NASA ISS Astronauts Evacuation Prep Amid Air Leak Alert International Space Station (ISS) astronauts were placed on high alert after a sudden increase in air leakage from the Russian Zvezda service module. NASA issued evacuation orders for crew members, prompting them to take shelter in spacecraft for safety. However, after two hours of inspections and assessments, the situation was deemed under control, and the emergency directive was rescinded. This rare incident marked the first time in the ISS's 27-year history that such an evacuation protocol was activated. The air leak, which originated in the Zvezda module, escalated rapidly, doubling in rate within hours. NASA's mission control in Houston issued an emergency alert, instructing astronauts to secure themselves in spacecraft. The station, which hosts a mix of U.S. and Russian modules, relies on a joint operational framework between NASA and Roscosmos. The incident raised concerns about the integrity of the aging Russian module, which has experienced minor leaks for months. At the time of the incident, seven astronauts were aboard the station, divided into two crews. The first crew, Crew-12, included NASA's Jessica Meir and Jeff Williams, ESA's Sofie Adenot, and Russia's Andrey Fedyaev. The second crew comprised U.S. astronaut Christopher Williams and two Russian cosmonauts, Sergey Kud-Sverchekov and Sergey Mikayev. The Russian astronauts attempted to locate the leak by using a chisel, a method NASA opposed due to the risk of exacerbating the breach. NASA's spokesperson, Bethany Stevens, confirmed that the agency prioritized crew safety by ordering astronauts to don space suits and relocate to spacecraft.#nasa #iss #zvezda_service_module #roscosmos #jessica_meir
