Zvezda both leaking and heating up
A Russian news source today reported that the temperature in the ISS module Zvezda has been increasing even as air has been leaking slowly from it.
The article provides little additional detail, other than saying that “normal temperature should be restored” by today.
Why the module should be warming as it slowly leaks air is puzzling. Either way, as this is a module that has been in space for twenty years and is also a key component in the station’s operations, locating the leak is crucial. It might simply be caused by a micrometeorite hit, which can be easily patched. Or it could be caused by something more fundamental, caused by the module’s age, and thus more difficult, possibly even impossible, to fix. If so, the sooner engineers know the better.
A Russian news source today reported that the temperature in the ISS module Zvezda has been increasing even as air has been leaking slowly from it.
The article provides little additional detail, other than saying that “normal temperature should be restored” by today.
Why the module should be warming as it slowly leaks air is puzzling. Either way, as this is a module that has been in space for twenty years and is also a key component in the station’s operations, locating the leak is crucial. It might simply be caused by a micrometeorite hit, which can be easily patched. Or it could be caused by something more fundamental, caused by the module’s age, and thus more difficult, possibly even impossible, to fix. If so, the sooner engineers know the better.