The International Space Station (ISS) is aging in earth orbit and has to fight again with problems: cracks in the oldest module “Zarya”. What’s next?
Moscow / Frankfurt – The International Space Station (ISS) has been permanently inhabited for more than 20 years, but the parts of the huge space station that were first sent into orbit are significantly older: In November 1998, the first module of the ISS, the Russian module “Zarya” (“Dawn”) transported into orbit by a cargo rocket. For some time now, the age of the International Space Station has been noticeable: problems with systems on board the ISS or cracks are found time and again.
This time, the cracks were discovered in the oldest ISS module “Zarya”: “Superficial cracks were found in some places in the Zarya module,” said Vladimir Solovyov, chief engineer of the Moscow company Energia, which is the main contractor for the Russian space program, to the state Russian news agency RIA. “That is bad and indicates that the cracks will spread over time.” The cracks were found by cosmonauts inside. It is still unclear whether valuable oxygen has already escaped through the cracks into space.
International Space Station (ISS): Cracks are discovered again and again
It is not the first time that cracks have been found in the ISS. Cracks have already been found and sealed several times in the Russian “Svesda” module, but the problem has still not been resolved. Most recently, at the end of July, Russia reported a drop in pressure in the “Svesda” module, which includes sleeping places for astronauts and life support systems. “It was an expected drop in the still problematic Svesda module,” tweeted Roskosmos boss Dmitry Rogozin in response. A few years ago, a hole was discovered in a Soyuz capsule, and it is still not entirely clear how it came about.
Nasa lost control of the International Space Station
But the problems of the International Space Station are not only related to aging material: At the end of July, the US space agency Nasa lost control of the ISS for a while. A new Russian module (“Nauka”) had docked with the space station and then ignited its engines. The ISS got out of control and rotated 540 degrees – until the fuel in the module was empty. Nasa also lost contact with the crew several times.
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How things will continue with the aging space station is currently open: In Russia, people are talking louder and louder about an end to the commitment and that the parts installed have exceeded their warranty period. Russia is currently openly planning its own space station, and a lunar station is to be built together with China. Use of the ISS will currently expire in 2024. There are plans to continue using part of the ISS for a private space station, but the last word has not yet been spoken. How things will continue with the International Space Station ISS should one day be abandoned, there are different approaches for this – from crashes to spare parts storage. (Tanja Banner)
