NASA has instructed astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) to prepare for a possible emergency evacuation as engineers race to contain worsening air leaks in a Russian segment of the orbiting laboratory.
The precautionary order comes after a long-monitored leak in the station's Zvezda service module reportedly intensified, prompting crew members to take shelter in their docked spacecraft and remain ready to return to Earth if conditions deteriorate further.
At 9.04 a.m. ET (2 p.m. BST) on Friday, NASA mission control instructed the four astronauts of NASA's Crew-12 mission on the station — two American astronauts, a French astronaut, and a Russian cosmonaut — to board their docked Crew Dragon spacecraft and put on their spacesuits in case the air leak necessitated an emergency evacuation, The Guardian reported.
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The two main operators of the station, NASA and Russia's space agency Roscosmos, have been debated for months about the reason for and possible solutions for minor air leaks on Russia's Zvezda service module, a crucial component of the laboratory the size of a football field.
The Russian portion of the station, which has long been a source of worry for both Russian and American space authorities, is thought to be the location of the leak.
In order to stop a more significant loss of pressure, experts have been keeping an eye on cracks in the Zvezda service module transfer tube for years. Although earlier leaks were controlled without posing a serious risk to the crew, the most recent events have sparked new worries about the station's long-term sustainability.
In recent months, the air leaks have been quite small. However, a senior NASA source told Reuters on condition of anonymity that the issue worsened on Monday, going from a pound of air each day to two pounds (0.9 kg).
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As engineers scramble to determine the scope of the issue, the mishap, which occurred 250 miles above Earth, has rekindled concerns about the ageing infrastructure of humanity's most ambitious space project and compelled crews to take preventative steps.
While officials evaluated the situation, crew members from the US, Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada were told to take cover within their spacecraft. If conditions worsen, the preventative measure would enable astronauts to quickly undock and return to Earth.
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