NASA puts ISS astronauts on evacuation alert after worsening air leak

[highplainsdem]

Source: Reuters

Astronauts aboard the International Space Station were ​ordered by NASA to shelter in their ‌spacecraft and prepare for potential evacuation on Friday as a Russian crew attempts to fix a worsening leak ​of air on its portion of the ​orbital laboratory, NASA said.

The four astronauts ⁠of NASA's Crew-12 mission on the station - ​two U.S. astronauts, a French astronaut and Russian ​cosmonaut - got orders from NASA mission control at 9:04 a.m. ET Monday (1304 GMT) to enter their Crew Dragon spacecraft ​docked to the station and don their ​spacesuits in case the air leak warrants an emergency evacuation, ‌a ⁠NASA official said.

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The air leaks have been relatively ​minor ⁠in recent months but escalated on Monday from a pound of air per day to two ⁠pounds, ​according to a senior NASA ​official who asked not to be named.

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/science/international-space-station-astronauts-evacuation-mode-russia-attempts-fix-2026-06-05/

[muriel_volestrangler]

1. Astronauts return to ISS after sheltering during air leak repair attempt

But it was the method they were planning to use that prompted the order to take shelter, according to news agency Reuters.

Kud-Sverchkov and Mikayev were said to be using a saw to try and get into an area to access the crack that was leaking air.

Nasa disagreed with the method they were using and mission control in Houston ordered five crew to take "safe-haven" procedures on the Dragon ship.

When Roscosmos told their crew to pause repairs, Nasa instructed the astronauts to return to the station.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5y7yryg01mo