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No immediate risk to crew: NASA after cracks in ISS spark concerns

American space agency NASA Tuesday said there is no immediate danger to crew and astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS)

Wednesday November 20, 2024 8:05 PM, ummid.com News Network

[AI generated image showing astronauts aboard International Space Station (ISS)]

Washington: American space agency NASA Tuesday said there is no immediate danger to crew and astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

“The ISS crew is in no immediate danger”, NASA said.

The statement by the American space agency was wanted as concerns were raised after reports of the leakage in the science laboratory floating in the space.

The leakages were first discovered in 2019 on the Russian module section of the space station in a tunnel that connects to a docking station.

Some cracks were repaired, but NASA in a report released recently said there are still 50 cracks that can result in “catastrophic failure”.

“In April 2024, NASA identified an increase in the leak rate to its highest level to date,” the space agency’s 46-page report “NASA’s Management of Risks to Sustaining ISS Operations through 2030” said.

U.S., Russia differ on severity

The International Space Station (ISS) is a joint project of five space agencies and their contractors including - NASA (U.S.), Roscosmos (Russia), ESA (European Space Agency), JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), and CSA (Canadian Space Agency).
While other space agencies are maintaining a guarded silence on the cracks and leaks that have developed in the space station, NASA and Roscosmos have differed on the severity and causes.

During a recent ISS Advisory Committee meeting, Chairman Bob Cabana said that the leaks are a concern to NASA and that both the U.S. space agency and its Russian counterpart cannot agree to the cause of it.

“Although the teams continued to investigate the causal factors of the crack initiation and growth, U.S. and Russian technical teams, they don't have a common understanding of what the likely root cause is or the severity of the consequences of these leaks," said Cabana, a former astronaut who previously served as associate administrator at NASA.

"The Russian position is that the most probable cause of the … cracks is high cyclic fatigue, caused by micro vibrations”, he added.

He added that NASA believes the cracks are caused by a variety of things like pressure and mechanical stress and environmental exposures.

He also said the two space agencies disagree on the severity of the cracks.

“So, while the Russian team continues to search for and seal the leaks, it does not believe catastrophic disintegration of the pair is realistic. And NASA has expressed concerns about the structural integrity of the PrK (the name of the Russian module) and the possibility of a catastrophic failure,” he said during the recording of the meeting.

He continued that NASA is bringing in engineering experts to evaluate and offer suggestions and hopes that Roscosmos will do the same.

Safety concerns of Sunita Williams, other astronauts

Roscosmos on the other hand has not commented on Cabana’s statement. But, the NASA statement that there is no immediate danger to crew aboard the International Space Station (ISS) has provided some relief in India where people were worried about the safety of Indian-American astronaut Sunita Williams who is stranded in the space.

Sunita Williams was launched to the ISS along with Barry Wilmore on the first crewed flight of Boeing's Starliner spacecraft on June 5, 2024 for an 8-day mission. Their return to Earth however has been delayed due to technical issues in the spacecraft. They are expected to return to Earth in February 2025 on the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft.

Meanwhile, Musk owned SpaceX has been awarded to build a unique Deorbit Vehicle to usher the International Space Station (ISS) to its doom. The International Space Station (ISS) ends its operational life in 2030.

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