NASA uncovers 50 ‘areas of concern’ including leaks and cracks on the 25-year-old space station.
Posted by Leslie Eastman
Recent reports indicate that the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and its Russian counterpart Roscosmos are facing serious safety concerns on the International Space Station (ISS), potentially leading to preparations for an emergency evacuation.
NASA’s astronauts aboard the International Space Station have been told to prepare for an urgent evacuation amid growing safety concerns.
The US space agency and its Russian counterpart, Roscomos, are tracking 50 ‘areas of concern’ related to a growing leak aboard the station.
NASA is now calling the cracks in a Russian service module a ‘top safety risk’ – escalating the threat rating to five out of five.
Astronauts have been warned to stay in the American section when the module is open so they can be close to their spacecraft in case of an emergency evacuation.
The most pressing issue is an ongoing air leak in the Zvezda Service Module in the Russian portion of the station, which has been tracked for the past five years.
The leaks’ exact cause is not known, nor is it clear exactly where the air is leaving the space station. Both space agencies have narrowed their focus to internal and external welds that may have deteriorated, according to the inspector general.
The U.S. space agency has been working closely with Roscosmos to identify the source of the leaks and ensure crew safety, Free said. Since the last round of patches over the summer, “the leakage rate has gone down,” he said.
“We’ve asked them to minimize how long that hatch is open, and they are minimizing it,” Free said. “We’ve come to a compromise that they close it in the evening.”
NASA has determined the station remains safe enough for the 11 people aboard. Still, the agency decided its astronauts need more options in the event that a rapid departure from the space station becomes necessary.
The developments currently indicate the space agencies are preparing for a worst-case scenario, hoping the station lasts until its slated 2030 decommissioning. The US and Russia are having troubles reaching an agreement as to the conditions in which evacuation of the station would be deemed necessary.
NASA and Roscomos are collaborating to monitor the leak and try to identify the source of the issue.
However, the two agencies are yet to agree on when the leak rate would be considered ‘untenable’.
In the same OIG report, NASA also raised the concern that the space station could be seriously damaged by tiny pieces of material in orbit – escalating the risk rating to the highest level.
The agency wrote: ‘NASA considers the threat of micrometeoroids and orbital debris (MMOD) a top risk to crew safety, the ISS structure, visiting vehicles, and sustained ISS operations.’
Over the past two decades, the ISS has been a hub for groundbreaking scientific research. The microgravity environment has enabled significant advancements in studying diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, cancer, asthma, and heart disease. The unique conditions allow researchers to observe cellular and molecular changes impossible on Earth.
Without the interference of Earth’s gravity, Alzheimer’s researchers have studied protein clusters that can cause neurodegenerative diseases. Cancer researchers studied the growth of endothelial cells on the space station.
Endothelial cells help supply blood in the body, and tumors need that blood to form. Space station-grown cells grow better than those on Earth and can help test new cancer treatments.
Why do this in space? Studying cells, organoids, and protein clusters without the influence of gravity – or even the forces of container walls – can help researchers get a clearer understanding of their properties, behaviors, and responses to treatments.
The ISS website lists 19 other important research contributions and discoveries made aboard the station. Hopefully, the precautions will not be needed, and all the astronauts and researchers can return home safely and complete their important work.
Discover more from Watts Up With That?
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
re: “The microgravity environment has enabled significant advancements in studying diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, cancer, asthma, and heart disease.”
SIlly question on my part, but, have we been flying patients to study to the space station? Or have the Soviets -er- Russians been doing that?
Start by following the linked road. changes impossible on Earth.
I heard Biden talk about growing up on the space station in one of his speeches.
Heh. At least spent his summers there – swimming in the pool!
Yep, it was a Puerto Rican Jewish summer madrassah, I believe?
Coming next: Kamala Harris discussing how she ducked MMOD while aboard the ISS.
Then: Harris admin flies undocumented migrants to ISS.
Kamala was raised in a middle class space station.
Duct tape. Lot’s of duct tape. Never fails!
For things that move but shouldn’t → Duct tape.
For things that should move but don’t → 3-in-1 Oil.
For life in general, including all things related to climate change™: duct tape
For things that haven’t moved for 40 years –> Liquid Wrench
Blowtorch.
Heh.
We’re beyond that even. Have you seen the new hand-portable (though corded) induction heaters used to free stuck bolts and stuck nuts?
Yeah, from “China”.
Modern day – WD40
PB B’LASTER, rips thru everything!
Kills wasps too.
WD 40 is better than 3-in-1 oil.
Since WD 40 isn’t a lubricant like 3-in-1 oil is, isn’t that a bit like saying carrots are better than horseshoes????
Na! Get with the times! Flex Seal!
The end all be all of on the spot repairs – chewing gum. Just don’t ask me for it, never could chew the stuff.
This is a job for Flex Seal, a product very creatively sold on television in the United States.
Another headache for the Elon*?
“”NASA: SpaceX will officially decommission the International Space Station in 2031. “”
*?
“”Project Mars: A Technical Tale is a science fiction novel by German-American rocket physicist, Wernher von Braun (1912–1977). It was written by von Braun in German in 1949 and entitled Marsprojekt.
…
After establishing verbal communication, the humans learn about the Martians’ social structure and their form of government, which is run by ten men under the leadership of “the Elon”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Mars:_A_Technical_Tale
The ISS seems to be at the end of its useful life. Cue Starship?
One space station module is having problems.
They could fix the leakage, if they could find it.
They could detach the module from the space station and burn it up in the atmosphere.
They could keep the door on the problem module closed all the time.
Of course, it’s a problem when the module is owned by the Russians.
NASA administrator Dan Goldin and Bill Clinton thought it was such a good idea to make the Russians partners in our space station. They thought it was a good idea to use our space program for political purposes.
Science and logic become simple and understandable without politics.
One question of of dozens, or more, that could be asked.
What politics should be removed in order to make quantum mechanics “simple and understandable”?
‘They thought it was a good idea to use our space program for political purposes.’
Was there ever a time when politics wasn’t driving every aspect of the manned space program? As for the gratuitous Russian technology bashing, please keep in mind that we were pretty reliant upon their lift capacity pursuant to the loss of two space shuttles and 14 astronauts due to the ineptitude of NASA’s bureaucracy.
If I recall correctly, without the russians you would be flying a multi-billion dollar void space. One of the key features of safety for the station has been the very different technological approach that russians bring to it, ensuring no single failure is capable of bringing down the entire station.
But yeah, don’t bring politics into the discussion….
“The microgravity environment has enabled significant advancements in studying diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, cancer, asthma, and heart disease.”
Really? I doubt it.
I too am sceptical on that. They could study how bone and muscle etc deteriorate in microgravity. They are big problems for long voyages… to quote Douglas Adams: space is big.
It takes decades to advance the science behind life science.
Not the least because of politics.
Decades.
Without all the data and conclusions from the studies it isn’t possible to know the answer to that. All sorts of things might have been learned. Just that they have not lead to cures or more effective treatments is not evidence that something significant has not happened.
depends on how you define “significant”
Elon Musk and SpaceX to the rescue?
Musk will be taking over the commercialization of space.
Where’s Don Petit these days? Surely these problems require some of his expertise to solve them.
story tip
https://redstate.com/bonchie/2024/11/02/turmoil-kamala-harris-tells-joe-biden-to-take-a-hike-cancels-his-campaign-events-n2181417
They believe they are entitled.
Both sides believe they are entitled.!!
You really can”t support that position, even if you actually tried, can you? When actual lawfare is used by one party against another, I’m not seeing the equivalency of the two parties … and that’s putting aside the actual fact one candidate received __no__, repeat __no__ primary votes whatsoever. Democratic? Really? What does that word mean? More like Autocratic maybe?
As the space station is a clear instance of colonialist/settler mentality and therefore white supremacy they will let it fail and leave all aboard to die in the name of climate justice.
NASA be woke after all
Its only fair.
Where’s your sense of social justice? < /sarc >
A whole space station running on renewables – how much more proof that this is the future do you need? 😀
Are you really this dumb? Or is this trolling just an act?
Congratulations. You have shown that you have an IQ inferior to that of a glass of water
“inferior to that of K’s.”
You forgot to account for the microbes that might be in the water.!
There are no clouds in space and “night” only lasts for ~45 minutes.
There are some nuclear powered things out there that are doing just fine.
Luser is already locked in his padded basement (supported by fossil fuel energy)…
… and thinks everyone else should be restricted to a padded cell, like it is.
Whole space station built and positioned using FOSSIL FUELS.
NASA loves to hype and exaggerate. They announced the discovery of water on Mars at least a hundred times. I don’t know how many times they breathlessly exaggerated the possibility of finding bacterial life on other planets. Keep that money coming. Sometimes I think they spend more on public relations than they do on actual science.
Don’t get me wrong. I think space exploration is important and I’m not against it.
But I have never read a single plausible reason for spending billions of research dollars and risking lives on the International Space Station. The experiments seem about on the level of a junior high school science- fair. Where is the solid real science that couldn’t have been done more cheaply and more safely on Earth or been done remotely on unmanned satellites? Why do we even have an ISS? It is a serious question, and we deserve better than “man must explore” type cliche answers.
NASA’s original plans for the space station included de-orbiting it as soon as it was built because (a) they had no useful scientific or industrial uses for it, (b) they abhorred the idea of tourism or making movies there, (c) it was too expensive to operate and shift crew back and forth.
The thing might have some paltry uses, but nothing justifying the immense expense.
Any source for that?
No, this was ages ago while it was still being built, and I don’t have any idea how to find the report. I remember most clearly how Congress didn’t stink them up over it, like it was a jobs program, donchaknow?
This claims there are 11 astronauts onboard. It used to be three was the minimum to keep it going and full was 7, I think, but they couldn’t afford the extras and had no work for them. They used to brag in press releases and videos about showing flames in 0g because they had nothing else to tout.
During his Jan. 25, 1984, State of the Union address to Congress, President Ronald W. Reagan directed NASA to develop a “permanently manned space station and to do it within a decade.” His comments reflected his view of American pre-eminence in space but explicitly stated that the United States would invite other nations to join in the project and spelled out the benefits to be derived from such an orbiting platform:
https://www.nasa.gov/history/space-station-20th-historical-origins-of-iss/
As for why we have an ISS … NASA needed some justification for that committee abomination called the Space Shuttle, which cost more per launch than the expendables it was supposed to replace. However successful Mercury/Gemini/Apollo was, it was an expensive political stunt and a dead end, and when Nixon(?) canned the last few missions because Vietnam and the War on Poverty were sucking up too much budget, NASA had to scramble to keep themselves in the public eye.
“Where is the solid real science that couldn’t have been done more cheaply and more safely on Earth or been done remotely on unmanned satellites?”
Without humans living in space for long periods of time, we wouldn’t have found out that gravity is very important to human health in space.
Humans need gravity. Fortunately, Earth-equivalent gravity can be simulated in space using certifugal force.
NASA hasn’t gotten far enough into space exploration to experiment with artificial gravity, but all the medical studies done on astronauts say this is going to be necessary if humans are to live in space.
And living in space is the future of the human race, if our ability to access space lasts long enough.
If humans move into the Solar System then the human race can outlast the Red Giant phase of our sun. The Earth will no longer be habitable by that time.
NASA wasted a lot of money and had no clear vision to speak of, but they took the baby steps that will enable people like Elon Musk to make a lot of progress in space for the future of the human race.
They stalled private industry taking those baby steps. I don’t know if we would have had orbital hotels by now, but NASA did everything it could to prevent finding out. The engineers who built all that equipment were smart people. The administers were nothing but useless bureaucrats.
“Humans need gravity. Fortunately, Earth-equivalent gravity can be simulated in space using certifugal force.”
I don’t know about “certifugal” (is that a Harrisism?) force, maybe centrifugal or centripetal? But has this been demonstrated in any way? I’m skeptical that it would actually work.
Without putting people in the environment it would not be possible to reveal many possible problems, or work out solutions for same, of humans going further into the universe.
Why has a 5-years old leak suddenly become an urgent threat:
I think NASA is trying to justify destroying a $100 billion+ space station.
NASA acts like repairs are not possible to make in space. Get a few leaks, then scrap the whole thing. Right?
And then ask for another $100 billion from the taxpayers to build another space station.
Musk ought to buy the space station from NASA. It has lots of useful parts that could contribute to Musk’s development of space, and it’s going cheap! It cost billions to put those modules in orbit.
I don’t know what happened to Bigelow and his inflatable orbitals. Probably ran out of patience and money. But NASA hated the idea, probably because it didn’t need to Space Shuttle to cart the pieces into orbit.
https://spacenews.com/sierra-space-conducts-second-full-scale-burst-test-of-inflatable-module/, 7/25/2024
Instead of keeping an entire space station consisting of individual nations’ political patronage and ideological requirements parts and pieces why not launch much smaller individual scientific-focused habitats to conduct needed research? Oh …. yeah …. not much Leftist ideological, Third World corruption nor crony capitalist money in that.
Doesn’t AI have a solution? Why hasn’t anybody asked AI?
Because AI doesn’t exist.
A quote extract from the above article:
“The leaks’ exact cause is not known, nor is it clear exactly where the air is leaving the space station. Both space agencies have narrowed their focus to internal and external welds that may have deteriorated, according to the inspector general.”
Well, the worst-case is that ever-increasing leakage rates are an indication of pressure vessel wall crack propagation. I wonder how ISS would fare in the associated worst-case outcome of explosive decompression (IOW, bursting) of the Russian Zvezda Service Module? Could shrapnel from that event propagate to depressurization of the whole ISS, and perhaps damage to any docked Soyuz or SpaceX crew return module?
There once was a time when NASA fronted “crew safety first and foremost” . . . now, apparently not so much.
I think the worst case event is a crack that propagates enough to permit an opening sufficient to vent the entire atmosphere to space in less than a few seconds.
I wouldn’t worry about shrapnel hitting the balance of the ISS, the vessel has no air in it.
Maybe you wouldn’t, but as an aerospace engineer I certainly do: the ISS contains high pressure O2 storage bottles and it also has low pressure (i.e., thinner wall) storage tanks for the toxic propellants N2O4 and UDMH, with an associated distribution of numerous propellant lines going to ISS thrusters used for stabilization and altitude maintenance.
In fact,
“The ISS Propulsion System, managed by the Russian Segment, makes use of Unsymmetrical Dimethylhydrazine (UDMH) as fuel and Nitrogen Tetroxide (NTO) as oxidizer. With over six tons of propellant storage capacity, FGB serves as a large reservoir of ISS propellants. The Service Module (SM) provides onboard capacity for an additional 860 kilograms of ISS propellants. In addition, visiting vehicles such as the Russian Progress and European Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) replenish the FGB and SM propellants on a regular basis. With a fully operational propulsion system, equipped with central computers and a network of propellant lines, components and thrusters, the SM
manages the integrated ISS propulsive control.”
— source: https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/20150012224/downloads/20150012224.pdf
This report seems to be concerned with what NASA and ROSCOSMOS are discussing. I would be more interested in what the astronauts and cosmonauts are experiencing and their thoughts about it. Any leak would in a space station sounds serious to me.
Manned space exploration just isn’t necessary. Change my mind.
The ISS doubles as the “International Spy Station”. This is the main reason it was built. We got to keep the billions of cash flowing to the military-industrial complex.
You obviously have no idea whatsoever of how large the apertures of radio SIGINT and optical imaging telescopes are on true “spysats” as compared to the obviously small sized antennas and optical telescopes carried aboard the ISS.
Then too, do you really think that private, non-military astronauts without security clearances that fund their own trips to ISS would be allowed aboard if any part of its mission was conducting secret spying?
Finally, NASA is planning for the ISS to be deorbited after 2030, ideally at the beginning of 2031. Now, you were saying something about “got to keep the billions of cash flowing to the military-industrial complex”? . . . do you really think the ISS is how that’s done???
Maybe this will do such:
“We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too.”
—President JF Kennedy speech on the US space effort, Rice University, 12 September 1962
Want some recent hard evidence of the need for a human presence in space exploration? Compare the 100% success rate of human-piloted lunar landers on the Apollo program, which ended more than 50 years ago—including the manual control Neil Armstrong exercised on Apollo 11 to avoid landing in a crater—to the recent success rate of robotic lunar missions:
since 2020, four out of five (80%) government missions to land on the Moon have been successful, and only one out of three (33%) private corporate attempts to land on the Moon have been successful.
Beyond this, IMHO, mankind is doomed as a viable species if it relegates to robots its desire to actively explore the universe and discover new things using the human mind together with its invented technology.
nor is it clear exactly where the air is leaving the space station. Both space agencies have narrowed their focus to internal and external welds that may have deteriorated, __ Because everyone knows welds deteriorate in space. Wow, that’s thick, oxidation in space.
Really? . . . well, in a sense, there is something that is indeed really thick about that statement.
“The International Space Station (ISS) operating in the low Earth orbital (LEO) environment
between the altitudes of 333 to 463 Km, will be exposed to the damaging environmental effects
of atomic oxygen (AO), solar ultraviolet radiation (UV), thermal cycling, and
micrometeroid/debris impacts . . . Atomic oxygen can be detrimental because as a spacecraft
travels at high velocities relative to the low Earth orbit environment its surfaces are impacted
by atomic oxygen at sufficient energies (=4.5 eV) to readily break chemical bonds. The
resulting oxidation can compromise the integrity of the spacecraft’s surfaces by altering their
morphology, thermal properties, optical properties, and strength.”
— source: https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/20010038448/downloads/20010038448.pdf
Newsweek has a “fact check” article on this: https://www.newsweek.com/fact-check-do-nasa-astronauts-need-evacuate-leaking-iss-1978850
Take the reporting for what it’s worth – the article contains this gem:
Newsweek: once a widely-read, respected periodical . . . now headed for the dustbin of history due to its uninformed authors writing illogical sentences with an attendant lack of competent reviewing editors.
IOW, it is idiotic to associate (“put into perspective”) the mass/weight of air flowed per day to the ~constant pressure that Earth’s atmospheric column exerts at sea level.
Indeed, what a gem . . . GOOD GRIEF!
LOL, wow!