٠٠:٠٢:٠١Russian cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov revealed how those aboard the International Space Station (ISS) monitored their health, with a simple blood test able to pick up any underlying issues.
Exclusive footage taken on January 26 has Borisov showing how he and his fellow crew prick their own fingers and analyse the sample for red blood cells - or the 'hematocrit' level.
"We even have a small mini-lab that allows us to do simple blood tests like this. Here is a test-tube centrifuge into which we insert capillary tubes filled with our peripheral blood," he said.
"Everyone’s probably had a blood test taken from their finger. Here we have to puncture our finger with a lancet, wipe off a drop of blood and collect a capillary tube of blood. Then we tape it up. We do this twice and put two capillary tubes into the centrifuge. The centrifuge is closed, plugged in, switched on, and spins for about five minutes," Borisov continued.
According to the cosmonaut, the blood is then separated and 'with the help of a special scale [we] determine the hematocrit volume and report it to doctors,' he added.
This type of test allows medics to diagnose a range of conditions, everything from diabetes to heart disease. Borisov also noted that the analysis was carried out every one and a half to two months.
He arrived at the ISS aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon with the Crew-7 expedition on August 27.
The crew also included NASA astronaut and Crew-7 commander Jasmin Moghbeli, European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Andreas Mogensen and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa.
Borisov is the third Russian cosmonaut to travel to the ISS aboard a SpaceX rocket, after Anna Kikina and Andrey Fedyaev, who arrived at the station in October 2022 and March 2023, respectively.
Space health check! Cosmonaut Borisov demonstrates blood test aboard ISS *EXCLUSIVE*
Russian cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov revealed how those aboard the International Space Station (ISS) monitored their health, with a simple blood test able to pick up any underlying issues.
Exclusive footage taken on January 26 has Borisov showing how he and his fellow crew prick their own fingers and analyse the sample for red blood cells - or the 'hematocrit' level.
"We even have a small mini-lab that allows us to do simple blood tests like this. Here is a test-tube centrifuge into which we insert capillary tubes filled with our peripheral blood," he said.
"Everyone’s probably had a blood test taken from their finger. Here we have to puncture our finger with a lancet, wipe off a drop of blood and collect a capillary tube of blood. Then we tape it up. We do this twice and put two capillary tubes into the centrifuge. The centrifuge is closed, plugged in, switched on, and spins for about five minutes," Borisov continued.
According to the cosmonaut, the blood is then separated and 'with the help of a special scale [we] determine the hematocrit volume and report it to doctors,' he added.
This type of test allows medics to diagnose a range of conditions, everything from diabetes to heart disease. Borisov also noted that the analysis was carried out every one and a half to two months.
He arrived at the ISS aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon with the Crew-7 expedition on August 27.
The crew also included NASA astronaut and Crew-7 commander Jasmin Moghbeli, European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Andreas Mogensen and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa.
Borisov is the third Russian cosmonaut to travel to the ISS aboard a SpaceX rocket, after Anna Kikina and Andrey Fedyaev, who arrived at the station in October 2022 and March 2023, respectively.
Russian cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov revealed how those aboard the International Space Station (ISS) monitored their health, with a simple blood test able to pick up any underlying issues.
Exclusive footage taken on January 26 has Borisov showing how he and his fellow crew prick their own fingers and analyse the sample for red blood cells - or the 'hematocrit' level.
"We even have a small mini-lab that allows us to do simple blood tests like this. Here is a test-tube centrifuge into which we insert capillary tubes filled with our peripheral blood," he said.
"Everyone’s probably had a blood test taken from their finger. Here we have to puncture our finger with a lancet, wipe off a drop of blood and collect a capillary tube of blood. Then we tape it up. We do this twice and put two capillary tubes into the centrifuge. The centrifuge is closed, plugged in, switched on, and spins for about five minutes," Borisov continued.
According to the cosmonaut, the blood is then separated and 'with the help of a special scale [we] determine the hematocrit volume and report it to doctors,' he added.
This type of test allows medics to diagnose a range of conditions, everything from diabetes to heart disease. Borisov also noted that the analysis was carried out every one and a half to two months.
He arrived at the ISS aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon with the Crew-7 expedition on August 27.
The crew also included NASA astronaut and Crew-7 commander Jasmin Moghbeli, European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Andreas Mogensen and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa.
Borisov is the third Russian cosmonaut to travel to the ISS aboard a SpaceX rocket, after Anna Kikina and Andrey Fedyaev, who arrived at the station in October 2022 and March 2023, respectively.