Sources confirm that a routine repair on the International Space Station turned critical when a Russian module experienced a sudden pressure drop, forcing the British segment of the crew into emergency protocols. The incident occurred during maintenance of the Zvezda service module, which has a history of coolant and structural issues. Leaked internal communications reveal that astronauts had to scramble to seal hatches and isolate the leaking section while Mission Control in Moscow scrambled for solutions.
The British team, trained for such contingencies, followed lock-down procedures that kept them safe but exposed delays in coordination between agencies. While Russian officials downplay the severity, internal memos show the leak rate was initially higher than acceptable limits. This is the third significant air leak on the Russian side of the station in as many years, raising questions about the long-term viability of aging modules.
The British crew remains in stable health but the incident underscores the risks of relying on hardware past its designed lifespan. Documents seen by this reporter indicate that Roscosmos had been warned repeatedly about fatigue cracking in the service module's hull. For now, the station's atmosphere is stable, but the clock is ticking on what is becoming a pattern of near misses.
The question is not if but when the next failure will occur, and whether the international partnership will hold when lives are on the line.
