As a precautionary measure, NASA temporarily instructed five of the seven astronauts aboard the International Space Station to take shelter inside the docked SpaceX Crew Dragon “Freedom” spacecraft on Friday. This decision was made due to emerging concerns over detected cracks in a transfer tunnel within the Russian module.
Shortly thereafter, NASA gave the go-ahead for the crew to exit the safe haven arrangement and resume standard operations. This decision followed Roscosmos’ pause in repair work to focus on taking measurements and evaluating the data related to the issue.
“We anticipate collaborating with Roscosmos to devise a joint strategy for addressing the leaks,” NASA stated.
The cracks have been responsible for a minor air leak, an intermittent problem over the past six years. This leak constitutes a significant safety concern, prompting multiple repair attempts over the years.
“NASA has consistently monitored these cracks with a high level of scrutiny,” the agency noted.
This precautionary move was in response to Roscosmos detecting a gradual pressure decline in the transfer tunnel last month, subsequent to the docking of a Russian cargo ship.
NASA said it and Roscosmos have been trying to determine the cause of the cracks while the Russian space agency addresses the issue through “operational mitigation measures and periodic partial-repair efforts.”
After new leaks appeared, NASA initially said Roscosmos decided to move forward with a more extensive repair operation Friday before the Russians decided only to perform measurements.
“We continue to work with our Russian counterparts, along with the rest of the international community that supports the space station, to arrive at a more permanent resolution,” NASA said.
