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A 2-millimeter hole was discovered last week in a Russian Soyuz MS-09 satellite (left) moored to the International Space Station.
NASA / AP
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NASA / AP
A 2-millimeter hole was discovered last week in a Russian Soyuz MS-09 satellite (left) moored to the International Space Station.
NASA / AP
Russian officials say a tiny leak to the International Space Station was probably caused by a human hand. Now they are trying to find out who did it, why they did it and whether it happened in the space or in the field.
The crew identified the source of the leak as a 2-millimeter hole in the upper part of a Soyuz MS-09 spacecraft, which is docked in the Russian section of the space station.
"We do not reject any theory," said Dmitry Rogozine, head of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, according to the official TASS news agency. He added that they aimed "to find out if there was an accidental default or deliberate deterioration and where it was done … we will find it without fail ".
And although Rogozin has stated that he does not rule out the possibility of sabotage, an accident seems more likely: "It seems to be done with a hesitant hand … it is a technological error on the part of a specialist" .
Rogozin added that they rejected a theory that the hole had been caused by a meteorite.
No one aboard the space station was in danger following the leak, which was detected Wednesday night by the flight controllers.
The crew first solved the problem by applying tape to the hole, according to NASA, and later, Russian flight engineer Sergey Prokopyev plugged the hole with gauze and epoxy , an ultra-resistant sealer.
Alexander Zheleznyakov, Russian cosmonautics expert, was extremely skeptical about the theories that the hole had been deliberately drilled from space.
"Why should one of the crew members try to do it? I would not use the word absurdity, but all this does not fit well with the logic," said Zheleznyakov to TASS.
He suggested another possibility: "Most likely, everything had happened in the factory of the manufacturer, it is difficult to detect a hole that was repaired with glue … A worker probably drilled a bad hole and then avoided telling anyone or those whom he had informed to prefer to keep silent too. "
The Soyuz satellite was manufactured by the Russian company Energia, according to TASS. The International Space Station is currently home to three NASA astronauts, two Russian cosmonauts and an astronaut from the European Space Agency.
John Logsdon, an expert on space policy at George Washington University, told NPR that there is "a kind of widespread concern over the decline in quality control in the Russian space industry in recent years." If the hole was accidental, he said, "then covered and nobody inspected and found it … it's disturbing."
Roscosmos has appointed a commission to investigate and hopes that its work will be completed by mid-September.
Leroy Chiao, former commander of the International Space Station, told NPR that it was a bit mysterious that the hole seems to be hand pierced through the material of about half an inch from it. thickness. "It would take a little bit of time to break the hole," he said.
Chiao recalled that the astronauts were vigilant during his expedition about anything that could cause a pressure drop, as was the case for this leak. "Pressure drops are certainly not a routine," he said.
"So as soon as we hear a noise, we rush to the very sensitive manometer to make sure the pressure is maintained," Chiao said. "It was definitely something we were sensitive to."
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