Russian engineers are trying to figure out what caused a coolant spill on the International Space Station.
Two cosmonauts were about to take a spacewalk outside the station when a coolant leak occurred. Russia's space agency canceled the spacewalk and put it on hold as they investigate the cause of the leak. On Friday, NASA delayed a planned U.S. spacewalk to December 21, as the work continues on the Russian space station.
At 3:08 a.m., Russian engineers ordered the SoyuzMS-22 to fire its engines. They are investigating on Friday. According to NASA, the leak was traced to an exterior loop on the spaceship.
An expert warns about the possibility of a leak on the space station.
The systems that were tested were nominal according to NASA. The temperatures and humidity within the spaceship are within limits.
According to a translation from Russian, an update on Telegram stated that the temperature inside the Soyuz was within operational limits. The statement said that it was a slight temperature change.
The Soyuz MS-22 is docked to a Russian port on the Earth-facing side of the station. It launched to the station in September to deliver Russian cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin and NASA astronaut Frank Rubio to the orbiting lab. It was Prokopyev and Petelin who were planning to take a spacewalk when the leak began on Wednesday evening. By midday Thursday (Dec. 15), most of the coolant had leaked out, NASA said.
Russian engineers are working to determine the health of the Soyuz spacecraft, but whether it can still be used to return its crew to Earth as planned in 2023 is unclear.
Some signs of damage have been reported after a European-built robotic arm was used to inspect the Soyuz capsule. The Canadarm2 will be used by NASA to inspect the Soyuz on Sunday.
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