ISTANBUL
NASA on Friday instructed astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) to take shelter and prepare for a possible evacuation due to concerns over an air leak.
“The Zvezda service module transfer tunnel, known as PrK, has suffered from cracks and leaks for some time, and has been mitigated by Roscosmos as much as possible to date. The cracks have always been a concern that NASA watches very closely,” NASA spokeswoman Bethany Stevens wrote on US social media company X.
Four of the station’s seven crew members were directed by NASA mission control to move into the Crew Dragon spacecraft attached to the ISS while wearing their spacesuits.
“Out of an abundance of caution, NASA has directed all four of the agency’s SpaceX Crew-12 members and NASA astronaut Chris Williams to assume an elevated safety posture in the Dragon spacecraft while the repair is underway,” Stevens added.
Stevens said Roscosmos, Russia’s space agency, is scheduled to carry out repair work on Friday.
“NASA and Roscosmos have been working to determine the root cause of the cracks, and Roscosmos manages the issue through operational mitigation measures and periodic partial-repair efforts,” she added.
“We continue to work with our Russian counterparts, along with the rest of the international community that supports the space station, to arrive at a more permanent resolution.”
