“It will destroy not only astronauts, but also the reputation of NASA”

The International Space Station must be evacuated immediately, a British expert urges, arguing that too late an evacuation “could lead to a disaster that will destroy not only astronauts, but also the reputation of NASA.”

NASA astronauts must evacuate the International Space Station (ISS) immediately to avoid a fatal disaster, a space expert has warned. Nick Pope, a former civil servant who once ran the British government’s UFO project, told MailOnline that the U.S. space agency’s “wait and see” stance could be devastating.

“If this is done too late, it could lead to a catastrophe that will destroy not only the astronauts, but also the reputation of NASA,” he said.

His warning, writes the Daily Mail, came after NASA said it was monitoring 50 “problem areas” related to the growing leak on the ISS.

American astronauts were ordered to wait near the emergency hatch in case of emergency evacuation, when the hatch leading to the leaky section was opened. NASA has now categorized the leak as “highly hazardous to safety.”

However, it insists that its astronauts will remain aboard the station. But with NASA and Roscosmos failing to patch or even detect the leak, concerns about the safety of the ISS are now mounting, according to the Daily Mail.

The leak was first discovered in 2019 in the passage tunnel of the Russian Zvezda service module, which provides the station’s living quarters, life support systems, power distribution and data processing, flight control and propulsion systems, writes the Daily Mail.

However, despite space agencies covering potential cracks with a “combination of sealant and patches,” the leak has only been getting worse in recent years.

In February, NASA was forced to hold a press conference on the matter as the amount of air escaping temporarily increased from 0.2 pounds per day (0.09 kg) to 2.4 pounds (1.08 kg) per day. Then, in April, the leak reached record levels, resulting in a daily loss of 3,7 pounds (1,68 kg) of air, according to a report by NASA’s Office of Inspector General (OIG).

As the leak continues to increase, the situation was declared “extremely dangerous for safety” in September of this year and reached the highest level on NASA’s risk scale.

NASA officials say they have reached an agreement with Roscosmos to open the hatch in the leaky section only when necessary and keep it closed in the evenings. Whenever the hatch is open, NASA instructs all astronauts to stay on the U.S. side of the station so that in the event of an emergency, they can be closer to their spacecraft.

However, Nick Pope says this puts NASA in a “difficult position.” He argues: “Evacuating too early from the ISS would widen the gap between NASA and Elon Musk and make NASA look like a waning force, but evacuating too late could lead to disaster.”

While NASA claims that the Zvezda module’s hatch remains as closed as possible, if leaks become severe, the station could quickly lose pressure and oxygen. In the event of such an emergency, all astronauts will need to board their assigned “lifeboats” docked to the station.

The capsules were equipped with emergency suits, allowing the crew to quickly don the appropriate gear when leaving the orbiting laboratory, further saving valuable time.

NASA’s Commercial Crew Program Manager Steve Stitch said that in the event of an emergency, SpaceX’s Dragon could be launched within minutes. However, the US space agency also admitted that the ISS is not sufficiently prepared for capsule failures, which could put some astronauts in a difficult position.

The OIG report states: “Due to high costs and limited budgets, the lack of ready-to-launch vehicles prevents the Agency from being able to respond immediately if crew vehicles suffer significant damage and become unsafe for crew evacuation.”

In the event of a collision with a micrometeor or a piece of space debris, this could lead to a situation in which astronauts will not be able to leave the damaged station, writes the Daily Mail.

NASA says a collision of this kind could result in “serious damage or catastrophic failure and could pose a threat to astronauts.”

However, due to the cost of upgrades in space, NASA said it would not provide any additional shields to protect the station from objects larger than 3 cm.

Nick Pope adds: “Space is inherently dangerous and the space programme carries a degree of risk. But when people’s lives are at stake, the wait-and-see option has more serious consequences.”

However, not all experts are convinced that a leak from the Zvezda module could lead to a catastrophic failure.

Dr Simeon Barber, a space specialist at the Open University, told MailOnline: “While this is considered a top priority to be addressed, it does not put astronauts in immediate danger.”

By closing the hatch on the Zvezda, you can prevent a leak, no matter how quickly it occurs, writes the Daily Mail.

“The problem is that if the leak gets too bad, they may have to leave the hatch permanently closed, which means that the docking ports behind the hatch cannot be used,” says Dr. Barber.

While this would make it difficult to resupply the space station, it would ensure that the station could continue to function. While this may not pose a threat to human life, experts say it could lead to NASA decommissioning the station earlier than planned.

The ISS has already been in orbit 10 years longer than originally thought, and its aging systems are showing serious signs of wear and tear, the Daily Mail notes.

If the Zvezda module had to be pressurized, the loss of air would mean that the station would need to be replenished more frequently, as it became increasingly difficult to do so.

Independent spaceflight safety expert Laura Forcik told MailOnline: “If the leaks on the ISS increase significantly to the point that NASA and Russia conclude that the situation is unsafe, this could mean the ISS will be taken out of service sooner than expected.”

NASA currently claims that the station remains safe and says it is working with Roscosmos to resolve the issue as soon as possible. A NASA spokesperson told MailOnline: “NASA and Roscosmos continue to evaluate onboard and ground test data with the primary goal of identifying the root cause, better understanding the risk to station operations, and conducting repairs.”