ISS Crew on Alert as Air Leak Doubles, Prompting Evacuation Concerns

Red alert has been sounded aboard the International Space Station as a worsening air leak in the Russian segment has doubled the rate of atmospheric loss. US and Russian space agencies, NASA and Roscosmos, are on high alert, with the leak rate now at two pounds per day, up from one pound.

The sudden escalation has forced NASA's control center to place the crew on a precautionary evacuation status. This situation underscores the challenges posed by the ISS's aging infrastructure and the persistent technical disagreements between American and Russian experts regarding the station's safety.

Russian cosmonauts are actively working to seal the leak, while the pressure inside the station is being monitored minute by minute. The incident reignites a long-standing dispute between NASA and Roscosmos over technical malfunctions and repair methods for the "Zvezda" service module, a critical component of the football-field-sized orbiting laboratory.

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the rate of air loss, which was previously considered controllable, has doubled instantaneously, increasing from one pound (about 450 grams) to two pounds per day.