NASA and Roscosmos Address Increased Leak in International Space Station's Zvezda Module
NASA and Roscosmos are addressing an increased leak rate in the Zvezda service module's transfer tunnel on the International Space Station (ISS). The issue, which has been monitored since 2019, involves small atmosphere leaks due to cracks in the module. Recently, during cargo operations with the Progress 95 spacecraft, Roscosmos observed an increase in the leak rate to two pounds per day and identified new potential leak areas. In response, Roscosmos planned a more extensive inspection and structural repair effort, which involved cutting a bracket to access a suspected leak source. This procedure posed a potential risk to the structure, prompting NASA to direct the SpaceX Crew-12 members and NASA astronaut Chris Williams to take a safety posture inside the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. However, Roscosmos paused the repair work to conduct further measurements and data assessments, a decision supported by NASA. Following this, the crew returned to normal operations aboard the ISS. 
