Shulou(Shulou.com)11/24 Report--

January 12, local time on Wednesday, the Russian space agency said that the Russian space agency plans to launch a spare Soyuz spacecraft to the International Space Station in late February this year to replace the damaged spacecraft currently docked at the space station. take three astronauts back to Earth.

It is reported that the spare spaceship is scheduled to launch on February 20 to bring Russian astronauts Sergei Prokopiyev and Dmitri Petelin and NASA astronaut Frank Rubio (Frank Rubio) back to Earth. The three men arrived at the International Space Station last September, but the Soyuz spacecraft was damaged during docking.

On December 14, when astronauts were preparing to leave the airlock of the International Space Station for a spacewalk, ground controllers noticed a coolant leak, spraying uncontrollably into space. The Russian space agency immediately cancelled the spacewalk program and determined that the leak came from a small hole of about 1mm in the outer cooling pipe of the spacecraft.

The function of the coolant is to keep the cabin at a relatively comfortable temperature. After the leak, astronauts used a camera at the end of the robotic arm of the International Space Station to check the leak, while ground crews focused on the damaged area. Since then, the Russian space agency has been working with NASA to determine whether the spacecraft is suitable for sending astronauts back to Earth or whether it needs to launch a backup spacecraft. The research team determined that without the coolant, the temperature in the cabin of the spacecraft might have exceeded 37 degrees Celsius. The hot and humid environment can affect the spacecraft's computing system and make astronauts feel uncomfortable.

After the spare spacecraft arrives at the International Space Station, the Russian Space Agency plans to allow the damaged Soyuz spacecraft to return to Earth in March this year with only some experiments and cargo, which will be recycled for further inspection.

At present, there are seven people on the International Space Station, three of whom arrived on the Soyuz spacecraft in September last year and four on the SpaceX manned dragon spacecraft in October last year. At present, the Dragon spacecraft is still docked at the International Space Station.

Both NASA and the Russian Space Agency say the astronauts on the International Space Station are not in danger, continuing experiments such as scientific research and growing tomatoes, while ground crews are working on solutions to the damage to the spacecraft.

Joel Montalbano, project manager of the NASA International Space Station, tried to play down the seriousness of the problem in an interview on Wednesday. "at present, there is no need for astronauts to return to Earth immediately, and all systems are operating normally," he said.

Sergei Krikarev, executive director of the Russian space agency's manned space program, said that agencies are aware of this extremely rare situation and are ready. "this is the scenario we envisioned, and now we are basically following the procedure," he said.

Krikarev said it was the "first time" in his memory that he had to launch a replacement spacecraft to the International Space Station. "We never really needed to do this," he said. "

NASA and the Russian Space Agency are still working on emergency plans for astronauts to evacuate the International Space Station before the backup spacecraft arrives. Astronauts carrying the Soyuz spacecraft can still board the spacecraft and use it as a lifeboat without having to return to the Earth's atmosphere. It is also possible to add an astronaut to SpaceX's manned dragon spacecraft.

Montalbano said the current plan is for the staff to "ride on their own spaceships." but at the same time, we have been in negotiations with SpaceX to see what can be done with SpaceX ships. "

Krikarev said the investigation concluded that the damage to the spacecraft was caused by a micrometeoroid about 1 mm in diameter with a speed of about 7 kilometers per second. The micrometeoroid hit the radiator of the Soyuz spacecraft, causing a coolant leak. The location of the leak is at the ship's furthest docking port from the International Space Station, making repairs in space almost impossible. "not only do you have to repair a hole, but you also have to inject coolant into the radiator," Mr. Krikarev said. "it's a very difficult and risky process, and it's much less risky to replace the ship directly."

Krikarev said that depending on the direction and speed, the culprit could not be orbital debris from rocket parts or other man-made spacecraft. "it is impossible for any other man-made object in this orbit to exist, because if it had such a high speed, it would not stay in this orbit," Krikarev said. "it will leave."

NASA officials agree. Mr Montalbano said there was nothing unusual "during the manufacture of the ship".

Overall, Montalbano believes that NASA and the Russian space agency "work very well together in terms of technical team and management team. This is true proof of our cooperative relationship."

Krikarev said that due to the launch of a spare spacecraft, the mission of the three astronauts will be extended by several months. However, it is not clear how the launch of the replacement spacecraft will affect NASA's launch plans. Currently, SpaceX is expected to ship another batch of astronauts to the International Space Station in February this year. "it will take us a few weeks to set a series of new launch dates," Montalbano said. "

He said the astronauts on the International Space Station are in a good state of mind and are continuing to work normally. But he added: "I may have to ship more ice cream to reward them."

Related readings:

"Russia vetoed NASA's proposal not to use the SpaceX dragon spacecraft to pick up the trapped astronauts from the International Space Station."

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