Crew Isolating Themselves As NASA Hunts For Air Leak On The ISS

Harin - Aug 31, 2020

The leak on the ISS was detected back in September 2019. As time goes by, the rate of leakage has gradually increased above normal levels.

For astronauts on the International Space Station, things are not going too well. Reports have revealed that air has been leaking out of the ISS in larger quantities than it’s supposed to be.

To deal with the risk, the crew with three astronauts have been asked to stay in a single module until the problem is resolved. The leak was detected back in September 2019. As time goes by, the rate of leakage has gradually increased above normal levels.

Iss — As time goes by, the rate of leakage has gradually increased above normal levels.

Until now, mission controllers can’t still find the cause of the problem. In its blog, NASA has stated that the leak is within segment specifications and doesn’t immediately affect the crew onboard. Teams are working on a plan to repair this.

Because of the air leakage, NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy and Roscosmos cosmonauts Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Vanger had to spend the weekend in the Zvezda service module of Russia. With the crew staying in the Russian module, all hatches on the ISS were shut dơn to monitor the air pressure inside to figure out which module has air coming out.

You might ask why the crew has only three astronauts. This is because Douglas Hurley and Robert Behnken have departed back to Earth to board the Crew Dragon capsule after staying on the ISS for nearly three months.