Unusual Smell on International Space Station: NASA and Roscosmos Dispute Causes of Toxic Incident

Retrieved November 27 Journalist Anatoly Zak on his website Russian Space Web he claimsthat the International Space Station (ISS) smell incident was worse than the US and Russia are now reporting.

“The cargo ship Progress called at the Poisk model docking port, but after crew members opened the hatch between Poisk and Progress, it had to be closed immediately due to the toxic smell and the risk of contamination. could be there. drops,” he wrote, among other things.

NASA responded by saying that anyone interested in the information should contact Roskosmos.

“For any detailed information about the cause of the unusual smell, please contact the Russian space agency Roskosmos,” she said CNN NASA news chief Kelly O. Humphries. However, Roscosmos did not respond to CNN’s request for comment.

It seems that both NASA and Roskosmos are trying to shift the blame to the other. The Russian side specifically says that the problem could have arisen in the docking equipment of the Poisk and not on board the Advance.

The International Space Station (ISS) needs constant supplies to operate. On Saturday, November 23, 2024, the Russian cargo ship Progress 90 arrived at the ISS, bringing three tons of food, fuel and other supplies. But a routine task turned into an unpleasant experience when the team after opening the airlock, she smelled a strong odor and he found small drops in the space of the ship.

Therefore, the astronauts immediately closed the passage between the Poisk module and the ISS and subsequently activated the air purification and pollution monitoring systems to prevent any danger. As a precaution, the US astronauts activated the Trace Pollution Control Subassembly System (TCCS) to clear the air in the US part of the station.

It sank, but the air quality was good

NASA later confirmed that air quality at the station remained normaland he assured the public that the team was in no danger. After these steps, the astronauts reopened the airport and continued to access the supplies that had been delivered.

“There is no cause for concern for the crew and they have been working to open the path between Poisk and Progress since Sunday evening, while other operations on the space station are going on as was expected.” NASA said on social network X (formerly Twitter).

According to NASA and other experts, the source of the smell may be the so-called “outgassing”, ie release of chemicals from materials exposed to adverse space conditions. Among other things, the Progress spacecraft is carrying toxic fuel, but NASA said that the fuel was not the cause of the problem in this case. The team described the smell as similar to spray paint, indicating the presence of organic matter.

The Russian segment of the International Space Station has long been plagued by technical problems. For example, the Zvezda model has been facing an air leak for several years, the cause of which cannot be determined precisely. According to NASA, the rate of air leakage has doubled in recent years, making the problem worse.

Problems on the ISS

This is not the first time that a Russian ship has caused problems on the ISS. For example, last year there was a leak from another Advance model. The recurring events lead to disputes between NASA and Roskosmos about the severity of the technical problems and the future of Russia’s participation in the ISS.

It must be added that unpleasant odors on board a space station are not unusual. NASA astronaut Don Pettit once said that the ISS “never smell like a rose”because several people work and live in a small space for months at a time. Similarly, astronaut Christina Koch compared the smell of the ISS and “laboratories, a gymnasium and a shared house with six people.”

The International Space Station was originally scheduled to end in 2015, but thanks to upgrades, it is still operational and it is supposed to work until 2030. However, aging technologies bring more and more problems, which increase the demands on international cooperation. The incident with Progress 90 is just another reminder of this fact.

The Russian Progress 90 cargo ship will remain docked at the ISS for about six months. During this time, the team gradually unloads all the supplies brought by the ship and uses it to store waste. It then goes back into the Earth’s atmosphere in a controlled manner, where it burns up along with the loaded waste.

Resources: gizmodo.com, arstechnica.com, forbes.com.