Air leak in the Russian segment of the ISS continues

At the International Space Station, an air leak continues. It is reported by RIA Novosti with reference to NASA broadcast. The tightness is disturbed in the intermediate chamber of the Russian module "Star".

On Sunday night, Cosmonaut Sergei Ryzhikov closed the hatch into the camera. After 18 hours, it turned out that the pressure in the compartment fell - from 730 to 620 millimeters of the mercury.

On December 19, the ISS crew reported that oxygen reserves at the space station are coming to an end due to the impossibility of finding a place of air leakage from it. The search for a possible crack in the case has been carried out since August, in October it was reported that it was discovered. A crack in size of about 4.5 centimeters was isolated, but this did not help to completely eliminate the air leak.

An insignificant air leak with the ISS was noticed back in September 2019, but then the problem turned out to be unusual for NASA and Roscosmos. In August-September 2020, the leak rate increased five times. The Roscosmos claims that the crack does not threaten the ISS and the crew, and the ground experts decide how to patch it for a long time.

According to the deputy head of the flight of the Russian segment of the station Yuri Gidzenko, in February the progress MS-16 will deliver a repair kit to the ISS for the final sealing of the intermediate chamber.