Members of the ISS crew found a small hole in the upper orbital module of the Soyuz spacecraft (left) on August 30, 2018. Russian officials say the hole most likely appeared on Earth
The Russian news agency TASS reported that the Soyuz spacecraft, which last week saw a hole, was damaged on Earth. On August 29, the ISS controllers recorded a slight decrease in pressure. Crew members received a warning and found a 2mm hole in the Union’s top orbital module, which arrived at the station in June.
Spacecraft commander cosmonaut Sergei Prokopiev laid a hole with epoxy resin. It is important to note that this problem has never jeopardized the lives of crew members.
But the reason is still under investigation. Previously it was thought that the whole thing was a strike from a micrometeorite, but now they are increasingly suspecting the fact of human error. The fact is that the hole is endowed with a clear round shape, which speaks of the drilling mechanism. Perhaps the “incident” occurred during the final assembly or testing of the Union. This was September 6 reported TASS. Both of these processes were carried out in the Russian aerospace company Energia in the city of Korolev (near Moscow). There is an assumption that the damage was received by the ship in the hangar during the final assembly. Or during the testing period before the Union was taken to Baikonur. Recall that astronauts use exclusively Soyuz ships to send to the ISS since 2011, when the US completed missions of space shuttles.
TASS also reported that in the hangar is closely monitored security. And the guards check all the staff at the entrance and exit. Representatives of “Energy” are now conducting their own investigation of the event.
