WASHINGTON: A worsening air leak aboard the International Space Station prompted five astronauts to take shelter and prepare for evacuation for roughly two hours on Friday as Russia attempted to fix a crack on its portion of the orbital laboratory, NASA said.
Astronauts Ordered to Take Shelter
The four astronauts of NASA's Crew-12 mission aboard the station - two Americans, a French astronaut and a Russian cosmonaut - along with another U.S. astronaut were ordered by NASA mission control at 9:04 a.m. ET (1304 GMT) on Friday to enter their SpaceX-built Crew Dragon spacecraft docked to the station, NASA spokesperson Bethany Stevens said.
NASA reversed that order roughly two hours later and told the astronauts they could return to the station as the agency and its Russian counterparts examined the rate of leaking air.
Russian Efforts to Fix the Crack
The leak originated in the Russian segment of the ISS, specifically in the Zvezda service module, where cosmonauts have been attempting to seal a crack that has been causing a gradual loss of cabin pressure. The situation escalated on Friday, prompting the precautionary sheltering of the crew.
During the two-hour period, the astronauts were ready to undock and return to Earth if necessary. However, after analyzing the leak rate, NASA and Roscosmos determined that the situation was not critical and allowed the crew to resume normal operations.
The ISS has been operating continuously since 1998, and such leaks are not uncommon due to the aging infrastructure. However, this incident underscores the ongoing challenges of maintaining the space station.
