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NASA is looking for the source of a minor air leak on the International space station.
The station’s current Expedition 63 crew members are in no immediate danger and will spend the weekend in the Russian segment of the orbiting laboratory, inside the Zvezda service module, according to officials at the station. NASA. said in an update today (August 20).
Astronauts can work in a jacket environment inside the station, but the orbiting laboratory is never completely airtight; some air always leaks over time, necessitating routine repressurization of the nitrogen tanks that are sent for freight missions, NASA added in the update. (Space.com has reached out to NASA for comment and will update this story if and when the agency responds.)
Related: Expedition 63 mission to the International Space Station (photos)
This leak was first spotted in September 2019, when there were “indications of a slight increase above the standard air leak rate,” NASA said in the statement. “Due to routine station operations such as spacewalks and the arrival and departure of spacecraft, it took time to collect enough data to characterize these measurements. This rate has increased slightly, so that teams are developing a plan to isolate, identify and potentially repair the source. “
While the leak rate is higher than usual, it still meets station specifications and poses no immediate danger to the crew, NASA officials said. Astronauts also take care of leak simulations during training for their stays on the space station, which typically last around six months.
“All hatches on the space station will be closed this weekend so mission controllers can carefully monitor the air pressure in each module,” NASA officials said. “The test presents no safety concerns for the crew. The test should determine which module has a higher than normal leak rate. US and Russian specialists expect preliminary results to be available for review. here the end of next week. “
NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy and his Russian cosmonaut teammates Ivan Vagner and Anatoly Ivanishin will stay in the Russian Zvezda Service Module from Friday evening through Monday morning (August 21 to August 24).
The three astronauts will have “plenty of room,” NASA officials said, noting that Zvezda was where crews first stayed when the ISS was under construction in the early 2000s. the Expedition 63 crew will have access to the Poisk research mini-module and their Soyuz MS-16 crew while staying in Zvezda.
Another Soyuz vehicle that was attached to the orbiting lab leaked in 2018. Astronauts traced the cause to a small hole in the Soyuz hull.
Editor’s Note: This is a developing story and will be updated with new details as they become available.
Follow Elizabeth Howell on Twitter @howellspace. follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.
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