The next trio of crew members destined for the International Space Station is now looking forward to a Thursday arrival at the orbiting laboratory after their Soyuz spacecraft was unable to complete its third thruster burn to fine-tune its approach.

The International Space Station’s Expedition 39 crew members spent Thursday conducting science experiments and performing routine maintenance to get their orbital home in shape for the arrival of three new crewmates set to launch Tuesday.
Commander Koichi Wakata got an early start on the workday as he conducted the Reaction experiment shortly after the crew’s regular wakeup time at 2 a.m. EDT. This experiment involves a reaction time task that allows the crew and researchers to track the effects of fatigue on performance.

The International Space Station’s Expedition 38 crew supported a wide range of experiments Tuesday while three crew members get set for their journey back to Earth after nearly six months in space.