This December 1998 image shows crew members of Space Shuttle Mission STS-88 transferring from the U.S.-built Unity node (bottom), to the Russian-built Zarya Module.
Russian cosmonauts found cracks in the Zarya module on the International Space Station (ISS). They are worried that the fissures might spread over time. A senior space official reported this Monday, August 30.
According to Reuters, Vladimir Solovyov (chief engineer at rocket and space company Energia), stated that superficial fissures were found in certain places on Zarya's Zarya module. This is a bad sign that the fissures could spread over time. NASA reveals that the Zarya module (also known as the Functional Cargo Block) was the first component to the ISS to be launched. It was launched on Nov. 20, 1998.
According to Reuters, Solovyov stated recently that the ISS is starting to show its age. He also warned of an "avalanche” of equipment failures after 2025.
Related: 7 common things that happen in space strangely
These cracks have emerged in the wake of several recent events on the ISS. Space.com reported that in March, Russian cosmonauts closed two cracks approximately as large as human hairs within the Zvezda Module. The Zvezda module houses two cosmonauts. It also supports the station's life support system and backup life support systems. NASA and Roscosmos, Russia's space agency, had been searching for the source of an apparent air leak in the module for several months.
According to Space.com, in August, the Russian research module Nauka's jet thrusters suddenly fired, pushing the station out of its place. Hours earlier, the module had docked at the station. When the thrusters suddenly failed to fire, Nauka tried to pull the ISS away from its docking point.
According to Reuters, Russian officials claimed that the incident was caused by a software bug and a human error.
Learn more about the cracks in Zarya's module from Reuters
Original publication on Live Science
