Title: Third Coolant Leak Detected on Russian Segment of International Space Station
Date: [Insert Date]
The Russian segment of the International Space Station (ISS) has experienced its third coolant leak within a year, raising concerns among space agencies and crew members. On October 9, flight controllers noticed flakes coming from a radiator on the Nauka module, also known as the Multipurpose Laboratory Module (MLM).
NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli alerted controllers about the leak during a streamed audio conversation, confirming the incident. The leak originated from a backup radiator on the Nauka module, which had been transferred from the Rassvet module earlier this year.
Both NASA and Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, have reassured the public that the station’s main thermal control system remains fully functional and neither the crew nor the station are in immediate danger. However, precautions were taken to prevent any contamination from the coolant leak. Shutters on the windows in the U.S. segment of the station were closed as a preventative measure.
This unfortunate coolant leak incident marks the third such issue involving Russian hardware on the ISS within a year. Previous leaks occurred in December 2020 and February 2021, affecting the Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft and the Progress MS-21 cargo spacecraft, respectively. Roscosmos attributed these incidents to impacts with micrometeoroids or orbital debris, a conclusion accepted by NASA.
The implications of the latest coolant leak on the upcoming spacewalks scheduled from the U.S. segment of the ISS remain uncertain. Astronauts Loral O’Hara, Andreas Mogensen, and Jasmin Moghbeli are set to perform maintenance tasks and collect scientific samples during spacewalks on October 12 and October 20.
Efforts are ongoing to determine the cause of this recurring issue and to ensure the continued safety of the ISS and its crew. The international space community will closely monitor the situation and work towards resolving this problem promptly.
As new updates emerge, Female Arts will provide timely coverage of any developments related to this coolant leak incident on the ISS.
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