International Space Station told to prepare for evacuation over air leak
6 hours ago
- #International Space Station
- #Air Leaks
- #NASA
- NASA instructed the crew of SpaceX Crew-12 and another astronaut to shelter in the Dragon spacecraft for about two hours due to air leaks in the Russian segment, then ordered them to return to the ISS after repairs were paused.
- Roscosmos discovered two air leaks in the Zvezda service module's transfer tunnel during pressurization; one was sealed with 'Germetal-1' sealant, but repair efforts were halted for further assessment.
- The air leaks have been an ongoing issue for over five years, with NASA's inspector general calling them a 'top safety risk,' and have previously delayed missions, such as a chartered flight for India, Poland, and Hungary.
- NASA stated the shelter order was made 'out of an abundance of caution' as Roscosmos planned more extensive repairs, with no immediate threat to crew or station safety reported.