National Aeronautics and Space Administration

International Space Station

EXPEDITION 56 began in June 2018 and ends in October 2018. This expedition includes investigations focused on navigation, microbiology, physics, and a variety of 

other sciences. Three spacewalks are planned during Expedition 56. 

Soyuz MS-09 Launch: June 6, 2018 • Landing: December 2018

THE CREW:

Soyuz MS-08 Launch: March 21, 2018 • Landing: October 2018

During Expedition 56, researchers will study the behavior of atoms in 

extreme conditions, identify microbial growth aboard the space station, 

conduct tests to expand navigation capabilities and prepare for future 

travel far from Earth, and carry out other science ranging from physics 

to biological studies. 

THE SCIENCE:

What are 

some of the 

investigations 

the crew is 

operating?

Born: Riga, Latvia

Spaceflights: Exps. 39/40

Bio: https://go.nasa.gov/2CtLpsm

Twitter: @OlegMKS

Oleg Artemyev (Roscosmos) – Flight Engineer

[MISSION SUMMARY]

Born: Lake Orion, Michigan

Interests: auto restoration, automotive and motorcycle 

racing, guitar, water and snow skiing 

Spaceflights: STS-125, STS-134

Bio: https://go.nasa.gov/2BRKlxn

Twitter: @Astro_Feustel

A.J. (Drew) Feustel (NASA) – Commander

Born: Cheverly, Maryland

Interests: running, fishing, reading, kayaking, bicycling, 

guitar

Spaceflights: STS-119 

Bio: https://go.nasa.gov/2BUf7FJ

Twitter: @Astro_Ricky

Ricky Arnold (NASA) – Flight Engineer

Born: Künzelsau, Germany

Interests: fencing, swimming, running, skydiving, 

snowboarding, hiking, mountaineering, climbing, and 

scuba diving

Spaceflights: Exp. 40/41

Bio: https://go.nasa.gov/1oMphcb

Twitter: @Astro_Alex

Alexander Gerst (ESA) – Flight Engineer

Born: Sverdlovsk, Russia

Spaceflights: First flight

Bio: https://go.nasa.gov/2LKHGrW

Sergei Prokopyev (Roscosmos) – Flight Engineer

Born: Indianapolis, Indiana

Interests: volunteering as a doctor in a free clinic, 

watching baseball, practicing martial arts

Spaceflights: First flight 

Bio: https://go.nasa.gov/2LJJkd6

Twitter: @AstroSerena

Serena M. Auñón-Chancellor (NASA) – Flight 

Engineer
National Aeronautics and Space Administration 

Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center

Houston, Texas 77058

www.nasa.gov

NP-2018-06-012-JSC

International

Space Station

Mission

Summary

Testing Navigation Tools Aboard the Space Station

Sextant Navigation tests use of a hand-held sextant for emergency 

navigation on missions in deep space as humans begin to travel farther 

from Earth. The ability to sight angles between celestial objects offers 

crews another option to find their way home if communications and main 

computers are compromised.

■ Identifying Microbes Aboard the Space Station

Biomolecule Extraction and Sequencing Technology (BEST) advances 

the use of sequencing processes to identify microbes aboard the space 

station that current methods cannot detect and to assess mutations in 

the microbial genome that may be due to spaceflight. The investigation 

sequences microbes directly from a sample with minimal preparation, 

rather than with the traditional technique that requires growing a culture 

from the sample. Insight from BEST could help protect humans during 

future space exploration and provide new ways to monitor the presence 

of microbes in remote locations on Earth.

Studying Ultra-Cold Atoms

Cold Atom Lab (CAL) could help answer some big questions in modern 

physics. This new facility creates a temperature ten billion times 

colder than the vacuum of space, then uses lasers and magnetic 

forces to slow down atoms until they are almost motionless. CAL 

makes it possible to observe these ultra-cold atoms for much longer 

in the microgravity environment on the space station than would be 

possible on the ground. Results of this research could potentially lead 

to a number of improved technologies, including sensors, quantum 

computers and atomic clocks used in spacecraft navigation.

The Expedition 56 astronaut crew will continue the international collaborative work that has 

been evolving on the International Space Station during the past 17 years. The expedition 

comes at a time when private corporations and the governments around the world are 

rapidly developing crew capabilities for human space exploration. Together, with the 

experience and continued research on the orbiting laboratory, humans will soon establish a 

new presence in space beyond low-Earth orbit that will enable us to travel farther into space 

than ever before.

The Expedition 56 patch portrays a dove carrying an olive branch on its beak. The patch 

includes images of the Soyuz launch vehicle for the crew and the space station. The 

Expedition 56 astronauts’ names are displayed on the dove’s wings and along the limb of 

Earth at the base of the patch.

The dove's tail is firmly planted on Earth to represent the strong link between our home 

planet and the humans who are sent into the cosmos. The patch illustrates our hope for 

peace and love in the world, and the innate human desire to spread our wings and explore 

into the future, building on the wisdom of the past, for the betterment of humanity. The patch 

was designed by astronaut Drew Feustel's son.

THE MISSION PATCH: