The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the State Corporation Roscosmos have failed to reach a consensus on the causes and severity of the air leak on the International Space Station. According to Russian engineers, the appearance of cracks was caused by "high cycle fatigue." The American side believes that the reason lies in pressure, mechanical stress, and other factors.
Several years ago, a small leak appeared in the transfer chamber (PrK) of the Zvezda module, which connects the docking unit to the main part of the module. Over these years, the crews have successfully coped with the problem by isolating the "leaky" chamber when there was no need to access the Progress cargo ship docked at the port.
Bob Cabana, the associate administrator leading the NASA committee, said that Russian engineers believe the cracks in the module were caused by "high cycle fatigue" from microvibrations.
However, NASA believes that there are several factors that could have influenced the formation of cracks. Among them are pressure, mechanical stress, residual stress, the properties of the module material, and environmental influences.
Cabana also noted that there is no agreement between the parties. Recently, this issue has escalated—disagreements over the root causes of the leak have led to quarrels about the seriousness of the problem.
To resolve the dispute, the NASA and Roscosmos committees agreed to involve independent experts from academia and industry. However, it is not yet known when it will be possible to overcome the disagreements, and the information leak continues to cause tension between the two space agencies.
Earlier, Roscosmos specialists prepared a rocket to send the Progress MS-29 cargo spacecraft. It will deliver about 2,500 kg of various cargoes to the International Space Station (ISS). These include 869 kg of refueling fuel, 420 kg of drinking water, and 43 kg of compressed nitrogen.
The launch of the Progress MS-29 cargo ship is scheduled for November 21, and its docking with the International Space Station is scheduled for November 23.
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Progress MS-29 prepared for general assembly with the rocket