By the time the cosmonaut spotted the 'blob,' it had already made its way to his safety tether.
Spacecraft are engineered with numerous complex components, including engines, steering systems, and communication systems. Among these is the coolant, a crucial element of the spacecraft’s thermal control system, designed to regulate temperatures inside the craft. In October 2023, a team of Russian cosmonauts found a leak in their spacecraft’s coolant, leading to the discovery of a potentially toxic blob. When they reported it to Roscosmos, the Russian Space Agency, they were instructed to leave the area immediately.
Two October spacewalks have been postponed to give ground teams time to look at data from a faulty backup radiator on the @Space_Station. New dates will be announced later. Details: https://t.co/ExK7Djc47d pic.twitter.com/ld5UVo1yUD
— NASA (@NASA) October 11, 2023
Cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub of Roscosmos were aboard the International Space Station (ISS) when they discovered a leak from a backup radiator on the Nauka module, launched in 2021. On October 25, as reported by Space.com, Kononenko and Chub conducted a spacewalk to fix the leak.
Two spacewalks are postponed as mission managers continue reviewing data from a coolant leak on a backup radiator that has now ceased. https://t.co/pki3w7RcKB
— International Space Station (@Space_Station) October 11, 2023
Kononenko initially reported, "The radiator is clean. I don't see anything...I do not see any traces of coolant," as per CBS. However, soon enough, he stumbled upon a cluster of “holes” or “black spots” on the radiator panel while he was inspecting the source of the leak. "The holes have very even edges like they've been drilled through," Kononenko was quoted as saying by Space.com, "There are lots of them. They are spread in a chaotic manner."
Cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub opened the hatch on the Poisk module at 1:49pm ET, beginning their seven-hour spacewalk. https://t.co/TaSs6UROBD
— International Space Station (@Space_Station) October 25, 2023
At this time, the cosmonauts were equipped with cloth towels to soak up any liquid pooling outwards, but the “droplets” had clumped together to form a gigantic “blob” around the leaking coolant body. This made it impossible for them to stop the water blob with pieces of cloth. When this blob reached Kononenko’s safety tether, he was ordered to leave the area immediately by ISS. A rescue spacewalk was arranged, and the cosmonauts left the site.
A helmet cam view from cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko shows spacewalker Nikolai Chub inspecting and photographing the external radiator on the Nauka module. Watch live… https://t.co/cx8fKGlctT pic.twitter.com/xGpUvABOXu
— International Space Station (@Space_Station) October 25, 2023
They fitted a small radar antenna to the module’s outer side and launched a nano-satellite that failed to sail. Kononenko then secured the tether inside a bag, in case it was contaminated with ammonia or other toxic substances. As per NASA, a spacecraft’s coolant has heated ammonia that circulates through the radiators located on the exterior of the ISS. The ammonia circulates in loops and releases the waste heat into space through radiation. While inspecting the coolant leak, Kononenko was doubtful that the ammonia might have seeped inside his safety tether. And so, they retreated from the area.
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After a 7-hour and 41-minute spacewalk, the hatch shut closed on October 26. It was Chub’s first spacewalk, and the sixth for Kononenko. After this, engineers were examining the possible causes behind the coolant leak. Although the exact source of the leak was not identified, it was said that the radiator, which the cosmonauts isolated, would be fixed in a future spacewalk.
Cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub concluded a seven-hour and 41-minute spacewalk today at 9:30pm ET after inspecting an external backup radiator and installing communications hardware. This marks Kononenko’s sixth spacewalk and Chub’s first. https://t.co/xlTxqZYbVh
— International Space Station (@Space_Station) October 26, 2023