NASA orders International Space Station crew members to briefly take shelter during leak repair work

NASA on Friday directed five people on the International Space Station to temporarily take shelter in the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft after engineers discovered an air leak in the Russian portion of the station. Four SpaceX Crew-12 crew members and NASA astronaut Chris Williams entered the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft in case NASA requested an evacuation. After a few hours they returned to normal operations.

The astronauts discovered two new air leaks in a transfer tube immediately adjacent to the station Zvezda service module. This 43-foot-long module serves as primary living quarters and houses life support systems in the Russian orbital portion of the International Space Station. Russian cosmonauts fixed one leak and decided to make more expensive repairs on the other.

“Following new leaks, Roscosmos has chosen to move forward with a more comprehensive repair on Friday, June 5,” NASA spokeswoman Bethany Stevens said. Share on X. “Out of an abundance of caution, NASA has directed all four members of SpaceX Crew-12 and NASA astronaut Chris Williams to assume a high safety position in the Dragon spacecraft while the repair is being made.”

A NASA representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Annoying problem

Air leaks in the Zvezda service module have been an ongoing problem for NASA and Roscosmos, Russia’s national space agency. The first sustained pressure drop was identified around 2019, several years after the unit entered service in 2000. Investigations focused on the transfer compartment area connecting Zvezda to the rest of the station. Although multiple repair attempts have been made, the exact source of the leaks has not been confirmed, and engineers continue to evaluate possible causes, including aging of the structure and the integrity of the joints.

There are procedures in place to mitigate any major failure. The hatch leading to the transfer area connecting Zvezda to ships docked on the Russian part of the ISS, called PrK, is closed when not in use. Upon reaching it, another hatch leading to the American orbital portion of the International Space Station is closed. If a failure occurs, only the Russian orbital segment will be affected.

The future of the International Space Station remains uncertain

the Current plan It is to keep the International Space Station active until its planned retirement at the end of 2030. NASA’s plan includes a specialized SpaceX spacecraft that will push the football field-sized space station out of orbit and back to Earth. Lawmakers They discuss Leave the space station for another two years, until 2032, so that a replacement station can be built and launched.

Private partners are expected to build the replacement, a move NASA hopes will launch new opportunities into space. These planned commercial space stations are scheduled to be completed and launched before the agency eventually removes the ISS from orbit.