NASA has ordered astronauts to prepare for evacuation from the International Space Station (ISS) over ‘worsening air leaks’.
The space agency told astronauts to shelter in their spacecraft and prepare for potential evacuation on Friday as a Russian crew attempts to fix a worsening leak.
The four astronauts of NASA’s Crew-12 mission on the station – two U.S. astronauts, a French astronaut and Russian cosmonaut – got orders from NASA mission control at 9:04 a.m. ET Monday to enter their Crew Dragon spacecraft docked to the station.
The crew were told to don their spacesuits in case the air leak warrants an emergency evacuation, a NASA official said.
This comes after NASA confirmed that the orbital lab was leaking air from a Russian module that has suffered similar problems since 2019.
The leak, detected on May 1, is allowing roughly one pound of air to escape into space each day – about the weight of a loaf of bread.
NASA previously said the affected module was being maintained at a lower pressure and could be periodically repressurized as needed.
However, the issue has become so serious that NASA has reportedly ranked it among the highest-risk challenges facing the station, with the possibility of a ‘catastrophic failure’ discussed during internal meetings.
NASA has ordered astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) to take shelter over ‘worsening air leaks’
