce backpain that many astronauts report in space as their spin “stretches” in weightlessness.
Andreas will go for a bicycle ride on the Station’s exercise bike while wearing a heart monitor that transmits its information via Bluetooth to an International Space Station computer. Bluetooth is being tested as a new way of sharing wireless information in space.
Interact rover with touch-sensitive ‘hands’. Credits: ESA
In the evening, Andreas will use the On Board Training application 3DVit to setup the Interact experiment that is planned at a later stage. The Interact experiment will see Andreas control a robot on Earth from space and requires some setup such as installing the force-feedback joystick that he will use to move the robot’s ‘hands’. Andreas has not received instructions on how to do this setup before, but this is on purpose, the 3DVit tool will allow Andreas to go through the setup interactively step-by-step with 3D graphics. If the 3DVit tool proves successful it could be used to free up astronaut training time on Earth and provide them the information they need, when they need.
Naturally Andreas will also fill in his daily Space Headaches questionnaire. Lastly if Andreas has time he will start to setup a camera for the Thor experiment. If the Space Station flies over a thunderstorm during the iriss mission Andreas will try to capture it on camera to find out more about elusive sprites and elves that occur high in the atmosphere.
Discussion: 2 comments
Wait, so what I’m getting from this is that you haven’t been using Bluetooth all this time. This talks about it as though it’s some sort of emerging technology. Just… what. They’re on board the single most complex piece of machinery ever built… and they haven’t been using Bluetooth all this time. Uh… what.
Bluetooth might be common technology on Earth but will it work in space without interfering with the International Space Station’s other equipment or being disturbed itself by the Space Station’s powerfull antennas?