ABOVE LIVESTREAM:Station Program Manager Mike Suffredini discusses the quick response.
NASA – The latest indications are that there was not an actual leak of ammonia in the U.S. Operating Segment (USOS) of the International Space Station this morning and flight controllers have worked through the procedures to get all systems back to full operation as NASA has allowed astronauts back into the U.S. side of the International Space Station.
The NASA Mission Control detected an increase in pressure in the station’s water loop in the U.S. segment around 4 a.m. Wednesday, and then spotted a cabin pressure increase that could have indicated an ammonia leak.
It then signaled an alarm, as that type of leak getting into the cabin would be very dangerous for crew members.
As a precaution, Mission Control had the crew evacuate to the Russian segment of the space station.
The six crew members on the space station include American astronauts Barry Whitmore and Terry Virts; Russian cosmonauts Elena Serova, Alexander Samoukutyaev and Anton Shkaplerov; and European Space Agency astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti. (NASA image)
Mike Suffredini
“While it’s inconvenient for the crew to be in the Russian segment, it’s certainly not unhealthy for them,” said ISS Program Manager Mike Suffredini.
“We will do due diligence to make sure we are comfortable with the environment before we send them in there.”
