A leak in a space station. That sounds serious, but engineers haven’t known why for five years. But, perhaps even more dangerous: NASA and Roscosmos are not on the same page when it comes to a solution.
The American space agency NASA and Russia’s Roscosmos disagree about the causes and risks of the air leak. NASA says there are multiple air leaks in the transport tunnel of the Russian Zvezda section, which is one of the oldest parts of the ISS. The tunnel connects the Zvezda module to a docking port where spacecraft dock with new supplies. It has been leaking since September 2019.
Russia and the US disagree
According to NASA astronaut Bob Cabana, who sits on the advisory board, the two countries have not reached an agreement on what caused the leaks or how great the risks are. Cosmonauts have already made some repairs to the leaks, which reduced their severity somewhat, but that was temporary. Since February this year, 1 kilogram of air has been leaking per day, which even increased to 1.6 kilograms in April.
The leak has now been classified as the highest level risk in the ISS risk management system. Reason for a new round of repairs, but this only reduced the leaks by a third. The Russians think that the cracks are caused by micro vibrations that make the material tired. NASA believes it is due to mechanical stress, pressure, the material used and space exposure. Reason for Roscosmos to share material with NASA for further research. NASA concluded that the leaks do not pose a direct risk to the space station’s foundation.
ISS almost retired
Whatever the cause, the ISS is on the decline. Work is already underway on a successor and it is expected that the ISS will disappear in 2030. Roscosmos has a contract until 2028, so it will ‘move’ away sooner. For now, the crew members ensure that they keep the hatch to the tunnel closed as much as possible. The fact that NASA and Roscosmos do not agree on the risks of the leak could become exciting, because if the leak really becomes too big, the hatch will have to be closed forever. Something the Russians are not interested in, because they regularly use it for supplies. They think it is safe, NASA doesn’t think so.
As a result, astronauts also close the hatch between the American and Russian parts of the ISS when the cosmonauts are working on the leaks in the tunnel. NASA says: “It’s not comfortable, but it’s the best agreement between all the smart people on both sides, and something we as a crew can live with.”
View the possible successor to the ISS.
Source: www.bright.nl
