Seven astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) faced a tense situation when a sudden increase in an air leak prompted them to seek shelter. Five crew members were directed on Friday to move into the docked SpaceX shuttle, named Dragon "Freedom." They were prepared for a possible immediate return to Earth. This action came as two Russian cosmonauts worked to fix the issue. The repair attempt involved a part of the Russian segment of the ISS. The air leak had become worse since Monday. Nasa later instructed the astronauts to leave the Dragon and return to the ISS. This happened after the repair work was paused.
The trigger for this alert was a growing air leak. It occurred in a connecting tunnel called PrK. This tunnel leads to the Zvezda service module, a key part of the Russian segment. Cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev were tasked with the repair. Their emergency exit was a separate spacecraft, the Soyuz MS-28. This problem with air leaks is not new. Cracks causing these leaks have been present for about six years. However, a recent inspection by the Russian space agency, Roscosmos, after a cargo ship arrived last month, revealed a new drop in pressure. This led to a decision to try a more thorough repair than simple patching.
The method proposed for the repair caused concern for NASA. Russian cosmonauts planned to use a saw to access the leaking crack. News agency Reuters reported this detail. Mission control in Houston disagreed with this approach. As a result, NASA ordered five astronauts to enter "safe-haven" procedures. This meant staying in the safety of the Dragon spacecraft. Bethany Stevens, a NASA spokeswoman, confirmed the crew's return to normal operations. She stated on X, formerly Twitter, that NASA instructed the crew to end safe-haven procedures. They are now back to planned activities aboard the ISS. Russian news agency Tass, citing Roscosmos, reported that the safety of the crew and ISS systems was not threatened at any time. The ISS is a massive structure, spanning the length of a football field. It has been operational continuously since 1998. A consortium including the US, Russia, Canada, and Japan manages the station, along with 11 European countries.