Russian astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) temporarily sealed off a module after detecting a “strange smell” from the Progress 90 cargo spacecraft.
The incident occurred over the weekend. In a statement sent to CNN, NASA indicated that this odor, along with “liquid droplets” observed by the astronauts, could be the result of the phenomenon of “outgassing from materials inside the Russian Progress spacecraft.”
The Russian Progress 90 cargo spacecraft is carrying nearly 3 tons of food, fuel, and supplies – (Photo: NASA+).
“Outgassing” is a phenomenon that can occur when artificial objects leave the protective atmosphere of Earth and enter the radiation-filled environment of space, where temperatures can fluctuate from 121°C to -158°C.
According to Kelly O. Humphries, a news manager at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, the “materials” that NASA refers to as potentially outgassing are located within the Progress spacecraft and are unrelated to the fuel.
After the Russian astronauts detected the strange smell, they closed the docking hatch of the Poisk module to the rest of the space station. Subsequently, ground control “activated the air filtration system” of the station.
“There is no concern for the crew,” Humphries stated.
The Progress spacecraft arrived at the ISS after being launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on November 21, carrying “nearly 3 tons of food, fuel, and supplies.” It utilizes a type of fuel known as unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide. Both substances are extremely toxic to humans.
Although the strange smell was a short-lived occurrence, it raised concerns among experts, especially after previous leak incidents had been recorded on the Russian Zvezda module.
NASA hopes to continue operating the ISS alongside four partner agencies at least until 2030, including Roscosmos (Russia), the Canadian Space Agency, the European Space Agency, and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.
However, Russian officials have not committed to continuing cooperation on the space station beyond 2028 and are unlikely to provide a definitive answer until at least 2025, according to a recent report from NASA’s Office of Inspector General.
