Express by Sebastian Kettley 8/31/2021
RUSSIAN cosmonauts have exposed new cracks in a segment of the International Space Station (ISS), sparking fresh concerns for the orbital lab's crew.
Officials in Russia confirmed on Monday the presence of "superficial" cracks in the Russian-built Zarya module. Vladimir Solovyov, chief engineer of the Russian aerospace firm Energia, warned the cracks may yet spread, which could lead to a possible oxygen leak. Zarya is one of the six pressurised modules on the Russian section of the ISS, and the very first of the 16 ISS modules to be launched into space more than 20 years ago.
Russia's space agency, Roscosmos, has not confirmed whether the cracks have contributed to a leak on the ISS.
However, Mr Solovyov warned the problem could lead to an "avalanche" of problems further down the road.
But it appears to be business as usual with cosmonauts Oleg Novitskiy and Pyotr Dubrov preparing for a planned spacewalk on September 3.
The crew are tasked with connecting power cables to the ISS's new Nauka module, which unexpectedly caused the ISS to flip in orbit earlier this month.
More:
https://www.express.co.uk/news/science/1484384/russia-fears-found-cracks-iss-nasa-roscosmos-international-space-station
