News JVTech NASA: New Russian leak on board the ISS, are the astronauts in danger?
The International Space Station has fallen victim to a new leak: this time it is a Russian spacecraft docked with the ISS that is the cause of the problem. An investigation is underway to determine the reason.
Definitive, The ISS has a number of disappointments. Less than two months after experiencing a coolant leak at the Soyuz spacecraft MS-22 which is moored at the station, a similar problem has just been detected again. This time it’s her Cargo ship Progress 82also from Russia, which is possible.
“Engineers at the Russian Mission Control Center near Moscow have recorded a pressure drop in the cooling circuit of the Roscosmos unmanned cargo ship Progress 82 docked with the station’s space-pointing Poisk module.”explain
a statement from NASA.
An ongoing investigation aboard the ISS
NASA says so tooAn investigation is underway to determine the reason for this coolant leak. The American Space Agency makes a very important point: the crew of the ISS is absolutely not in danger. “The hatches between Progress 82 and the station are open and temperatures and pressures aboard the station are all normal. » The ongoing missions will therefore continue normally.
The Russian Progress 82 spacecraft has been attached to the ISS since October 2022. It arrived with several tons of food and supplies on board, but also fuel. Since then, his departure is imminentit must return to Earth on Friday, February 17thto be consumed upon entry into the Earth’s atmosphere. A way to get rid of all the trash it now contains. On the other hand, “This destruction could prevent the investigation from being completed in a timely manner.
L’ISS (Source: NASA)
Soyuz and Progress, same problem?
NASA suspects that the Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft was the victim of a similar leak last Decembera micrometeorite that would have damaged it. Could the Progress 82 have had a similar problem? This question is difficult for the American agency to answer.
That’s almost certain These two incidents, just a few weeks apart, will motivate NASA to step up its surveillance of Russian spacecraft. It should be noted that a new Soyuz is expected in February: it will replace Soyuz MS-22, which should return to Earth NASA astronaut Frank Rubio and Russian cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitry Petelin. But the ship is too damaged for that, so a plan B had to be implemented.
In total, Coolant leaks detected onboard the ISS are under control, but they are forcing NASA to revise their plans. The main thing is that all dangers are averted: “Officials monitor all International Space Station systems and no other issues”closes the American space agency.
