ISS Astronauts Sheltered on Dragon During Air‑Leak Repair Attempt

NASA and Roscosmos crews began the day with a routine patching of a leak on the ISS’s Russian module. The leak had been marginal for six years but increased abruptly after the arrival of a new cargo vessel, prompting a more involved repair yesterday.

While Russian cosmonauts Sergey Kud‑Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev attempted a saw‑driven fix to the cracked transfer tunnel – known as PrK – the method grew controversial. NASA’s Houston Mission Control deemed it unsafe and instructed the crew on the attached SpaceX Dragon spacecraft to board and set to an emergency “safe‑haven” state. Five astronauts – Japanese and American, plus ESA’s Sophie Adenot – were ordered to don suits and remain in the Dragon until the repair was halted.

The Dragon, serviced by the Freedom mission, functions as a lifeboat on the ISS. It was docked with the station and ready to detach quickly should the situation worsen. This precaution was added to the station’s routine safety protocols, triggered when the pressure loss reached a threshold of a pound a day or more.

NASA spokeswoman Bethany Stevens told X that the crew had been “allowed to return to planned operations” after the repair was paused. Meanwhile, Roscosmos reports via Tass said there was no safety threat to the crew or the ISS’s systems. The incident underscores the ISS’s status as the largest human‑made structure in orbit and reflects its ongoing US‑Russian‑led collaboration with Canada, Japan and 11 European nations.

Astronaut Chris Hadfield, a former ISS commander, explained that such leaks are a known risk: “You’re always one breath away from having to take shelter somewhere if the station has a problem.” It remains an example of the real‑time decision‑making that keeps humanity alive 400 km above Earth.