Oxygen supply to ISS just failed, but everyone is so far away


The oxygen supply system has failed in the module of the Russian segment of the International Space Station (ISS) but there is no danger to the crew, the Russian space agency Roscosmos said on Thursday.

The oxygen supply system on the Zvezda module at the Orbital Lab failed late Wednesday night but another system on the American segment is functioning normally, a Roscosmos spokesman told AFP.

“There is no threat to the security of the crew and the ISS,” the spokesman said. The repair work will be carried out on Thursday to rectify the issue.

The issue comes after three new crews – two Russian cosmonauts and an American astronaut – reached the ISS on Wednesday, bringing the current crew on board to six.

The problem is the latest incident on the ISS – the first module of which was launched two decades ago in 1998 – after an air leak was found on board by the crew in August Gust.

Roscosmos stressed at the time that the leak was not significant and posed no risk. But part of the problem was definitely finding out where it came from.

The crew believes they have now found the source of the poison. A spokesman for Roscosmos said they would receive specific instructions from mission control to carry out future operations on the problem.

Citing the RIA Novosti news agency, Russian veteran Gennady Padalka said the Russian equipment aboard the ISS was good from the date of its use.

“All the modules in the Russian segment have been sold out,” said Padalka, who set a world record for most of his days in space.

He added that the equipment should only be used for 15 years when it is now two decades old.

ન્સી Agency France-Press

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