«Breaking News» Space station crew to inspect mysterious hole on Soyuz spacecraft

Two Russian cosmonauts will venture outside the International Space Station today to inspect a section of a Russian spacecraft where a small hole was spotted. 

The mysterious leak was discovered on 30th August in the Russian Soyuz craft which is attached to the ISS. 

It was initially believed to have been caused by a small meteorite and astronauts used tape to seal the leak after it caused a minor loss of pressure.

However, as the investigation went on it began to look like the hole was made from someone inside as opposed to outside, either back on Earth or in space, the Russian space agency claimed.

A leading theory from an unnamed source at Energia, which manufactured the Sozus, said the hole was made on the ground – potentially caused by 'deliberate interference'. 

Cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Sergei Prokopyev will now conduct a six-hour spacewalk to inspect the Soyuz exterior. 

They will uncover the thermal insulation covering the patched hole and take samples that will be studied by experts to solve the mystery once and for all.  

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Two Russian cosmonauts will venture outside the International Space Station (artist's impression) today to inspect a section of a Russian spacecraft where a small hole was spotted

The 'micro fracture' believed to be around 2mm wide in the $150 billion (£115 billion) space station was discovered after astronauts noticed a drop in pressure causing air to slowly rush out of the space station. 

The crew on board quickly located and sealed the gap with epoxy, fixing the problem temporarily.

Space officials said the station has remained safe to operate, until further investigations were carried out.

A commission will seek to identify the culprit by name, Roscosmos chief Dmitry Rogozin said, calling this a 'matter of honour' for Russia's Energia space manufacturing company. 

Initially, experts had suggested that the hole was caused by a tiny rock that hit the space station causing the damage to form.

'This leak seems to have resulted from a micrometeoroid impact,' tweeted ISS veteran Scott Kelly in one representative tweet. 

However, Russian reports citing anonymous sources suggest that the problem could have existed from the time the Soyuz capsule was launched to dock with the International Space Station. 

The crew quickly located and sealed the tiny hole that created a slight loss of pressure. Space officials said the station has remained safe to operate. Oleg Kononenko and Sergei Prokopyev will conduct a six-hour spacewalk to inspect the Soyuz's exterior today

WHAT COULD HAVE CAUSED A HOLE IN THE ISS?

Theory one - it was caused by a small meteorite

A tiny hole appeared in a Russian space capsule locked to the ISS on 30th August.

The 'micro fracture' believed to be around 2mm wide in the $150 billion (£115 billion) space station was discovered after astronauts noticed a drop in pressure.

European Space Agency astronaut Alexander Gerst reportedly put his finger over the hole before crew patched it with tape.

The hole was confirmed repaired by Friday (31 August) after cabin pressure returned to normal.

It was initially believed to have been caused by a small meteorite and astronauts used tape to seal the leak after it caused a minor loss of pressure. 

Theory two - it was made deliberately while in orbit

However, as the investigation went on it began to look like the hole was made from someone inside as opposed to outside, either back on Earth or in space, the Russian space agency claimed. 

Roscosmos chief Dmitry Rogozin said in September that the hole could have been drilled during manufacturing or while in orbit with a 'wavering hand'.

He didn't say if he suspected any of the US crew, but the statement has caused some bewilderment.

Sources suggest the question of how to fix the hole may have strained relations between Moscow and Houston.

Rogozin has since reneged on his statement blaming the media for twisting his words and said that he 'never pointed the finger at U.S. astronauts'.

Theory three - it was caused by a worker at Energia

A leading theory from an unnamed source at Energia said the hole was made on the ground – potentially caused by 'deliberate interference' – with suggestions the person responsible may have already been identified.

Another anonymous source said the hole was drilled by a worker who hid their mistake with a seal instead of reporting it.

An unnamed source at Energia told the Russian news agency RIA Novosti that '[t]he hole was made on the ground'.

According to the source, '[t]he person responsible for the act of negligence has been identified'.

Another anonymous source said the hole was not made intentionally but by a worker who hid their mistake with a seal instead of reporting it.

The patchwork repair lasted the trip up to the ISS but after three weeks in orbit gradually peeled away. 

The reports say that the damage may have been treated with a temporary fix that has recently come undone. 

Rogozin said in September that the hole could have been drilled during manufacturing or while in orbit with a 'wavering hand'.

He didn't say if he suspected any of the US crew, but the statement caused some bewilderment. 

Sources suggest the question of how to fix the hole may have strained relations between Moscow and Houston. 

Rogozin has since reneged on his statement blaming the media for twisting his words and said that he 'never pointed the finger at U.S. astronauts'.

Another anonymous source said the hole was drilled by a worker who hid their mistake with a seal instead of reporting it. 

The International Space Station Configuration as of the Dec 8th 2018. Six spaceships are attached at the space station including the U.S. resupply ships Northrop Grumman Cygnus and the SpaceX Dragon; and Russia's Progress 70 and 71 resupply ships and the Soyuz MS-09 and MS-10 crew ships all from Roscosmos

An unnamed source at Energia told the Russian news agency RIA Novosti that '[t]he hole was made on the ground'.

According to the source, '[t]he person responsible for the act of negligence has been identified'.

Another anonymous source said the hole was not made intentionally but by a worker who hid their mistake with a seal instead of reporting it.

If it was made on the ground, it seems the patched hole held for two months before the seal began to break.

One source told RIS Novosti that 'the glue dried and was squeezed out, opening the hole'.

Anne McClain, David Saint-Jacques and Oleg Kononenko (pictured) launched from the cosmodrome in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, before their spacecraft made four orbits over six hours as it chased down the space station for the docking

It was believed the ISS was one of the few areas of Russia-US cooperation that remained unaffected by the slump in relations between the countries and Washington's sanctions.

The Russian probe is ongoing and three of the station's crew will take the samples back to Earth on December 20th.

Mr Rogozin added that Roscosmos will discuss the probe findings with NASA and other space station partners. 

Russian cosmonaut Mr Kononenko, who arrived at the station earlier this month with NASA astronaut Anne McClain and David Saint-Jacques of the Canadian Space Agency, said in a pre-flight interview that the spacewalk would be a strenuous effort.

'It's going to be challenging both physically and technically,' he said. 

Anne McClain, David Saint-Jacques and Oleg Kononenko launched from the cosmodrome in Baikonur, Kazakhstan aboard a Soyuz rocket last week. 

Pictured is the Soyuz taking off.  The Russian probe is ongoing and three of the station's crew will take the samples back to Earth on December 20th

Their spacecraft made four orbits over six hours as it chased down the space station for the docking.  

Anne McClain, a 39-year-old former military pilot, said the crew looked forward to embarking outside the ISS.

'We feel very ready for it,' she said. 

Mr Kononenko is beginning his fourth mission to add to an impressive 533 days in space. 

Lift-off of the Soyuz rocket carrying the three crew happened at 6.31 ET (11.31 GMT) from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, and replaced an earlier mission which failed in October after the rocket malfunctioned

Anne McClain, Oleg Kononenko and David Saint-Jacques make their way from quarantine towards the Soyuz rocket which launched them into space

Russia-US cooperation in space has so far remained one of the few areas not affected by a crisis in ties between the former Cold War enemies.

But comments by the combative chief of the Soviet space agency have raised eyebrows.

He recently joked Russia would send a mission to the Moon to 'verify' whether or not NASA lunar landings ever took place. 

RUSSIA'S SOYUZ: DECADES OF BLASTING INTO SPACE

The Soyuz programme is an ongoing human spaceflight programme which was initiated by the Soviet Union in the early 1960s, originally part of a Moon landing project.

There have been 138 manned missions, of which 11 have failed and one astronaut has died.

Here are some of the notable failures, including one in 1967 when an astronaut was killed, one in 1975 when two astronauts hurtle to Earth.

1967: Soviet astronaut Vladimir Komarov was killed during landing due to a parachute failure

1975: Two Russian astronauts had to abort a mission to a Russian space station at an altitude of 90miles due to a rocket failure.

They hurtled towards Earth and safely landed in the Altai Mountains on the Russia-China border. 

One of the astronauts never flew to space again, never fully recovered from the accident and died aged 62 in 1990. The other made two more flights. 

1983: A rocket malfunctioned during the countdown to take off in southern Kazakhstan.

Automatic systems ejected the two Russian crew-members just seconds before the rocket exploded. The fire burned on the launch pad for 20 hours. 

2002: A Soyuz ship carrying a satellite crashed during launch in Russia when a booster suffered an engine malfunction. The ship landed near the launch pad, killing one engineer on the ground.

2011: A Soyuz-U mission carrying cargo failed to launch to the International Space Station when the upper stage experienced a problem and broke up over Siberia.

2016: Another cargo ship was lost shortly after launch, likely due to a problem with the third stage of the Soyuz-U. 

August 2018: A hole in a Soyuz capsule docked to the International Space Station caused a brief loss of air pressure and had to be patched. 

The Russians claimed the hole was drilled deliberately in an act of sabotage either on Earth or in orbit. Another theory is that the hole was a production defect.

Link hienalouca.com

https://hienalouca.com/2018/12/11/space-station-crew-to-inspect-mysterious-hole-on-soyuz-spacecraft/
Main photo article Two Russian cosmonauts will venture outside the International Space Station today to inspect a section of a Russian spacecraft where a small hole was spotted. 
The mysterious leak was discovered on 30th August in the Russian Soyuz craft which is attached to the ISS. 
It was initially believed to ...

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