Nobody is sure. The best gamble is that the seals on the hatch that leads to the PRK module in one way or another. In this scenario, the pressure of the station feeds the leak in the PRK module through these seals, which leads to a stable pressure inside -it seems as if the PRK module leaks are being fully repaired.
At the moment NASA keeps an eye on the current leak and is preparing for every option. A senior branch source told Ars that the NASA leadership of the Space Station program is “worried” about the leak and the implications of it.
This is a reason why the space agency was launching a commercial mission with four astronauts delayed the space station, Axiom-4, on Thursday.
“The postponement of Axiom Mission 4 offers extra time for NASA and Roscosmos to evaluate the situation and determine whether extra problem solving is needed,” NASA said in a statement. “A new launch date for the fourth private Astronaut mission will be provided as soon as it is available.”
One source indicated that the new provisional launch date is now June 18. However, this depends on the resolution that is available for the leaking problem.
What is the worst that could happen?
The worst-case scenario for the space station is that the current leaks are a harbinger of a phenomenon known as “high cycle tiredness”, which influences metal, including aluminum. Remember that once you bend a metal clothing hanger, it bends. But if you bend it back and forth several times, it will click. This is because, if the metal fatigue, it harmes and ultimately cuts. This happens suddenly and without warning, as was the case with an Aloha Airlines flight in 1988.
The care is that some of these metal structures on board the station can fail quickly and catastrophic. Accordingly, NASA has classified the structural cracking problem on the space station as the highest level of care at its 5V5 risicomatrix in its earlier assessments to measure the probability and severity of the risks for the space station.
In the meantime, the Space Agency has not appeared with additional information. Despite many questions from Ars Technica and other publications, NASA has not planned a press conference or something else about the leaks that go beyond mentioning: “The crew on board the international space station carries safely normal activities.”
