NASA‘s astronauts should evacuate the International Space Station (ISS) immediately to avoid a fatal disaster, a space expert has warned.
Nick Pope, a former civil servant who once ran the British Government‘s UFO project, told MailOnline that the space agency’s ‘wait-and-see’ attitude could have devastating consequences.
‘Leaving it too late could lead to a disaster that would kill not only the astronauts, but also NASA’s reputation,’ he said.
His warning comes as NASA revealed it is tracking 50 ‘areas of concern’ related to a growing leak on the Russian side of the ISS.
American astronauts have been instructed to wait near the escape hatch in case of an emergency evacuation whenever the hatch to the leaky section is open.
NASA has now promoted the leak to a ‘top safety risk’.
However, it insists that its astronauts will remain aboard the station.
But as NASA and its Russian counterpart, Roscomos, fail to patch or even find the leak there are now growing concerns over the safety of the ISS.
A space expert has warned that NASA’s decision to keep astronauts aboard the space station could lead to a fatal disaster
NASA has warned its astronauts to be ready for an emergency evacuation as concerns rise over a crack in the Russian section of the station. All seven astronauts are staying on the US side whenever the hatch to the leaky section is open
The leak was first detected in 2019 in the Russian Zvezda Service Module Transfer Tunnel which provides station living quarters, life support systems, electrical power distribution and data processing, flight control and propulsion systems.
However, despite the space agencies covering potential cracks with ‘a combination of sealant and patches’ the leak has only grown faster in recent years.
In February, NASA was forced to hold a press conference on the issue as the amount of air escaping temporarily increased from 0.2 lbs per day (0.09 kg) to 2.4 lbs (1.08 kg) per day.
The leak then hit record rates in April, losing 3.7 lbs (1.68 kg) of air every day according to a report from NASA’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG).
As the leak continues to grow, the situation was declared a ‘top safety risk’ this September and escalated to the highest level on NASA’s risk scale.
NASA officials say they have reached a deal with Roscomos to only open the hatch to the leaking section when necessary and to keep it sealed during the evenings.
Whenever the hatch is open, NASA has instructed all astronauts to remain on the American side of the station so they can be nearer to their spacecraft in case of an emergency.
However, Mr Pope says that this has put NASA in a ‘tight spot’.
NASA is now tracking 50 ‘areas of concern’ related to a leak in the Russian Zvezda Service Module Transfer Tunnel (labelled) which sprung a leak in 2019. A space expert says that leaving it too late to flee the station could lead to the deaths of astronauts
This is not the first time the ISS has sprung a leak. In 2018 astronauts rushed to fix a hole (pictured) which had appeared in the outer wall of the Soyuz capsule on the orbiting laboratory. The origins of the damage remain a mystery
He says: ‘Evacuating the ISS too soon will increase the gap between NASA and Elon Musk and make NASA look like a declining force, but leaving it too late could lead to a disaster.’
While NASA maintains that the Zvezda module’s hatch remains closed as much as possible, if the leaks become severe the station could rapidly lose pressure and oxygen.
In the case of such an emergency, all astronauts would need to climb aboard their assigned ‘lifeboats’ docked with the station.
The capsules have been stocked with emergency suits, allowing the crew to quickly put on the proper gear as they flee the orbiting laboratory, saving more valuable time.
NASA’s Commercial Crew Program Manager Steve Stich said that in the event of an emergency, SpaceX’s Dragon could be powered up within minutes.
However, the space agency has also admitted that the ISS is not sufficiently prepared for capsule failures which could leave some astronauts stranded.
The OIG report says: ‘Due to the high costs and a limited budget, the lack of ready-to-launch vehicles prevent the Agency from having an immediate response capability if crew vehicles encounter significant damage and are no longer safe for crew evacuation.’
In the event of an impact from a micrometeor or piece of space debris, this could lead to a situation in which astronauts have no way of fleeing the damaged station.
NASA admits that it does not have a contingency plan for its ‘lifeboats’ being damaged by the micrometeorites which frequenlty strike the station. In 2021, the Canadarm2 robot arm was struck by space debris which created a hole in the metal
ESA astronaut Tim Peake took this photo from inside Cupola in 2016, showing a 7 mm-diameter circular chip gouged out by the impact from a tiny piece of space debris. NASA has said it will not add any additional shielding to the station to protect form larger pieces of debris
NASA says that an impact of this kind could cause ‘serious damage or catastrophic failure, and can be a threat to astronauts’.
However, due to the costs of performing upgrades in space, NASA has said it will not provide any additional shielding to protect the station from objects larger than 3cm.
Mr Pope adds: ‘Space is inherently dangerous and the space program carries with it a degree of risk. But with lives at stake, a wait-and-see option has higher consequences.’
However, not all experts are convinced that the Zvezda module leak is likely to lead to catastrophic failure.
Dr Simeon Barber, a space scientist at The Open University, told MailOnline: ‘Although this is seen as a high priority issue to resolve, it is not putting astronauts in immediate danger.’
By closing the hatch to Zvezda, the leak can be contained no matter how fast it becomes.
‘The problem is that if the leak gets too bad, they might have to leave the hatch permanently closed, meaning the docking ports beyond the hatch can’t be used,’ says Dr Barber.
Although this would make resupplying the space station more difficult it would ensure that the station can continue functioning.
While this might not be a threat to human life, experts say that this could lead NASA to decommission the station earlier than planned.
The Zvezda module is used to access a Russian cargo dock (pictured here). Due to the escalating leak, the Russian space agency has agreed to keep the module sealed except when needed. If the leak becomes faster, the module may need to be permanently sealed to protect the station
The ISS has already remained in orbit for 10 years longer than originally intended and its ageing systems are showing serious signs of wear.
If the Zvezda module had to be sealed, the loss of air would mean the station would need to be resupplied more frequently just as doing so became more difficult.
Independent spaceflight safety expert Laura Forczyk told MailOnline: ‘If the leaks on the ISS worsen significantly to the point where NASA and Russia conclude the situation is unsafe, it may mean decommissioning the ISS sooner than expected.’
NASA currently maintains that the station remains safe and says it is working with Roscomos to resolve the issue as soon as possible.
A NASA spokesperson told MailOnline: ‘NASA and Roscosmos continue to evaluate onboard and ground test data with the primary goal of identifying the root cause, gaining a better understanding of the risk to station operations, and implementing repairs.’