Move FM Global News

MOSCOW, Russia: Staffs on Earth and in the International Space Station are working to correct a drop in air pressure, the head of Russia’s Roscosmos space agency said on Saturday.

The drop in pressure has been confined to a Russian service module which appears to have been caused by an air leak.

Space officials now say that pressure inside the Space Station had fallen over a two-week period.

The air leak has been located in an isolated transfer chamber in the Russian service module. Pressure is expected to be raised in the next 24 hours, officials said in a statement.

Pressure in the Russian service module dropped on July 29 to about one-third of its level on July 14.

Russian officials said the air leak is located in the module which provides living quarters for crew members and life support systems. While it was detected last year, it has been a continual problem, despite efforts to repair it.

Officials said the air leak poses no danger to the crew.

On Saturday, meanwhile, the Russian crew returned to the research module after the air was tested and cleaned.

Russian scientists met this week to discuss the future use of the Russian module on the Space Station.

“The chief constructors council noted after considering the current condition of the Russian ISS segment that the use of the Russian ISS segment after 2024 creates additional risks due to the aging of equipment,” officials said.