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Station Crew Tracks Changes to Eyes, Brain, and Blood in Space [1]

['Mark A. Garcia']

Date: 2025-08-12

Station Crew Tracks Changes to Eyes, Brain, and Blood in Space

NASA astronaut Jonny Kim stores research samples like blood, saliva, and microbes inside an ultra-cold science freezer to keep them preserved for future analysis. NASA

More human research was underway aboard the International Space Station on Tuesday as the Expedition 73 crew explored how working in space affects the eyes, brain, circulatory system, and more. Quantum physics hardware and spacesuit maintenance rounded out the schedule for the seven orbital residents.

NASA Flight Engineers Mike Fincke and Zena Cardman joined each other in the Columbus laboratory module for an eye exam helping doctors identify potential space-caused changes to eye anatomy and function. Fincke, with assistance from specialists on the ground, operated medical gear that sent signals to electrodes attached to Cardman’s forehead and around her eyes. The test, one part of the CIPHER suite of 14 human research investigations, measures how the retina responds to light providing insights into an astronaut’s visual adaptation to microgravity.

NASA Flight Engineer Jonny Kim participated in a secondary portion of the CIPHER investigation taking a test to monitor how his sense of balance, direction, and memory is adjusting to weightlessness. He first collected and processed his blood and urine samples for analysis as is standard procedure for the CIPHER study. Afterward, Kim opened up spatial cognition software on a laptop computer and took a series of tests helping doctors track changes to brain function in space. Results may help researchers design advanced tools such as brain scans, thinking tests, and task simulations to monitor and protect cognition during long-duration space missions.

Kim and Cardman also worked together inside the Quest airlock and swapped components on a pair of spacesuits preparing for potential spacewalks planned for later this year.

JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) Flight Engineer Kimiya Yui, who is on his second space station mission, opened up the Cold Atom Lab in the Destiny laboratory module and replaced computer components inside the physics device. The research facility chills atoms below the average temperature of the universe allowing scientists to observe atomic wave functions and quantum characteristics unachievable on Earth.

Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky continued studying the microcirculatory system wearing sensors measuring how blood flows to the tiny vessels in a crew member’s hands, fingers, feet, and toes. The data will help doctors refine methods and develop tools to understand how weightlessness affects blood circulation and keep crews healthy during long-duration space missions.

Ryzhikov earlier joined new Flight Engineer Oleg Platonov and swabbed surfaces throughout the station’s Roscosmos segment collecting microbe samples for analysis. The samples were placed in petri dishes for incubation and later analysis to characterize the microbial environment of the orbital outpost for the protection of the crew and its hardware. Platonov also partnered with Zubritsky taking turns wearing an acoustic sensor on their necks measuring the volume as they rapidly exhaled for an ongoing respiratory study.

Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_station on X, as well as the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.

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[1] Url: https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/spacestation/2025/08/12/station-crew-tracks-changes-to-eyes-brain-and-blood-in-space/

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