ISS astronauts warned of emergency evacuation due to cracks in the Russian module: NASA has sounded the alarm. Photo.

This week's NASA report acknowledges that the International Space Station (ISS) currently has 50 problem areas and four cracks. These could lead to an emergency evacuation from the ISS due to an oxygen leak.

NASA has warned that the problems arose from a single leak that reached its fastest growth in April this year. If the crew evacuates, it will be the first time in the 24-year history of the orbiting laboratory that astronauts have been in, MailOnline reports.

The first reports of problems appeared in 2013, when a piece of space debris caused a small hole in one of the solar panels of the orbital outpost. Three years later, an astronaut noticed a tiny round crack in a window looking out into the darkness of space. Since then, dozens of other leaks and cracks have appeared, which could only be sealed with special tape, gauze, and sealant.

The current problem is located in the Russian transport tunnel of the Zvezda service module, which was installed in 2000 and is used to house life support equipment and access the Russian cargo dock. In 2019, the module began to leak a small amount of air through an unknown crack. However, despite attempts to seal the module, the amount of air escaping from the station has only increased over the past five years.

The latest problem was first reported last month, despite the fact that officials have known about the hacking at Zvezda since 2019, and although the potential cracks have been covered with a combination of sealant and patches, the exact source of the leak is unknown.

If the leak worsens significantly and becomes dangerous, astronauts may close the tunnel completely. Although this would mean the loss of a valuable docking port used by the Progress and Soyuz spacecraft, The Sun writes.

"We have repeatedly stated the seriousness of the leaks, including when I was in Russia earlier this year," said NASA Assistant Administrator Jim Freeze.

At the moment, NASA has agreed with Roscosmos to close the hatch of the Russian module in the evening.

The astronauts were warned to stay in the American part when the module is open so that they could be closer to their spacecraft in case of emergency evacuation.

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