A bittersweet day on the @Space_Station, as we prepare to say goodbye to the Soyuz 74S crew. Expedition 74 has been full of science, technology demonstrations and station maintenance, and most importantly, enduring friendship and “huggles”. See you back on Earth my friends!

Join me in the @Space_Station airlock! We’re T-2 days until our next Expedition 74 spacewalk. @Astro_ChrisW and I will venture outside on Tuesday to repair one of the joints on the Canadarm2, our robotic arm outside the ISS. Wish us luck, and be sure to tune in on NASA+!

Even viewing clouds from the @Space_Station is enchanting, an endless variety of shapes, textures, and sizes. . . usually quite serene, but sometimes ominous, like these thunderclouds over the Pacific Northwest this week.

NASA astronauts Chris Williams and Jessica Meir checked out their spacesuits, tools, and procedures on Tuesday ahead of a robotic arm repair spacewalk planned for June 30. More...

Another timelapse view into our beloved @Space_Station Lifesciences Glovebox – this time to harvest the stem cells and conclude the experiment (May 28 post). This goal of this experiment was to produce stem cells in large numbers, using the innovative microgravity bioreactor seen inside the glovebox. Stem cell therapies provide significant benefits to help patients fight disease or recover from chemotherapy. The scientists behind this experiment hypothesized that space-grown cells may retain the ability to continuously divide for longer than stem cells on Earth, which could create larger supplies of cells crucial to provide therapies for patients back on Earth. Stay tuned, because the initial results appear incredibly promising!

Astronauts Chris Williams and Jessica Meir will conduct a spacewalk on June 30 for a robotics repair job. Managers will preview the spacewalk on June 25 on @NASA's YouTube channel. More...

Another salty sea to complete the trifecta (Great Salt Lake and Caspian Sea posts), the bright white and glimmering salts of the Dead Sea. Did you know that the Dead Sea is the deepest of all of the world’s hypersaline lakes, at 997 feet? I vividly recall the one time I took a dip in it. The salinity made me so buoyant that I could float in a standing position with my legs partially submerged!

The official FIFA World Cup ball went to space! We're working to inspire the next generation by showing how space exploration inspires innovation in sports science — and everyday life. Learn more:

Different teams. Same planet. One crew. 🌎🏆 As the World Cup continues, the space station astronauts continue the pursuit of exploration, innovation, and inspiration helping pave the way for future crewed missions to the Moon and Mars and improving life for all of us on Earth.

We were thrilled to have you aboard the International @Space_Station, @FreddyLA7! Life up here literally orbits around strong international spirit and solid teamwork, just like the World Cup. @NASAJohnson and Houston were honored to host you. Enjoy your trip north, and safe travels! 🚀⚽️

Yesterday our mass here on the @Space_Station shrank a bit, as we said goodbye to the @SpaceX Dragon-34 cargo vehicle and the bounty of science that she brought us. It was a busy but very fruitful month. Here’s how she looked: 1) The night pass just prior to undocking, awash in the red glow of its navigation light, with long exposure highlighting the night sky, air glow and some city lights. 2) Matching the aurora that happened to dance by in the night pass just prior to undocking. 3) Timelapse as she detaches from the ISS and disappears out of view.

☎️ On June 9, at 7:57 a.m. CT, the Expedition 74 crew called the payload operations team at @NASA_Marshall to celebrate a major milestone. The Microgravity Science Glovebox aboard station has hit 100,000 hours of crew science and autonomous operations!

Microbe DNA and chemistry topped Thursday's health research schedule as the Expedition 74 crew also tested a new spacesuit, packed a U.S. cargo spacecraft, and kept up lab maintenance. More...

Recognize this striking feature in the U.S.? It’s Great Salt Lake in Utah. The scale of this gem and its two‑tone color contrast make quite an impression when viewed from above. The north part of the lake is hypersaline thanks to the railroad causeway that cuts across it. Turns out these are perfect conditions for salt-loving microbes (halophilic archaea) and pink-pigmented algae to thrive, turning the water this burgundy color – life always finds a way! The southern part of the lake receives fresh water from rivers, keeping its salinity lower, where the variety of algae is more diverse. The second photo (with Earth limb) illustrates the scale of this unique ecosystem.

The Moon looks even more beautiful when it’s bathing in some Earthglow – let’s hear it for Earth Joy! Congratulations to my friends and colleagues on the Artemis III crew: @AstroKomrade, Frank Rubio, @astro_luca, and @Astro_AndreD. This mission in low Earth orbit will pave the way for our subsequent @NASAArtemis missions to land humans on the Moon.

Expedition 74 crew members aboard the International Space Station including @NASA astronauts Jack Hathaway, Jessica Meir, and Chris Williams, as well as @ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot send their congratulations and well wishes to the four Artemis III crew members. This mission will test critical rendezvous and docking capabilities between Orion and commercial human landing systems needed to deliver astronauts to the lunar surface. More...