The International Space Station consists of a series of modules that are assembled one inside the other. They form a structure the size of a soccer field. This space apartment with breathtaking views of the earth sleeps six to eight people throughout. Since it went into operation in 2000, astronauts from all over the world have taken turns at the station.
Never in 20 years has the device been on board without a human life. However, the ISS was the closest thing to a catastrophe last week. The Soyuz spacecraft, designed to bring astronauts back to Earth in an emergency, has leaked.
Within hours, the air pressure in the module dropped. Before ground crews realize the gravity of the situation, the entire space station will be affected.
According to several experts, this is the most important incident in the channel’s history. NASA’s official speech assures him that an investigation has yet to assess the damage caused by an oxygen loss at the station.
A big incident?
With the incident in full swing, Roscosmos teams quickly realize that their module is the source of the leak. The temperature has changed too much, it is declared as “unusable”. An announcement that, however, embarrasses the seven astronauts on board.
SpaceX’s Crew Dragon ship, which is their only exit door, only has four seats. An emergency evacuation is therefore currently not possible. While waiting for Russia to send a new ship to the ISS, which should happen within days, the three space agencies responsible for the station are trying to understand the reasons for this leak.
Each country has its own vision on this subject, without however rejecting the third two hypotheses. Most likely, the flyby of the Geminid asteroid a few weeks ago caused an impact on the ISS. But for NASA, this theory doesn’t match the footprints left on the station.
Space junk as suspect number 1?
On the part of the ESA, the space junk is charged. These elements lost in orbit are absolute dangers. They come and go uncontrollably in orbit, forcing the ISS to track them to predict their trajectory and thus avoid a collision at 27,000 km/h.
If the impact could have been caused by space debris, Russia isn’t over the hill just yet. A few months ago, the astronauts present discovered a hole in the ISS. It had jeopardized the entire mission and had been caused by an assembly line failure in Russia.
A serious suspicion still hovers over Moscow. NASA, ESA and Roscosmos are continuing the investigation as the astronauts on board are still awaiting their second rescue ship, which will take them back to Earth if necessary.
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