"This is a bad sign and indicates that fissures will spread over time."
Crack Epidemic
Russian cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station discovered new cracks in the wall that was protecting the outpost. Reuters reports that they are warning that the cracks could become larger.
According to Reuters, Vladimir Solovyov (chief engineer at Russian space company Energia), superficial fissures were found on Zarya's Zarya module. This is a bad sign and could mean that fissures will spread in the future.
This is yet another indication that the ISS is beginning to age. The station, which has been permanently occupied for more than 20 years now, is beginning to show cracks and fissures. However, this could change within a few years.
Equipment failure
Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, reported last month that pressure levels at Zvezda's service module Zvezda were falling due to an air leak.
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According to Reuters, Solovyov noted that the ISS will likely suffer an avalanche in equipment failures after 2025.
Smear Campaign
This weeks report must be taken with a grain o' salt. Russia has announced that it will end its space station operations by 2025.
Russia's state news also used evidence from space station breaches to demonize NASA personnel, possibly to distract its newly arrived Nauka Module. This caused the station to flip one and a half times after thrusters went rogue following docking.
Cosmonauts last saw cracks in the Russian Zvezda Module. After over a year's worth of diligent sleuthing, crews were able pinpoint the location of tiny cracks.
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Roscosmos as well as NASA maintained throughout the search that no stationed crews were in danger.
NASA has not confirmed the existence of the cracks. This is bad news, even if Russia is using them to discredit the station operations or to justify an early withdrawal.
READ MORE: Russian cosmonauts discover new cracks in the ISS module [Reuters]
More cracks: Cosmonauts are STILL Hunting for the Damn Leak at the ISS, Russian Media Reports
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