There are many reasons for activating an alarm on the International Space Station: from fire to toxic leaks and pressure drops. At the alarm, the six cosmonauts residing at the station should react quickly and clearly.
Like on Earth, emergency training is also practiced in space to make sure that when there is a real threat, crew members are ready to act. In the picture, ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst wears a mask during an emergency training session held on August 28, 2018. In school, he was a volunteer firefighter.
Fire or poisonous leaks are serious problems on the space station, because people live in a closed system, where it’s impossible to open a window or get out. They should assemble in a safe place at the station, where there is access to Soyuz spacecraft, which function as lifeboats and can take them home if irreparable occurs. Last week, flight control noticed a slight loss of pressure on the ISS. She was so small that no emergency was declared. But the astronauts gathered and found the leak using an ultrasonic sniffer. The problem was in the Soyuz orbital module, so it was quickly resolved. Alexander wrote on Twitter “how valuable emergency training can be. We were able to find a leak in the Union thanks to the cooperation and coordinated work of the crew and control center. ”
