NASA Mulls Using SpaceX to Rescue Astronauts After Russia’s Space Station Leak
NASA and its astronauts found themselves in a frightening situation on Dec. 15 when they were forced to evacuate the space station. Russian Soyuz spacecraft docked to the International Space Station sprung a massive coolant leakA pair of Russian cosmonauts set the stage for a spacewalk shortly before it began. While the crew aboard is safe and in no immediate danger, two Russian cosmonauts as well as one NASA astronaut were expected to use Soyuz vehicles to return to Earth in early next year. With the spacecraft’s status in limbo, NASA and Roscosmos (Russia’s space agency) have been trying to figure out their options for how to move forward.
NASA is currently considering a contingency plan that would allow them to use a SpaceX Crew Dragon mission in order to quickly rescue any astronauts left behind.
“International Space Station teams continue to meet about the Soyuz MS-22’s external cooling loop leak,” a NASA spokesperson told The Daily Beast in an emailed statement. “NASA and Roscosmos will continue to review options together before making a final decision on how to safely bring the crew home. The Expedition 68 crew continues to be in good condition and is performing maintenance and research.
“Additionally, we have asked SpaceX a few questions on their capability to return additional crew members on Dragon if necessary but that is not our prime focus at this time.”
SpaceX did not answer The Daily Beast’s requests for comment.
Russia’s Spacecraft Springs a Massive Leak on the ISS
It’s unclear yet exactly what a SpaceX mission would entail. Endeavor, a Crew Dragon spacecraft named Endeavor has already been docked to the ISS. The mission could theoretically have more seats when it returns to Earth next year. That mission has four people on board: NASA astronauts Nicole Mann, Josh Cassada and Japanese astronaut Koichi wakata. Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina is also there.
NASA could also consider launching a SpaceX Crew Dragon to the ISS to pick up three crew members that were supposed to return to Soyuz. These are NASA astronaut Frank Rubio and Russian cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev or Dimitri Petelin.
Inside the Dangerous Consequences of Russia’s Space Screwups
Due to the loss of coolant, the Soyuz capsule has been experiencing huge temperature spikes. NASA has said the capsule’s temperatures remain “within acceptable limits,” and is being cooled with vented air flow allowed from an open hatch to the rest of the ISS. It seems impossible to believe that the capsule could be used to transport humans back to Earth.
The source of the Soyuz-related leakage is still unknown. Investigations revealed that the radiator exterior had a hole. This may have been caused possibly by a micrometeoroid. orbital debris. A hardware failure may also be to blame—which would only add more scrutiny to Roscosmos’s increasing space screwups.
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