An air leak, already known in the Russian section of the international space station, has reached an unprecedented level. NASA calls this situation a “major safety risk.” Olivier Hernandez, astrophysicist and director of the Montreal Planetarium was present on the set of Salut Bonjour on November 25 to review the situation.
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In a report on the risks the space station could face by 2030, NASA employees describe the situation as “top security risk”. This situation is considered to have the greatest risk of endangering life in the passenger compartment.
The largest leak is believed to be located in a tunnel that connects the Russian module to a docking port, an entrance that allows ships to dock and enter the space station.
No information regarding the rate of this particular leak has been released, but between 2 and 2.5 pounds of air per day above station level would leak from the space station, according to calculations by the NASA.
Watch the interview with Olivier Hernandez, astrophysicist and director of the Montreal Planetarium, in the video at the top of this article for more details
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