ISS Crew Briefly Shelters Following Air Leaks
Is Russia's negligence putting lives at risk or is this a complex engineering mystery beyond blame?
Above: Crew-12 astronauts walk to SpaceX Dragon launch in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Feb. 13. Image credit: Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images
The Spin
Narrative A
Russia's shoddy materials on the ISS have caused a dangerous, growing air leak that's been ignored for years. The U.S. has no business continuing to partner with Russia in space when its negligence is putting astronauts' lives at risk. It's time to cut ties and stop pretending this cooperation is working.
Narrative B
The Zvezda module air leak is a complex engineering failure that neither NASA nor Russia fully understands. Microscopic cracks have stumped engineers since 2019, with multiple repair attempts only partially reducing a leak now rated at the highest risk level. Blaming one side misses the point.