Uzay İstasyonunda Ani Kokuyla Panik!

Progress 90 kargo uzay aracı, Cumartesi günü saat 9:31’de Rus Poisk modülüne yanaştı ve Roscosmos kozmonotları kapağı açtıktan hemen sonra bir koku tespit ettiler.

According to a report in the Daily Mail, Russian crew quickly activated an extra air purification system in their own segment of the ISS for about 30 minutes. NASA astronaut Don Pettit also reported a “spray paint-like” smell in the Node 3 module of the US segment, but it was not immediately clear whether this was from Progress or not.

In a statement, NASA said, “After observing the space station’s air purifiers and pollutant sensors, flight controllers monitored the station’s atmosphere, determining on Sunday that the air quality inside the space station was at normal levels but still under investigation.” The agency continued to announce that as of Sunday afternoon, there were no concerns for the crew, but the hatch between the Russian modular and cargo ship remained closed. Progress 90 delivered three tons of food, fuel, and supplies to the members of Expedition 72 on the ISS, reaching the Russian Poisk module at 9:31 a.m.

Russian Reports Contradict NASA’s Claims

NASA reported that the US side of the laboratory in orbit also activated its own air purification system, while stating that the Russian Poisk module’s hatch remained closed. While Russian media outlets reported a toxic odor, NASA told a different story. The agency shared, “After the Progress spacecraft’s hatch was opened, Roscosmos cosmonauts detected an unexpected smell and observed small droplets, prompting the crew to close the Poisk hatch to the rest of the Russian segment.” Progress 90 is planned to remain on the station for about six months before returning to Earth.

Threat Level Raised to the Highest

The ‘toxic smell’ came months after a report revealing 50 ‘areas of concern’ tracking an increased leak on the station by both the space agency and its Russian counterpart Roscosmos. NASA classified cracks in a Russian service module as the ‘highest safety risk’ and raised the threat level to five out of five.

Officials have been aware of the issue since 2019, but the exact source of the leak is still unknown. All potential cracks were sealed with a combination of ‘caulk and patches,’ yet NASA warned that the leak reached the fastest rate ever in April of this year.

NASA Strikes Special Deal with Roscosmos over Opening and Closing the Hatch…

The concerns about station safety have been so high that NASA negotiated with Roscosmos to only open the hatch when necessary and keep it closed in the evenings. While the space agency warned about the risk of ISS being covered with micrometeoroids and space debris, this is not the only reason for concern.

The air leak is located in the Russian Zvezda Service Module Transfer Tunnel, established in 2000 and used to house life support equipment and access a Russian cargo pier. In 2019, a small amount of air started leaking from an unidentified crack in the module.

Despite efforts to seal the module, the amount of escaping air from the station has increased over the past five years. In February of this year, NASA had to hold a press conference due to the temporary increase in the escaping air amount from 0.2 lbs (0.09 kg) to 2.4 lbs (1.08 kg) per day. A report released by the NASA Office of Inspector General (OIG) in September confirmed that the leak reached record levels in April, losing 3.7 lbs (1.68 kg) of air every day. This situation led the space agency to raise the threat level to the highest and evaluate evacuation plans.