A warning was issued to astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) to seek shelter and prepare for a possible evacuation as air leaks worsened in the Russian section of the renowned space research facility. Five astronauts, including three Americans, one French national, and a Russian cosmonaut, were instructed by NASA mission control to seek refuge in the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft, which was docked at the ISS on Friday afternoon.
Although rare, safety shelter orders and full evacuations of the space station have not occurred since its launch into orbit in November 1998. NASA officials rescinded the evacuation order after two hours and allowed the crew to return to the ISS while Russia’s space agency, Roscosmos, investigated the air leaks.
Roscosmos halted repair work on the leak once the astronauts had re-entered the station. According to NASA spokesperson Bethany Stevens, the pause was necessary for further measurements and data evaluations.
The situation prompted NASA to advise the crew inside the Dragon spacecraft to end safe haven procedures and resume regular operations on the International Space Station. Collaboration with Roscosmos was emphasized to address the leaks.
Roscosmos confirmed the detection of two leaks on the ISS, assuring that they posed no immediate threat to the crew or onboard systems. The first leak was promptly sealed, and preparations were made to address the second leak.
The persistent air leaks in the Zvezda service module transfer tunnel have been a recurring issue at the ISS for at least seven years. Efforts to find a lasting solution involve ongoing cooperation with Russian counterparts and the international community supporting the space station.
NASA first reported problems related to the air leaks in September 2019, and the issue has persisted until now. The ISS comprises multiple American and Russian segments, with additional modules added by the European and Japanese space agencies in 2008.
Currently, the space station accommodates seven astronauts from two different missions. The Crew-12 team consists of NASA’s Jack Hathaway and Jessica Meir, the European Space Agency’s Sophie Adenot, and Roscosmos’s Andrey Fedyaev, who arrived in February. Other crew members, including American Christopher Williams and Russians Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikayev, arrived in November.
Opt for Daily Mirror as a ‘Preferred Source’ on Google News for convenient access to the news that matters to you.
