It’s a shocking situation that three astronauts may be stranded on the International Space Station (ISS) as a result of a disturbing coolant leak discovered in Soyuz spacecraft.
The leak was discovered on April 11 and is believed to have originated from a space suit worn by Russian cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev during a spacewalk. The incident has caused Russian space agency Roscosmos to cancel upcoming missions and to replace the Soyuz spacecraft that will be used for the next planned mission to the ISS.
The incident has led to three astronauts being unable to return home, at least for now. Russian Cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev, American astronaut Anne McClain, and German astronaut Alexander Gerst are currently on the ISS and would normally be expected to return home in a Soyuz capsule. However, with the damaged capsule no longer available and the scheduled replacements not yet ready, it is unclear when they will be able to return.
The three astronauts now have no other choice but to continue living and working on the ISS until the problem can be resolved. They will, of course, still conduct research and experiments while they wait, and will be kept updated on the latest developments.
Although this is an unexpected predicament, it is not the first time astronauts have been stranded on the ISS. A similar situation occurred in 2015 when NASA astronauts Terry Virts and Scott Kelly, together with Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko, were stranded due to Russian Soyuz rocket failures. They returned to Earth safely in 2016 and now these three astronauts will surely hope to experience the same.
The current incident is particularly worrying given that the astronauts are not able to return to Earth in the event of an emergency. Everyone affected is being closely monitored, and three replacements may be sent to the station in August if the Soyuz spacecraft is not ready in time. Fortunately, the ISS has a large supply of resources and adequate systems for providing for crew members in the long term, allowing them to stay on board for an extended period without interruption to their work.
It is hoped that the Soyuz leak will be identified and the rocket repaired soon, allowing the three astronauts to return home at the earliest opportunity. In the meantime, their safety and security is the main priority for their families, the space agencies, and the world.
