Panic in space as NASA ISS astronauts report ‘toxic odor’ and ‘risk of contamination’

Astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) were left panicked after a cargo ship arrived with a “toxic odor” and a “possible risk of contamination in the form of droplets.”

The Progress 90 docked with the Russian Poisk module on Saturday at 9:31 a.m. ET and Roscosmos cosmonauts identified an odor immediately after opening the hatch.

The Russian crew quickly donned protective gear and activated an additional air cleaning system aboard their segment of the ISS for about 30 minutes.

NASA astronaut Don Pettit also reported a “spray paint” smell in the Node 3 module of the US segment, but it was not immediately clear whether it came from Progress.

“The space station’s air scrubbers and contaminant sensors monitored the station’s atmosphere after the observation, and on Sunday, flight controllers determined that the air quality inside the space station was at normal levels,” NASA said in a statement.

The agency continued to explain that there were no concerns for the crew as of Sunday afternoon, but that the hatch between the Russian modular craft and the cargo ship is still closed.

The Progress 90 arrived at the Russian Poisk module at 9:31 a.m., delivering three tons of food, fuel and supplies to Expedition 72 crew members aboard the ISS.

NASA reported that the American part of the orbiting laboratory also activated its own air cleaning system, while the hatch of the Russian Poisk module remained closed.

While Russian media reported a toxic odor, NASA told a different story.

“After opening the hatch of the Progress spacecraft, Roscosmos cosmonauts noticed an unexpected smell and observed small droplets, which prompted the crew to close the Poisk hatch to the rest of the Russian segment,” the agency shared on X.

Progress 90 is expected to remain docked for about six months before returning to Earth.

This “toxic smell” comes just months after a report revealed that the space agency and its Russian counterpart, Roscomos, were tracking 50 “areas of concern” linked to a growing leak aboard the station.

NASA has called cracks in a Russian service module a “major security risk,” raising the threat rating to five out of five.

Although authorities have been aware of the problem since 2019, the exact source of the leak remains unknown.

Any potential cracks were covered with “a combination of putty and patches”, but NASA warned that the leak reached its fastest rate in April this year.

Concerns about the station’s security are now so great that NASA negotiated with Roscomos to only open the hatch when necessary and keep it closed in the evening.

And that’s not the only cause for concern, as the space agency has warned that the ISS risks being bombarded with micro-meteors and space debris.

The air leak is located in the transfer tunnel of the Russian Zvezda service module, installed in 2000, and is used to house survival equipment and to access a Russian cargo dock.

In 2019, it was found that the module had begun leaking a small amount of air through an unidentified crack.

However, despite efforts to seal the module, the amount of air escaping from the station has only increased over the past five years.

In February of this year, NASA was forced to hold a press conference on the issue as the amount of air temporarily escaping increased from 0.2 pounds per day (0.09 kg) to 2.4 pounds (1.08 kg) per day.

A report released in September by NASA’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) confirmed that the leak reached a record level in April, resulting in a loss of 3.7 pounds (1.68 kg) of air every day.

This prompted the space agency to raise the threat assessment to the highest level and consider evacuation plans.

In May and June, NASA officials traveled to Russia to discuss “heightened concerns” about the apparently growing leak.

Speaking to the Washington Post, NASA Associate Administrator Jim Free said: “We have communicated the seriousness of the leaks several times, including when I was in Russia earlier this year.

“We reached a compromise so that they would close in the evening.”

The OIG report states: “The service module transfer tunnel leak does not pose an immediate risk to the structural integrity of the station, and there are currently no concerns regarding long-term impacts to the structure overall. »

Similarly, Joel Montalbano, ISS program manager, said at a February press conference that the leak was “not an impact at this time on the safety of the crew or the operation of the vehicles, but something everyone needed to be aware of.”