NASA is exploring whether or not SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft can doubtlessly supply another experience residence for some crew members of the International Space Station after a Russian capsule sprang a coolant leak whereas docked to the orbital lab.
NASA and Russia’s house company, Roscosmos, are investigating the reason for a punctured coolant line on an exterior radiator of Russia’s Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft, which is meant to return its crew of two cosmonauts and one U.S. astronaut to Earth early subsequent 12 months.
But the Dec. 14 leak, which emptied the Soyuz of an important fluid used to control crew cabin temperatures, has derailed Russia’s house station routines, with engineers in Moscow inspecting whether or not to launch one other Soyuz to retrieve the three-man group that flew to ISS aboard the crippled MS-22 craft.
If Russia can not launch one other Soyuz ship, or decides for some motive that doing so could be too dangerous, NASA is weighing another choice.
“We have asked SpaceX a few questions on their capability to return additional crew members on Dragon if necessary, but that is not our prime focus at this time,” NASA spokeswoman Sandra Jones mentioned in a press release to Reuters.
SpaceX didn’t reply to a Reuters request for remark.
It was unclear what NASA particularly requested of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capabilities, reminiscent of whether or not the corporate can discover a approach to improve the crew capability of the Dragon presently docked to the station, or launch an empty capsule for the crew’s rescue.
But the corporate’s potential involvement in a mission led by Russia underscores the diploma of precaution NASA is taking to make sure its astronauts can safely return to Earth, ought to one of many different contingency plans organized by Russia fall by.
The leaky Soyuz capsule ferried U.S. astronaut Frank Rubio and cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dimitri Petelin to the house station in September for a six-month mission. They had been scheduled to return to Earth in March 2023.
The station’s 4 different crew members – two extra from NASA, a 3rd Russian cosmonaut and a Japanese astronaut – arrived in October through a NASA-contracted SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule, which additionally stays parked on the ISS.
SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule, a gumdrop-shaped pod with 4 astronaut seats, has change into the centerpiece to NASA’s human spaceflight efforts in low-Earth orbit. Besides Russia’s Soyuz program, it’s the solely entity able to ferrying people to the house station and again.
THREE POSSIBLE CULPRITS
Finding what brought about the leak may issue into selections about one of the best ways to return the crew members. A meteroid-caused puncture, a strike from a bit of house particles or a {hardware} failure on the Soyuz capsule itself are three potential causes of the leak that NASA and Roscosmos are investigating.
A {hardware} malfunction may increase further questions for Roscosmos in regards to the integrity of different Soyuz automobiles, such because the one it would ship for the crew’s rescue, mentioned Mike Suffredini, who led NASA’s ISS program for a decade till 2015.
“I can assure you that’s something they’re looking at, to see what’s back there and whether there’s a concern for it,” he mentioned. “The thing about the Russians is they’re really good at not talking about what they’re doing, but they’re very thorough.”
Roscosmos chief Yuri Borisov had beforehand mentioned engineers would resolve by Tuesday return the crew to Earth, however the company mentioned that day it could make the choice in January.
NASA has beforehand mentioned the capsule’s temperatures stay “within acceptable limits,” with its crew compartment presently being vented with air stream allowed by an open hatch to the ISS.
Sergei Krikalev, Russia’s chief of crewed house applications, informed reporters final week that the temperature would rise quickly if the hatch to the station had been closed.
NASA and Roscosmos are primarily specializing in figuring out the leak’s trigger, Jones mentioned, in addition to the well being of MS-22 which can also be meant to function the three-man crew’s lifeboat in case an emergency on the station requires evacuation.
A latest meteor bathe initially appeared to lift the chances of a micrometeoroid strike because the perpetrator, however the leak was dealing with the unsuitable method for that to be the case, NASA’s ISS program supervisor Joel Montalbano informed reporters final week, although an area rock may have come from one other route.
And if a bit of house particles is guilty, it may gasoline issues of an more and more messy orbital surroundings and lift questions on whether or not such important tools because the spacecraft’s coolant line ought to have been protected by particles shielding, as different components of the MS-22 spacecraft are.
“We are not shielded against everything throughout the space station,” Suffredini mentioned. “We can’t shield against everything.”
