An cosmonaut had to plug yesterday ’s leakage on the International Space Station ( ISS ) with his fingerbreadth , as astronauts work on a root to seal the pickle .
As wereported yesterday , a micrometeoroid is guess to have reach the orbital module on the Soyuz MS-09 space vehicle , make a hole about 2 millimetre full . This stimulate the station to start depressurise at a slow rate – one that would have transfer it of strain in 18 days .
While they were coming up with a solution to fix the leakage , European Space Agency ( ESA ) astronaut Alexander Gerst reportedly put hisfinger over the holeto temporarily solve the emergence . He effectively touched space without a quad causa , as was noted by @TechSpatiales onTwitter .
The passing water was first detected on Wednesday night by land comptroller while the astronauts were sleeping . It was not hold serious enough to wake them up , but they were put to act to make it in the break of day .
After Gerst ’s improvised solution , the astronaut wrap up the hole with tape . They later used “ epoxy glue on a gauze wipe to punch the hole , ” according toNASA . More melodic line was also pump into the post , from the Progress 70 spacecraft , to maintain its force per unit area .
“ flight of stairs controllers in Houston are continuing to supervise post ’s cabin force per unit area in the wake of the fixture , ” added NASA . “ Meanwhile , Roscosmos has convene a perpetration to conduct further analytic thinking of the potential causal agency of the leak . ”
According to the Russian tidings agencyTASS , the sealant used to fix the leak has prove to be air-tight , so it looks like the problem has been solved . The atmospheric pressure on the ISS remains static , with no further leaks having been detected .
While a micrometeorite is a possible culprit for this making water , it could also have been the result of a defective seal or valve . " Anytime you ’re connecting something , it ’s just like a jar where you have a hat on it and it ’s come a little rubber seal , ” University of Buffalo aerospace engineer John Crassidis toldSpace.com . " That rubber seal might break down and start up leak out . "
If it was the solvent of a micrometeor , this willnot be the first timethe station has been hit – and nor will it be the last . The ISS is designed to come through effect like this , and while it is rarefied for a hole to be created , this incident wo n’t have any encroachment on the station ’s mental process going forwards .
