Life Or Death Situation: International Space Station Crew Faces Air Leak Disaster
## Life or Death Situation: International Space Station Crew Faces Air Leak Disaster
On August 29, 2018, a nearly catastrophic event occurred on the International Space Station (ISS). A hole was discovered in the Soyuz MS-09 spacecraft, which was docked to the ISS. The hole was small, but it was enough to cause a gradual loss of air pressure inside the ISS.
The crew of the ISS, which consisted of six astronauts and one cosmonaut, was immediately alerted to the situation. They quickly donned their spacesuits and began searching for the leak. They eventually found the hole in the Soyuz spacecraft, and they patched it with duct tape.
The patch was successful in stopping the air leak, but the crew was still in danger. The ISS was losing air pressure, and if the leak was not fixed permanently, the crew would eventually run out of oxygen.
NASA and Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, quickly began working on a plan to fix the leak permanently. They decided to send a new Soyuz spacecraft to the ISS, which would replace the damaged spacecraft.
The new Soyuz spacecraft was launched on October 11, 2018. It successfully docked with the ISS on October 13, 2018. The crew of the ISS then transferred to the new spacecraft, and they undocked the damaged spacecraft from the ISS.
The damaged spacecraft was allowed to burn up in the Earth's atmosphere. The crew of the ISS was now safe, and they were able to continue their mission.
### The Leak
The leak in the Soyuz spacecraft was caused by a small piece of space debris. The debris hit the spacecraft at a high speed, and it created a small hole in the hull.
The hole was only about 2 millimeters in diameter, but it was enough to cause a gradual loss of air pressure inside the ISS. The air pressure inside the ISS dropped from 14.7 pounds per square inch (psi) to 10 psi over a period of two days.
The crew of the ISS was able to stabilize the air pressure inside the ISS by closing off some of the hatches between the different modules of the station. However, they knew that they would eventually need to fix the leak permanently.
### The Patch
The crew of the ISS patched the leak in the Soyuz spacecraft with duct tape. The patch was successful in stopping the air leak, but it was not a permanent solution.
NASA and Roscosmos decided to send a new Soyuz spacecraft to the ISS, which would replace the damaged spacecraft. The new spacecraft was launched on October 11, 2018. It successfully docked with the ISS on October 13, 2018.
### The Rescue
The crew of the ISS was able to escape from the damaged spacecraft and transfer to the new spacecraft thanks to the quick thinking and heroic actions of the crew and ground control. The crew was able to safely return to Earth on October 25, 2018.
The air leak incident on the ISS was a close call. The crew was able to escape safely, but it could have easily been a much more serious situation. The incident highlights the importance of having a well-trained crew and a robust support system in place in case of an emergency.