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A small air leak on the International Space Station has finally been traced to the Russian side, following a search for astronauts in the middle of the night.
NASA said Tuesday that the two Russians and an American on board woke up Monday night to hastily seal the hatches between the compartments and search for the ongoing leak, which appeared to be getting worse. It was the third time in just over a month that the crew had to isolate themselves from the Russian side, in an attempt to find the growing leak.
It turns out that instead of the leak getting bigger this time, a temporary change in temperature caused the wrong reading of the air pressure in the cabin, according to NASA. The leak was first detected a year ago.
NASA officials emphasize that the leak is still small and poses no danger. Astronauts will now use leak detectors to try to locate the leak in Russia’s main and working compartment, called Zvezda, in Russian for Star.
The space station’s deputy director of programs, Kenny Todd, said the good news is that “instead of a pile of haystacks, we got maybe one.” But he added: “We are still looking for a needle.”
NASA will send additional supply air tanks in its next delivery to the space station, scheduled for a departure Thursday from Virginia. As long as the leak doesn’t get worse, Todd said, the space station should be fine until next spring.
In two weeks, two Russians and one American are scheduled to arrive at the space station, followed by the crew of three Americans and one Japanese in SpaceX’s second astronaut launch, now scheduled for October 31.
During a press conference Tuesday from Houston, NASA astronaut Mike Hopkins, the commander, announced that the SpaceX capsule would be called Resilience, to reflect how the world was dealing with this year’s challenges.
“We hope it makes them smile and we hope it brings something positive in their lives. Frankly, we hope it’s an inspiration, ”Hopkins said of the name and mission.
