Support The Moscow Times!

Crew in No Danger After ISS Issues Resolved – Russia

The crew of the ISS have had to manage an array of troubles in recent weeks. Roscosmos Press Office / TASS

The International Space Station is now working normally with no danger to its occupants after the crew managed to resolve a series of technical issues overnight, Russia's space agency said Tuesday.

The crew aboard the ISS had reported issues with the oxygen production system, a toilet and the oven for preparing food.

"The problems that occurred on board the ISS during the night of 19-20 October have been fully resolved by the crew," Russia's space agency Roscosmos said in a statement.

"All the systems of the station are working well and there is no danger to the crew or the ISS."

The crew had reported overnight that the toilet on the Russian segment of the ISS was out of order, that the water systems used to supply oxygen to the crew were empty and that there were problems with heating food.

The issues arose as half of the six person crew — NASA's Chris Cassidy and cosmonauts Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner — are preparing to leave for an arrival back on Earth early Thursday.

The issues were the latest technical problems to hit the ISS, whose crew have had to manage an array of troubles in recent weeks.

The orbital lab's first module was launched over two decades ago in 1998 and there have been growing concerns about its age.

Last week, the oxygen supply system in the Zvezda module of the Russian segment of the station failed. Roscosmos said at the weekend that this has now been repaired.

A small air leak that was detected in August has also now been patched up, after tea leaves from a torn tea bag helped alert the crew to the site of the leak.

Quoted by the state-run RIA Novosti news agency last week, veteran Russian cosmonaut Gennady Padalka said that the Russian equipment on the ISS was well past its use-by date.

"All modules of the Russian segment are exhausted," said Padalka, who holds the world record for most days spent in space. 

He added that the two-decade-old equipment should only be used for 15 years.

… we have a small favor to ask.

As you may have heard, The Moscow Times, an independent news source for over 30 years, has been unjustly branded as a "foreign agent" by the Russian government. This blatant attempt to silence our voice is a direct assault on the integrity of journalism and the values we hold dear.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. Our commitment to providing accurate and unbiased reporting on Russia remains unshaken. But we need your help to continue our critical mission.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just 2. It's quick to set up, and you can be confident that you're making a significant impact every month by supporting open, independent journalism. Thank you.

Continue

Read more