NASA Orders Five Astronauts Back After Iss Air Leak Emergency Evacuation
Five astronauts on the International Space Station briefly sheltered in a docked Dragon spacecraft on Friday during an iss air leak emergency evacuation, then returned to planned operations after NASA gave the all clear. The move came while Roscosmos cosmonauts assessed leak repairs in the station’s transfer chamber.
Bethany Stevens on safe haven
Bethany Stevens, a NASA spokesperson, said NASA instructed the crew members inside the Dragon spacecraft to end the safe haven procedures and return to planned operations aboard the International Space Station. She also said, “NASA has instructed the crew members inside the Dragon spacecraft to end the safe haven procedures and return to planned operations aboard the International Space Station.”
The Dragon spacecraft serves as a lifeboat of sorts if evacuation is needed, and the crew used it only as a precaution. NASA said the astronauts were able to return to their stations after the agency gave the all clear.
Roscosmos and the PrK
Roscosmos said a leak was recorded while pressurizing the transfer chamber known as PrK. During an inspection, cosmonauts discovered two potential air leak sites. The first was promptly sealed with the first layer of the two-component sealant Germetall-1, while work continued to prepare sealing for the second site on the conical part of the PrK.
Roscosmos said the cosmonauts were taking measurements of the leaks and assessing data. NASA said the transfer tunnel had suffered cracks and leaks for some time, and NASA and Roscosmos have been working to determine the root cause.
ISS operations and 2030
The episode briefly shifted the crew into a protective posture on a station that has been continuously inhabited for the last quarter-century. That routine matters because the same aging station is scheduled to be pushed into Earth’s orbit before crashing into an isolated spot in the Pacific Ocean in 2030.
For the astronauts aboard the station, Friday’s return to normal operations meant the immediate safety step ended without a full evacuation. The remaining work stays with NASA and Roscosmos as they continue measuring the leak sites and deciding how to seal them.
