NASA Orders ISS Crew to Shelter in SpaceX Dragon Due to Air Leak in Zvezda Module
NASA has directed the International Space Station (ISS) crew to temporarily take shelter in the SpaceX Dragon Freedom spacecraft following the detection of an air leak. The leak was traced to the PrK transfer tunnel connected to the Zvezda Service Module, a critical Russian segment of the ISS. This module, one of the oldest parts of the station, has been experiencing small cracks and material fatigue over the years, leading to a slow but persistent air leak. Recent telemetry data indicated an increase in leakage activity, prompting NASA and Roscosmos to coordinate an emergency response. As a precautionary measure, the crew, including NASA astronauts Jessica Meir, Jack Hathaway, and Chris Williams, European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, were moved to the SpaceX Dragon Freedom. This action was taken to ensure their safety and provide immediate access to a return vehicle if conditions worsened.