The ISS has been leaking air for 5 years, and engineers still don’t know why
The ISS has been leaking air for 5 years, and engineers still don’t know why
“This is a an engineering problem, and good engineers should be able to agree on it.”…
The transfer tunnel, known by the Russian acronym PrK, connects the Zvezda module with a docking port where Soyuz crew and Progress resupply spacecraft attach to the station.
Air has been leaking from the transfer tunnel since September 2019. On several occasions, Russian cosmonauts have repaired the cracks and temporarily reduced the leak rate. In February, the leak rate jumped up again to 2.4 pounds per day, then increased to 3.7 pounds per day in April.
"The Russian position is that the most probable cause of the PrK cracks is high cyclic fatigue caused by micro-vibrations," Cabana said on November 13. "NASA believes the PrK cracks are likely multi-causal, including pressure and mechanical stress, residual stress, material properties, and environmental exposures."
Crew members aboard the space station are keeping the hatch leading to the PrK closed when they don't need to access the Progress cargo freighter docked at the other end of the transfer tunnel. Russian cosmonauts must open the hatch to unpack supplies from the Progress or load trash into the ship for disposal.
As a precaution, Barratt said space station crews are also closing the hatch separating the US and Russian sections of the space station when cosmonauts are working in the PrK.
Fill the ISS with water and you'll be able to see the leak.
This is probably the dumbest thing I've heard. You clearly have no idea what you're taking about. To find the leak they need to spray the outside with soapy water. If that doesn't work the next step is to put the ISS in a bathtub and fill the bathtub with water
Just cover the exterior with soapy water
"ISS! More like H-ISS! amirite?!"
The lack of an H is part of the French contribution to the station.
It's not a leak, it's a leaqu'est
They just need to get their hands on HRAs to keep the hiss at bay. Where's Dr. Darling??
Out there looking like dynanite
Because there’s a hole in it, stupid.
That’ll be five million dollar bucks for my consultation.
But the hole is on the Russian side and the Russian side is absolutely perfect. No holes here, Comrade, breathing is a luxury some people do not get. Do not become one of those non-breathers Comrade.
Someone needs to close the damn window, we aren't paying to heat the entire universe
The ISS has been leaking air for 5 years, and engineers still don’t know why
*raises hand*
Uh, is it the cold unforgiving vacuum of space that forbids our existence there?
Sounds like earth now that you describe it.
Have they tried lighting a match and following the smoke?
Hot box the ISS! We need to train stoners to be astronauts so the can come save the day!
Cheesy Aerosmith music intensifies
It's the I-SSsssssssssssssssssss
Question: When Air leaks from the ISS, does it just orbit with it indefinitely as an "air bubble" or maybe a dispersed "air cloud" around it or will it eventually settle down into the atmosphere?
In a vacuum, gas will expand indefinitely, so they probably become stray atoms of gas, that will orbit for a little, ocassionallt hitting each other and probably eventually falling back in the atmosphere.
It'd be freakier if it was taking on air.
Probably installed an airopen instead of an airlock.
Doesn't that throw off the trajectory over time?
Negligibly, they already lose significant enough altitude from the rare atmosphere up there to need to do boosts, but yes if it is a net force
That's going to need a lot of flex tape.
What if the missing air was used by the extra people stranded by the starliner?