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After speaking for the first time, NASA's Jim Bridenstine and his Russian counterpart Dmitry Rogozin set out to reaffirm their cooperation on orbital issues.
In the midst of wild rumors in Russia, a NASA astronaut deliberately pierced a Russian spacecraft moored at the International Space Station. The space agencies of both countries issued a statement Thursday stating that a leak last month was undergoing further comment.
The leak, which was less than one tenth of an inch in width, was detected for the first time on August 29th. She had no immediate danger to the crew aboard the station and the Russian astronauts quickly covered her with tape.
But stories in the Russian media and statements of Dmitry Rogozin, Managing Director of Roscomos, seems to suggest a need to reaffirm cooperation between the Earth's most active space powers, which jointly manage the orbital station.
At first, officials suggested that a micrometeorite had pierced the spacecraft. But last week, Mr Rogozin raised the possibility of sabotage.
In recent days, articles in Russian publications have speculated that someone from NASA deliberately punched a Russian transport capsule, called Soyuz, moored at the station.
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According to the report, Russian investigators suspect that a NASA astronaut fell ill. To bring back a sick crew member to Earth, three of the station's six astronauts are expected to leave for the Soyuz. But perhaps NASA did not want to pay the cost of a new launch of Soyuz, according to the report, so one of the crew resorted to sabotage to force an evacuation. (The hole was in the upper part of the spacecraft that is thrown before entering the atmosphere so that there is no danger to the astronauts.)
An article in the Kommersant newspaper indicates that the Soyuz is close to the American part of the station. The paper said Roscosmos had asked for medical records and video recordings of the movements and health of NASA's astronauts and that NASA was unlikely to comply to protect the privacy of astronauts.
The statement said Jim Bridenstine, the NASA administrator, and Rogozin spoke by phone to discuss the leak of the space station.
"The Administrator and the Director General noted speculation circulating in the media regarding the possible cause of the incident and agreed to postpone any preliminary findings and provide explanations until the 39, final investigation be completed, "the statement said.
The statement went on to say that Mr. Bridenstine and Mr. Rogozin "have recognized that the entire team is dedicated to the safe operation of the station and all spacecraft moored to ensure the mission's success" .
It was the first time that both had spoken since Mr. Bridenstine's confirmation in April, which has been a long delay in the Senate.
Even during the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union collaborated in space, beginning with the docking of a Soyuz and Apollo spacecraft in 1975. In 1993, the United States invited Russia to participate in the efforts of the space station. NASA relied on Russia to bring its astronauts to and from the station. This has been lucrative for the Russian space industry; Each Soyuz office currently costs more than $ 80 million.
But NASA does not buy more seats. Next year, after years of delays, Boeing and SpaceX will take on this role.
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Sophia Kishkovsky contributed to the Moscow report.
Kenneth Chang has been at the Times since 2000 to write about physics, geology, chemistry and planets. Before becoming a science writer, he was a graduate student whose research involved controlling chaos. @kchangnyt
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