IIS: A leak appeared in the external cooling system of the #SoyuzMS22

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This doesn't look good.

On 15/12/2022 at 03:30, SteveL said:

Katya’s space news

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This doesn't look good.

 

 

No, it doesn't look good at all.

Scheduled Russian spacewalk cancelled. Assessing risk to external ISS experiments.

Uncertain if the crew will be stranded. See Scott Manley's video for the issues.

I'm uncertain if Russia has a backup vehicle to do a rescue mission, but SpaceX recently commissioned their 5th reusable Crew Dragon and may have one close to ready. Of course the rub is that their spacesuits would not work if Dragon lost pressurization. Everyone uses different connectors.

On 15/12/2022 at 09:58, DocM said:

Of course the rub is that their spacesuits would not work if Dragon lost pressurization. Everyone uses different connectors.

Never let these people organise your Christmas party...  

Honestly... Have these idiots never heard of standardisation?

On 15/12/2022 at 13:46, neufuse said:

standardization is great and all until a better solution comes along do you say eh screw that we standardized!

Or you have an attitude that "our way is always better".  Russia gives me that vibe.

On 15/12/2022 at 13:49, bguy_1986 said:

Or you have an attitude that "our way is always better".  Russia gives me that vibe.

Standardization has been attempted with docking and berthing adapters, the US, Europe and Japan using  International Docking Adapter compliant ports (IDA) and Common Berthing Mechanism (CBM, mostly for attaching ISS modules to each other).

SpaceX builds their own IDA compliant adapters.

Russia still uses a legacy APAS system.

China uses a variation of IDA for Shinzhou, and they have a new (very Dragon-like) capsule in testing.

Before Putin invaded Ukraine there were tentative moves to place IDA compliant docking ports on the Russian ISS segment so Crew & Cargo Dragon could dock there, possibly leading to changes on Russian vehicles, but nay. The war did away with that.

In terms of spacesuits the US isn't any better than Russia. NASA uses its own suit umbilical system, while SpaceX and Boeing use proprietary suit umbilicals for Commercial Crew.

It's possible SpaceX's Starship could support both the NASA and SpaceX's suit system. It's certainly large enough to have dual ports.

https://ria.ru/20221215/kosmos-1838818090.html

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Source: Soyuz MS-23 may launch earlier due to accident at Soyuz MS-22

11:41 12/15/2022 (updated: 11:42 12/15/2022)

MOSCOW, December 15 - RIA Novosti. The launch of the next manned spacecraft Soyuz MS-23, scheduled for March 16, 2023, may be postponed to an earlier date due to an accident in the thermal control system of Soyuz MS-22, which is now part of the ISS, an informed source told RIA Novosti.

"In connection with the accident at Soyuz MS-22, Roscosmos specialists are considering the possibility of shifting the launch of Soyuz MS-23 to the left," the source said.

As another informed source noted to RIA Novosti, the accident in the thermal control system of the Soyuz MS-22 is serious and can lead to the failure of the ship's instruments - it will overheat on the sunny side and freeze in the Earth's shadow while orbiting as part of the ISS. Now Roscosmos specialists are considering priority measures to ensure an acceptable thermal regime for the operation of instruments on the ship.

Earlier, from the negotiations of the ISS crew with ground services, it became known that the spacewalk of Russian cosmonauts Sergei Prokopiev and Dmitry Petelin, which was supposed to begin at 5.20 Moscow time on December 15, was postponed due to depressurization of the cooling system of the Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft docked to the station. Roscosmos then added that the exit was canceled for technical reasons.

In the NASA broadcast, it was shown that fountains of technical liquid were pouring out of the Soyuz MS-22. Later, the astronauts photographed the problematic ship from the station's windows, and also examined it using cameras mounted on the ERA robotic arm. The crew sent the photographs to Earth for examination by specialists.

According to Roskosmos, before the opening of the exit hatch, according to the crew's report, information was received about the operation of the signaling device of one of the diagnostic systems of the Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft. They added that "a commission is working to analyze the causes of the incident, and based on the results of its work, decisions will be made on further actions of specialists on Earth and the crew of the Russian segment of the International Space Station."

Could the Soyuz crew come home on Dragon? Possible if they decide to stand down Soyuz until Russia figures out their  problem.

https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/nasa-mulls-spacex-backup-plan-crew-russias-leaky-soyuz-ship-2022-12-28/

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NASA mulls SpaceX backup plan for crew of Russia's leaky Soyuz ship

WASHINGTON, Dec 28 (Reuters) - NASA is exploring whether SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft can potentially offer an alternative ride home for some crew members of the International Space Station after a Russian capsule sprang a coolant leak while docked to the orbital lab.

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If Russia cannot launch another Soyuz ship, or decides for some reason that doing so would be too risky, NASA is weighing another option.

"We have asked SpaceX a few questions on their capability to return additional crew members on Dragon if necessary, but that is not our prime focus at this time," NASA spokeswoman Sandra Jones said in a statement to Reuters.

SpaceX did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.

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In other times this would have been a simple problem. "Let's send the Dragon to the rescue and plaude to a successfull cooperation". Flashing titles all over the media and everyone talking with optimism on the future of the human race.

But today the political aspect is paramount while on Ukrainian soil people are killing each other without hesitation. Let's see if at least this last collaboration between the two sides will survive. Let's see if Putin decides to risk the lives of his two astronauts as he does with the lives of thousands of his soldiers. What you bet will be his choice?

On 29/12/2022 at 16:26, SteveL said:

In other times this would have been a simple problem. "Let's send the Dragon to the rescue and plaude to a successfull cooperation". Flashing titles all over the media and everyone talking with optimism on the future of the human race.

But today the political aspect is paramount while on Ukrainian soil people are killing each other without hesitation. Let's see if at least this last collaboration between the two sides will survive. Let's see if Putin decides to risk the lives of his two astronauts as he does with the lives of thousands of his soldiers. What you bet will be his choice?

I think he will avoid a Crew Dragon rescue mission until there is no other option. Have to maintain "face", donchaknow?

If they were to send up a Rescue Dragon I think they would fly with just a Commander and Pilot, leaving 2 empty seats on the upper deck.

NASA had SpaceX remove the 3 lower deck seats to lighten the vehicle on landings. A smaller mass of refrigerators, food warmers, and a small amount of cargo took their place. Remove those and you could add a 5th seat, bringing a total open seats to 3 - matching Soyuz capacity.

In case they need to evacuate ISS before Soyuz MS-23 arrives....

https://twitter.com/SciGuySpace/status/1613537122203439107?t=P9TkRWGtkbQU7uwKWZfO6g&s=19

"It's deja vu all over again"

~~ Yogi Berra, NY Yankees

Today Roscosmos reported a Progress cargo vehicle attached to ISS has lost pressure in its external cooling system.

https://spacenews.com/progress-cargo-spacecraft-at-iss-suffers-coolant-leak/

Update on Roscosmos politics