tech
The saga of the International Space Station air leak took a worrying turn Friday
"We look forward to working with Roscosmos on a collaborative approach to address the leaks."
TL;DR
- Five ISS crew members sheltered in a SpaceX capsule during an air leak repair on the Russian segment.
- The air leaks have been a persistent issue, originating from a transfer tunnel in the Zvezda Service Module.
- Engineers believe microscopic cracks in the module are causing the leaks, and previous repair attempts have not been permanent.
- Roscosmos cosmonauts were working on the leak area, leading NASA to issue the 'Safe Haven' order for USOS (US Orbital Segment) crew.
- The repair operation was paused to take more measurements, and the crew returned to the station after about 90 minutes.
- Roscosmos stated there is no threat to crew safety or onboard systems, and station pressure remains stable.