First month of science for Huginn
Andreas Mogensen had a busy first month in space, with plenty of science from sleeping in orbit and capturing pictures of thunderstorms to making chocolate mousse. Here is an overview of Andreas’s first month of science on the Space Station.
Besides becoming commander of the Space Station and having several events with Earth, Andreas has been busy preparing for a spacewalk on 12 October, as well as conducting European experiments and technology demonstrations.
The science of sleeping in space and staying healthy
Two experiments are taking place in Andreas’s sleeping quarters, where the hard work consisted of sleeping in the name of science.
The Circadian Light is a specially designed lamp that mimics sunset and sunrise light emissions to help Andreas’s body get ready for bed in the evening and wake up in the morning. Andreas installed it a few days after arriving at the Space Station and has been testing it since then.
Andreas conducted the Sleep in Orbit experiment while wearing in-ear devices that measured his brain activity over night. Andreas will continue to wake up to blue light and wear the in-ear device.
Andreas exercises for nearly two hours every day on the Space Station. In microgravity, the human body loses bone and body mass, making physical exercise necessary to stay healthy. Andreas wore the SpaceWear monitor for more than six hours in one day to collect data on his heart rate, respiratory rate, and track changes in his body.
Capturing lightning and the Moon
On Saturdays, Andreas looked out for thunderclouds as part of the Thor-Davis experiment. Andreas tried to capture images of thunderclouds with the new Davis camera to build on the work from his first spaceflight in 2015.
The images and data from September were sent down to Earth for the scientists to continue their research. Andreas will keep on capturing thunderstorms from above.
The Moon has also been in in Andreas’s camera lens. The astronaut is snapping pictures of the new Moon phase throughout his Huginn mission with The Earthshine experiment . Andreas has taken more than 1000 pictures so far. You can help Andreas by taking your own pictures of the new Moon phase and share them on social media using #NewMoonSnap and #Huginn.
Chocolate mousse for dessert
For astronauts whose meals consist of canned and re-hydrated food, cooking a real dish could make a difference in how they interact with food as it comes in cans or in need of rehydration. Andreas made chocolate mousse with the Food Processor experiment from the French Space Agency (CNES).
The recipe was a great success, both in terms of taste and fluffiness of the mousse. Andreas shared it with his crew mates and is looking forward to making more food in space.
Follow ESA’s Huginn page and Andreas’s social media for more news on Space Station science.