ISS Air Leak Fear: NASA Lifts Evacuation Alert After Two Hours — Who’s Aboard the Space Station Right Now? | Today’s news
A worsening air leak aboard the International Space Station (ISS) prompted NASA to order five astronauts to shelter in place on Friday in preparation for a possible evacuation, highlighting lingering concerns about a long-standing leak problem at the Russian part of the orbiting laboratory.
The precautionary measure lasted nearly two hours before NASA lifted the order and allowed the astronauts to return to normal operations while engineers from NASA and the Russian space agency Roskosmos continued to assess the situation.
What happened on board the ISS?
According to NASA, mission control instructed the five astronauts at approximately 9:04 a.m. ET to board the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft docked at the station and prepare for potential emergency procedures.
The move came as Russian specialists attempted to repair a crack believed to be causing increased air leakage from the ISS.
NASA later lifted the shelter-in-place order after Roskosmos suspended its repairs, allowing the astronauts to leave the spacecraft and return to the station.
Officials emphasized that the action was precautionary and the crew was never in immediate danger.
Why was NASA concerned?
The problem centers on persistent air leaks in Russia’s Zvezda Service Module, a critical part of the ISS.
NASA and Roskosmos had been monitoring the problem for months, but the situation intensified when the leak rate reportedly doubled from about one pound of air loss per day to two pounds per day.
Russian officials said two leaks had been detected. One was quickly sealed while preparations were made to deal with the other.
Roscosmos claimed there was no immediate threat to the safety of the station’s crew or systems.
Disagreement on repair strategy
The incident also revealed differences between NASA and Roskosmos over how to handle the leak.
According to a senior NASA official, two Russian cosmonauts planned to use a chainsaw to access the area where they believed the crack was located.
NASA reportedly objected to this approach and ordered safe procedures while discussions continued.
The safe harbor order was lifted after Roskosmos suspended the repair attempt, allowing the two agencies to work on a coordinated solution.
NASA said it looks forward to working with Roskosmos to resolve the leak.
Who hid?
The astronauts assigned to the Crew Dragon spacecraft were members of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 mission, along with one Expedition 74 astronaut.
Jessica Meir – Spaceship Commander
Jessica Meir is an American astronaut and commander of the Crew-12 Dragon spacecraft.
The native of Caribou, Maine, was chosen by NASA in 2013. This is her second flight into space.
Jack Hathaway – spaceship pilot
Jack Hathaway serves as the pilot of the Dragon spacecraft.
A US Navy commander from Connecticut is making his first trip into space.
Sophie Adenot – Mission Specialist
Sophie Adenot is a French astronaut representing the European Space Agency.
Selected in 2022, she previously worked as a helicopter pilot and engineer.
Andrey Fedyaev – Mission Specialist
Andrey Fedyaev is a Russian cosmonaut on his second long-duration mission.
He previously spent 186 days aboard the ISS during Expedition 69 in 2023.
Chris Williams – Flight Engineer
Christopher Williams, known as Chris Williams, is a NASA astronaut serving as a flight engineer on Expedition 74.
He joined the four astronauts of Crew-12 inside the Dragon spacecraft during a preemptive shelter.
Who stayed at the station?
The two Russian cosmonauts continued to focus on the leak investigation and repair.
Sergey Kud-Sverchkov – Commander of Expedition 74
Sergey Kud-Sverchkov is in command of Expedition 74 and has extensive experience aboard the ISS.
Sergey Mikaev – flight engineer
Sergey Mikaev serves as a flight engineer on Expedition 74 and was involved in the spill response effort.
What is a safe procedure?
The safe haven procedure requires astronauts to enter their docked spacecraft and prepare for rapid departure if conditions on the station deteriorate.
The procedure is designed so that crew members can quickly detach and return to Earth if necessary.
Such commands are unusual and are usually prompted by potential threats such as:
-Danger of space debris collision
-Other extraordinary events affecting the safety of the station
Has the ISS ever been evacuated?
Despite occasional emergencies, astronauts have never had to evacuate the International Space Station during its 27-year operational history.
The ISS remains one of the most permanently inhabited structures ever built, hosting astronauts and cosmonauts from various countries since 2000.
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