NASA Reverses Evacuation Alert for Astronauts on International Space Station Amid Air Leak Concerns
NASA issued and then reversed an evacuation alert for astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) due to a worsening air leak. The alert was initially triggered when the air leak rate increased from one pound per day to two pounds. Five astronauts, including members of NASA's Crew-12 mission and another U.S. astronaut, were instructed to take shelter in the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft. The alert was lifted after approximately two hours when NASA and Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, assessed the situation. Roscosmos identified two leaks on the ISS, with the first being sealed and efforts underway to address the second. The ISS currently hosts seven astronauts from two missions, including NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev.