NASA found 50 “areas of concern,” including leaks and cracks at the 25-year-old space station.
Posted by Leslie Eastman
Recent reports indicate that NASA and its Russian space agency are facing serious safety issues aboard the International Space Station (ISS) and may need to prepare for an emergency evacuation.
Astronauts aboard NASA's International Space Station have been told to prepare for an emergency evacuation due to growing safety concerns.
NASA and Roscosmos are tracking 50 “areas of concern” related to increasing leaks from the space station.
NASA now calls the crack in the Russian service module a “top security risk,” upgrading the threat rating to five out of five.
Astronauts are warned to stay in the U.S. segment while the mod is on so they can be close to the spacecraft in the event of an emergency evacuation.
The most pressing issue is a persistent air leak in the Zvezda service module on the Russian portion of the space station, a problem that has been tracked for the past five years.
The exact cause of the leak is not yet known, nor is it clear where the air left the space station. The inspectors general said both aerospace agencies narrowed their focus to internal and external welding that may have deteriorated.
Free said NASA has been working closely with Roscosmos to determine the source of the leak and ensure the safety of the crew. “Leak rates have gone down” since the last round of repairs in the summer, he said.
“We asked them to minimize the time the hatches are open, and they are minimizing it,” Free said. “We reached a compromise and they closed it at night.”
NASA has determined that the space station remains safe enough for the 11 people on board. Still, the agency believes astronauts need more options if they need to leave the space station quickly.
Current developments indicate that the space agency is preparing for the worst-case scenario and hopes that the space station can continue until its scheduled retirement in 2030. The United States and Russia are having trouble reaching an agreement on the conditions that would require evacuation of the International Space Station.
NASA and Roscomos are working together to monitor the leak and try to identify the source of the problem.
However, the two agencies have yet to agree on when leak rates are considered “untenable.”
In the same OIG report, NASA also raised concerns that the space station could be severely damaged by tiny fragments of material in orbit, raising the risk rating to the highest level.
“NASA considers the threat from micrometeoroids and orbital debris (MMOD) to be the greatest risk to crew safety, the ISS structure, visiting vehicles, and continued operations of the ISS,” the agency wrote.
Over the past two decades, the International Space Station has been the center of groundbreaking scientific research. Microgravity environments have enabled significant advances in research into diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, cancer, asthma and heart disease. The unique conditions allow researchers to observe cellular and molecular changes not possible on Earth.
Without the interference of Earth's gravity, Alzheimer's researchers study clusters of proteins that may contribute to the neurodegenerative disease. Cancer researchers studied the growth of endothelial cells on the space station.
Endothelial cells help supply blood to the body, which is needed for tumor formation. Cells grown on the space station grow better than cells on Earth and could help test new cancer treatments.
Why do this in space? Studying cells, organoids and protein clusters without the influence of gravity or even container wall forces can help researchers gain a clearer understanding of their properties, behavior and response to treatments.
The International Space Station website lists 19 other important research contributions and discoveries on the space station. Hopefully, these precautions will not be necessary and all astronauts and researchers can return home safely and complete their important work.
Relevant
