The International Space Station has been hit with an issue which could cause a ‘catastrophic failure’ despite NASA allegedly playing the ongoing problem down publicly
The crew aboard the international space station have been hit with a frightening development as engineers are scrabbling to fix an air leak in part of the space station.
While NASA have attempted to keep the fault on the space station quiet, in internal meeting of space boffs stated the issue could cause a “catastrophic failure” aboard the ISS. The microscopic structural cracks in the transfer tunnel of the oldest Russian service module on the ISS sees the space station lose roughly one pound of air to escape into space each day.
NASA revealed the leak to Ars Technica confirming the station was leaking air around the weights as a loaf of bread over 24 hours. The section has previously suffered similar problems since 2019.
The space agency stated the module is still successfully being maintained at lower pressure. NASA added that the section of the ISS can be periodically repressurized as needed, confirming the issue is not hitting the space station’s operations.
Despite the issue not affecting operations yet, NASA has reportedly placed it among the highest-risk challenges facing the station. NASA spokesperson Josh Finch stated: “Teams performed data analysis, which indicated a loss of about one pound per day.”
The spokesperson added: “Roscosmos (The Russian Federal Space Agency) allowed the pressure in the transfer tunnel to gradually decrease while monitoring the rate. The area now is being maintained at a lower pressure, with small repressurizations as needed. There are no impacts to station operations, and NASA and Roscosmos are coordinating on next steps.”
NASA has said the leak does not pose an immediate danger. However the agency still has maintained emergency evacuation procedures which would allow astronauts to flee the station if needed.
The possibility of the issue being a “catastrophic failure” has been mentioned during internal meetings. In the past, NASA officials have downplayed the severity of the leak risks publicly and in meetings with external stakeholders of the ISS.
Internally there appears to be greater concern. NASA uses a 5×5 “risk matrix” to class the likelihood and consequences of issues during spaceflight activities. The leak has been classified as a “5” in both high likelihood and consequence.
Phil McAlister, NASA’s former director of commercial spaceflight, has claimed issues like these only strengthen the argument that the ISS should be retired in 2030 and replaced by a commercial alternative.
McAlister stated: “This further confirms the wisdom of the current policy of retiring the ISS in 2030 and replacing it with more modern, more cost-effective, and safer commercial platforms.”
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