Two astronauts have re-entered the International Space Station after a high-stakes spacewalk to repair an air leak that threatened the orbiting laboratory. Sources confirm the leak, originating from a faulty hatch seal in the Russian module, was stemmed by a patch designed by a British engineering firm. The operation, which lasted nearly seven hours, saw NASA's Mark Vande Hei and Russia's Anton Shkaplerov work in tandem to tighten bolts and apply a composite sealant.
Internal documents obtained by this newsroom reveal the sealant's formula is an exclusive British design from a Hertfordshire-based company, contracted quietly three years ago. The ISS crew had been confined to the American segment for 36 hours as the leak intensified. 'We were losing 0.
3 kilograms of air per hour,' a source said. 'It was a slow bleed, but in space, that's a death sentence.' The repair has been hailed as a triumph of collaboration, though questions linger over the Russian module's aging infrastructure.
Investigators are now probing whether the leak was caused by metal fatigue or a micrometeorite strike. One thing is certain: British engineering saved the day, while the suits in Moscow and Washington argue over who pays for the next upgrade.
