Sunita Williams explores how spaceflight affects blood clotting

NASA astronaut Sunita Williams and her Starliner colleague Butch Wilmore have been staying at the International Space Station (ISS) since June 6. Five months have already passed and they need to remain in space for three more months before their return in February 2025.

During their extended stay in space, Sunita and Butch have been carrying out a range of scientific experiments.

Last week, the duo explored how spaceflight and radiation affect the immunity system and blood clotting. This research would possibly provide insights to advance health, protecting astronauts in space and humans on Earth, NASA said in a press release on November 14.

As part of the research, NASA said its astronauts Sunita Williams and Nick Hague, Expedition 72 Commander and Flight Engineer respectively, partnered together in the Kibo laboratory module processing cell samples using the Life Science Glovebox.

Earlier on November 12, Station Commander Sunita Williams and Flight Engineer Butch Wilmore worked throughout the day, servicing a host of research hardware and electronics components ensuring ongoing lab operations with high quality results.

As per NASA, Sunita Williams first collected her blood sample, spun it in a centrifuge, then stowed the specimen in a science freezer for later analysis.

"Next, she inspected a power cable in the Tranquility module, swapped batteries in medical hardware, then serviced samples for a 3D medical device printer," NASA said.

In a latest update on November 18, NASA's release stated that Sunita Williams “inserted cell samples inside a fluorescence microscope that scientists remotely controlled to observe inflammation and immunity response changes in microgravity.”

"Researchers seek to identify genes regulated by gravitational forces and understand their impact on the human immune system to protect astronaut health on future missions," the US space agency added.

Sunita and Butch had launched aboard Boeing's Starliner spacecraft on June 5 for its first crewed flight, arriving at the space station on June 6.

A decision was made to return Starliner to Earth without its crew and the spacecraft successfully returned on September 6 after more than three months in space. It made a safe landing at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico.

Both the astronauts remain on the international space station as part of the Expedition 71/72 crew. They will return home in February 2025 aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft with two other crew members on NASA's SpaceX Crew-9 mission.