US Congress told about cracks in the Russian segment of the ISS
New cracks in the modules of the Russian segment of the ISS are of concern not only to Roscosmos, but also to NASA. Former American astronaut William Shepard told the US Congress that new holes could be discovered at the station.
Cracks continue to be found on the Zarya module of the ISS Russian Segment, and this is causing increasing concern, including in the United States. On Tuesday September 21, the US House of Representatives Committee on Science, Space and Technology held a hearing on this topic. One of the experts there was an outstanding NASA astronaut William Shepard, who was awarded, among other things, the Russian Medal for Merit in Space Exploration. Shepard flew into orbit on the Space Shuttle four times. He worked on the ISS during the launch of the first modules, and was the commander of the first crew to visit the station in 2000.
Shepard received the latest information on the state of affairs on it from the NASA ISS Advisory Committee, of which he recently became a member.
In his opinion, the defects that continue to be detected on the ISS are a serious problem. no one knows how these cracks are formed - These cracks are very small, and outwardly resemble scratches on the surface of an aluminum surface. There are about six cracks. "
The expert also suggested that a certain number of cracks have simply not yet been found.
At the moment, the American space agency has not commented on this opinion, but previously told Business Insider that although there is no threat to the life of the crew at the moment, the situation is unpleasant, since no one can identify the places where new cracks may appear.
The fact that the cosmonauts found new cracks on the ISS in the Zarya module in August was reported by the flight director of the Russian segment of the station, Vladimir Soloviev.
According to him, the detected defects are not catastrophic, but they are most likely caused by manufacturing defects: vacuum of an aluminum-magnesium alloy, the seams become porous. Let's add here internal vibrations that cause "vibrational nodules", resonance phenomena ... As a result, the air starts to leave. "
Solovyov believes that all these problems can be solved, and the leakage will be eliminated in the near future. As of the end of August, the station was losing half a kilogram of air per day, and the transition chamber of the Zvezda module, used to receive cargo ships, was kept closed most of the time.
Many experts agree that the problem lies in the obsolescence of the station design. It has been in orbit for two decades. Russian modules are one of the oldest components, and cracks are far from the only problem. Over the past year, in the Russian segment, the toilet was out of order, the temperature mysteriously increased and the oxygen supply system broke. On September 22, it became known that the permissible concentration of mold in the air in the Zarya module was exceeded. They found 110 colony-forming units per cubic meter in air at an allowable concentration of 100 units.
One of the first problems with tightness became known in September 2019, when an air leak began from the Zvezda space station module in which the astronauts live. It posed no serious danger to the astronauts, and in the end they found the hole and repaired it with Kapton tape.
Vladimir Soloviev also agrees that the station is aging and considers the extension of the ISS service life after 2025 to be a “Russian roulette”.
At the moment, the American space agency has not commented on this opinion, but previously told Business Insider that although there is no threat to the life of the crew at the moment, the situation is unpleasant, since no one can identify the places where new cracks may appear.
The fact that the cosmonauts found new cracks on the ISS in the Zarya module in August was reported by the flight director of the Russian segment of the station, Vladimir Soloviev.
According to him, the detected defects are not catastrophic, but they are most likely caused by manufacturing defects: vacuum of an aluminum-magnesium alloy, the seams become porous. Let's add here internal vibrations that cause "vibrational nodules", resonance phenomena ... As a result, the air starts to leave. "
Solovyov believes that all these problems can be solved, and the leakage will be eliminated in the near future. As of the end of August, the station was losing half a kilogram of air per day, and the transition chamber of the Zvezda module, used to receive cargo ships, was kept closed most of the time.
Many experts agree that the problem lies in the obsolescence of the station design. It has been in orbit for two decades. Russian modules are one of the oldest components, and cracks are far from the only problem. Over the past year, in the Russian segment, the toilet was out of order, the temperature mysteriously increased and the oxygen supply system broke. On September 22, it became known that the permissible concentration of mold in the air in the Zarya module was exceeded. They found 110 colony-forming units per cubic meter in air at an allowable concentration of 100 units.
One of the first problems with tightness became known in September 2019, when an air leak began from the Zvezda space station module in which the astronauts live. It posed no serious danger to the astronauts, and in the end they found the hole and repaired it with Kapton tape.
Vladimir Soloviev also agrees that the station is aging and considers the extension of the ISS service life after 2025 to be a “Russian roulette”.
Roscosmos is in favor of building a new, Russian national station - ROSS. Soon, the corporation, together with the Russian Academy of Sciences, will present this proposal to the government. In the United States, however, great hopes about the new station are pinned on private traders.
So far, NASA has received about a dozen proposals from private companies, said Phil McAlister, director of NASA's commercial flights division. The agency will select the four best of them, and pay up to $ 400 million. At the future station, according to McAlister, NASA plans to be only one of the users, which will save at least $ 1 billion a year.