ISS crew resumes operations after being compelled to seek shelter amid air leak repair

The crew of the International Space Station has resumed normal operations after being compelled to seek shelter in a docked spacecraft, following a deterioration in an air leak within the Russian segment. The order, issued on Friday afternoon, directed five of the seven crew members to enter the SpaceX shuttle Dragon Freedom, where they were instructed to don their spacesuits and prepare for a potential undocking and return to Earth. The remaining two personnel, Russian cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev, remained aboard to attempt a repair. They intended to use a saw to access the crack in the transfer tunnel, designated PrK, which leads to the Zvezda service module. However, Nasa took exception to this methodology, and mission control in Houston ordered the five crew to implement safe-haven procedures. The repairs were subsequently paused, and the crew was instructed to return to the station. The air leak, which has been a persistent issue for approximately six years, has manifested intermittently. According to retired Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield, the station typically loses around half a pound of pressure daily. When the leakage rate escalates to a pound or more, it crosses a threshold necessitating intervention. The decision to undertake a more comprehensive repair was precipitated by a fresh slow pressure drop detected by Roscosmos following the arrival of a Russian cargo ship last month. Nasa spokeswoman Bethany Stevens confirmed via X that the crew had concluded the safe-haven procedures and resumed planned operations. Russian news agency Tass, citing Roscosmos, asserted that neither the crew nor the station's systems had been imperiled. The ISS, which spans the length of a football field, has been continuously operated since 1998 by a consortium comprising the United States, Russia, Canada, Japan, and 11 European nations.