In recent years the structural cracks in the ISS have worsened, but NASA and Roscosmos have not yet found a way to address the problem
NASA and the Russian space agency Roscosmos have not yet resolved a long-standing problem related to the International Space Station. Microscopic structural cracks are multiplying inside the PrK module on the Russian segment of the space station, between the Progress spacecraft’s airlock and the Zvezda module. After the leak rate doubled earlier this year, the Russians tried to keep the hatch leading to the PrK module closed and carried out other investigations. But none of these measures taken in the spring worked.
What are the risks for astronauts
NASA officials have downplayed the severity of the situation, which currently poses no risk to the space station. In the worst-case scenario of a structural failure, Russia could permanently close the hatch leading to the PrK module and rely on a separate docking port for Progress resupply missions.
NASA’s concerns
However, there appears to be growing concern at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. The space agency often uses a 5×5 “risk matrix” to rank the probability and consequences of risks to spaceflight activities, and Russian leaks are now rated a “5,” both in terms of probability than of consequences.
Aging infrastructure
The space station is getting old. The module Zvezda it was launched almost a quarter of a century ago, in July 2000, on a Russian Proton rocket. The cracks first appeared in 2019 and have continued to worsen ever since. “They have fixed several leaks, but new ones are always appearing,” the NASA spokesperson said. “Roscosmos has yet to identify the root cause of the cracks, which makes it difficult to analyze or predict future crack formation and growth.”
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