NASA astronaut calls troubled spacewalk ‘character-building’
- Tracy Dyson spent six months aboard the ISS
- Her journey included a 31-minute spacewalk
- The ISS is now being commanded by Suni Williams
FILE – This undated photo released by the Roscosmos State Space Corporation shows the International Space Station (ISS). Russia’s Roscosmos state corporation on Wednesday reported an air leak in the Russian segment of the International Space Station, but said it posed no threat to its crew. (Roscosmos State Space Corporation via AP, File)
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(NewsNation) — Freshly back from space, NASA astronaut Tracy Dyson said it was privilege to spend six months on the International Space Station and work with Russian partners to journey to and from the station.
Dyson spent 184 days in space on her third spaceflight, which included 2,944 orbits of Earth and a 78-million-mile journey. She was on the ISS with Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko, who became the first person to spend 1,000 cumulative days in space.
When asked if she would want to spend that long in space, Dyson said the work would make it worthwhile but leaving behind family and friends on Earth would make it a tough call.
She also completed a 31-minute spacewalk during her stay, which she described as “character-building” due to difficulties and a coolant leak in the station’s umbilical that led to the spacewalk being cut short.
As part of the ISS crew, Dyson conducted dozens of scientific and technological experiments, including remotely controlling a robot on Earth. She also used a 3D bioprinter to print cardiac tissue samples to test technology that could create replacement organs and tissues on Earth.
Dyson said the work with biofabrication was one of the experiments she found especially rewarding to work on considering how it may be needed for long-term space exploration and settlement.
“That’s incredibly important when we think about staying where we’re going, not just visiting,” she said.
Dyson also discussed the challenges everyday life can pose in space, including eating meals and snacks. She said it’s not a place where you can snack on the go because food can easily go flying everywhere.
“Eating in microgravity is fraught with peril sometimes,” she said.
Dyson’s favorite meal on the ISS? A tortilla with brisket and braised red cabbage.
The ISS is now being commanded by NASA astronaut Suni Williams, who is one of two crew members who flew to the station on what was meant to be an eight-week mission on Boeing’s Starliner.
After issues with Starliner surfaced, NASA decided not to return Williams and her crewmate Butch Wilmore to Earth on Starliner.
Instead, the mission was extended to February 2025, when Williams and Wilmore will return to Earth with SpaceX’s Crew-9 mission, which launched in September.
