Air Leak Forced International Space Station Astronauts to Evacuate!

According to SAEDNEWS, the ISS astronauts took refuge in SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft so that the Russian crew could fix the air leak.

NASA instructed the five astronauts on the International Space Station to move into the SpaceX Dragon capsule as a precaution while repairs were being carried out, according to Space News. Bethany Stevens, a NASA spokesperson, wrote on her X account that NASA, out of an abundance of caution, instructed all four members of SpaceX’s Crew-12 mission and NASA astronaut Chris Williams to remain in a high-safety configuration inside the Dragon spacecraft during the repair operation.

According to Stevens, the persistent leak is occurring in the PrK transfer tunnel connected to the Russian Zvezda module, one of the oldest parts of the station. She noted that the leak, apparently caused by small cracks in the tunnel, has been an ongoing issue for years, which the Russian space agency has managed through operational measures and periodic minor repairs.

These efforts were effective until a few months ago, when the leak reappeared, prompting the need for more extensive repair operations, which Stevens described as a “broader repair mission.”

The four Crew-12 astronauts are Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway from NASA, Sophie Adenot from the European Space Agency, and Russian cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev.

They arrived at the ISS in mid-February for a six-month stay. Together with astronaut Chris Williams, who arrived in late November aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft, they took shelter inside the Dragon “Freedom” spacecraft while repairs were conducted.

Williams flew with two Soyuz crew members, Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev. They are likely the ones who attempted to address the PrK leak. Stevens’ post did not specify exactly who carried out the repair or the precise nature of the operation.