Overview
- NASA directed five crew members to enter the docked SpaceX Crew Dragon and don spacesuits as a precaution during a Russian repair effort on Friday, June 5, with mission control issuing the order at about 9:04 a.m. ET.
- Russian specialists reported they found two leaks in the Zvezda service module transfer tunnel, sealed the first with a hermetic compound, and said there was no immediate threat to the crew or station systems.
- A senior NASA official told reporters the leak rate recently rose from about one pound of air per day to roughly two pounds, prompting the wider repair attempt.
- Reports said a planned intrusive access method raised safety concerns, which contributed to NASA’s shelter order, and NASA stood down the safe-haven posture after Roscosmos paused work to review measurements and data.
- The episode highlights a long-running problem in the PrK transfer tunnel, raises questions about the aging ISS’s maintenance and lifeboat logistics, and will factor into planning for the station’s remaining service life and successor platforms.