Sunita Williams tests Dragon pressure suits that she will wear to return home

Commander Sunita Williams and Flight Engineer Butch Wilmore are scheduled to return home with Crew-9 aboard SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft in February 2025.

In Short

• Commander Sunita Williams and Flight Engineer Butch Wilmore are on space station
• They reviewed the characteristics of the Dragon pressure suits
• They will wear it during their journey back to Earth

Nasa astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) are preparing for their upcoming return to Earth while continuing their scientific and maintenance duties in orbit.

Commander Sunita Williams and Flight Engineer Butch Wilmore, who are scheduled to return home with Crew-9 in February 2025, recently reviewed the characteristics of the Dragon pressure suits they will wear during their journey back to Earth.

In addition to suit preparations, the crew has been busy with various tasks.

Williams focused on cargo transfer operations, moving supplies in and out of the Cygnus cargo craft. This essential work ensures that the station remains well-stocked and that experiments and samples can be returned to Earth for analysis.

The station's scientific research continued as astronauts Jeanette Epps and Michael Barratt assisted Williams in collecting blood samples. These samples will be processed, stored, and later analyzed to study the effects of long-term spaceflight on the human body.

Maintenance of the station's critical systems also remained a priority.

Wilmore teamed up with fellow astronaut Victor Dominick to replace components in the waste and hygiene compartment, commonly known as the space toilet, located in the Tranquility module. Keeping these systems in good working order is crucial for the crew's comfort and health during their extended stays in space.

Meanwhile, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Grebenkin tested a unique piece of equipment designed by Roscosmos. He tried on a lower body negative pressure suit, which may help future crews adapt more quickly to Earth's gravity upon their return from space.

This technology could potentially reduce the physical challenges astronauts face when readjusting to terrestrial conditions after months of weightlessness.