Astronauts on ISS ordered to shelter amid repairs to new leaks, NASA says
Astronauts on ISS ordered to shelter amid repairs to new leaks, NASA says
Eric Lagatta, USA TODAYFri, June 5, 2026 at 2:34 PM UTC
0
Astronauts on ISS ordered to shelter amid repairs to new leaks, NASA says
NASA astronauts aboard the International Space Station have been ordered to take shelter on a spacecraft docked at the outpost as repairs are made to air leaks on the Russian segment.
The decision, which a spokeswoman for the U.S. space agency said was made "out of an abundance of caution," comes as the aging ISS has suffered from a series of cracks in recent years. The Russian section, known as the Zvezda service module, has long been the area hardest hit with the leaks.
While piecemeal efforts have been made to patch the holes up, "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," Bethany Stevens, a NASA spokeswoman, said in a post on social media site X.
Here's what we know so far.
NASA astronauts shelter at ISS as leaks are repaired
Stevens said in a post Friday, June 5, that Russian cosmonauts aboard the space station were making "extensive" repairs to the transfer tunnel of the Zvezda service module.
For that reason, NASA directed all three Americans and one French astronaut aboard the orbital laboratory to "assume an elevated safety posture" by taking shelter in the SpaceX Dragon crew capsule docked to the ISS.
No other information was immediately available.
Advertisement
What astronauts are on the International Space Station?
Seven astronauts who are part of Expedition 74 are living and working aboard the International Space Station.
That includes four people who are part of the Crew-12 mission that docked in mid-February: NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, as well as the European Space Agency's Sophie Adenot and Russian cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev. The Crew-12 contingent are due to depart in September following the arrival of Crew-13.
NASA astronaut Chris Williams and Russians Sergey Mikaev and Sergey Kud-Sverchkov, who arrived at the end of November on a Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft, will also be at the orbital laboratory until their replacements arrive in July.
What is the International Space Station?
The International Space Station has been stationed in low-Earth orbit for more than 25 years, typically about 260 miles high, where it has been home to astronauts from all over the world. Throughout its lifespan, the station has served as a test bed for scientific research in microgravity and has in years past opened itself up to private commercial missions.
The orbital laboratory is operated through a global partnership of space agencies, including NASA, Roscosmos, the European Space Agency, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and the Canadian Space Agency.
More than 290 spacefarers from 26 countries have visited the International Space Station, including 170 from the United States alone, according to NASA.
Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@usatodayco.com
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NASA reports new ISS air leaks, orders astronauts to shelter
Source: “AOL Breaking”
