While we were off-grid, it turned out that, last Friday, the Russian team was considering removing panels in the affected gangway. After much back and forth, the decision was to apply additional patching material inside the gangway, and see how that holds up — before removing a panel (which might expose a much larger crack / O2 leak — and risk).
Here’s the latest — from NASA’s press release — from that Friday afternoon:
…The week of June 1, during Progress 95 spacecraft cargo operations, Roscosmos noted an increase of the previous leak rate to two pounds per day and identified new suspected leak areas in the PrK. Following this observation, Roscosmos made the decision to begin work toward a more extensive inspection and structural repair effort Friday morning. This revised approach involved cutting a bracket to better access an area identified as a possible leak source for further inspection, using a method that could have resulted in elevated risk to the structure in the area. In response, NASA directed the four SpaceX Crew-12 members and NASA astronaut Chris Williams, who flew to station aboard the Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft, to take a heightened safety posture, known as a safe haven, inside the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft during the procedure.
Later Friday morning, Roscosmos paused and did not perform the structural repair work in favor of conducting additional measurements and data assessments, which included inspection of suspected areas of interest and review of areas where sealant was previously applied. NASA strongly supported that decision, and as a result, following that decision, Crew-12 and Williams ended their safe haven activities and returned to normal operations aboard the orbiting laboratory….
NASA will continue to work with our Russian counterparts, along with the rest of the international partners that support the space station, to assess and ensure a resolution to this matter….
[And at immediate right is a short gif-movie — of the prior Russian coolant-leak — in the Soyuz MS-22 Module / Capsule, at the ISS — about three and a half years ago.]
Onward, resolutely — into a steaming, sunny June day in the steel and glass canyons. Smile.
नमस्ते
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