According to RIA, both the smoke and fire alarms were activated early Thursday morning aboard the Russian Zvezda module at the International Space Station.
Crew members reported that they smelled burnt plastic and saw smoke, which was a frightening prospect for anyone trapped in a small space station. This is especially concerning considering that microgravity can cause materials to combust, NASA research shows.
According to RIA, Oleg Novitsky and Thomas Pesquet, European Space Agency astronauts, first smelled an odor coming from the Russian segment at around 5 AM Moscow time (10 PM Eastern). We still don't know why.
Pesquet has not yet commented on the incident on his fairly active Twitter account.
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Roscosmos updated the situation and said that crew were able to return to their beds last night after activating air filters.
All systems work normally and the composition of the air aboard the station is consistent with the standard parameters. This statement was translated by William Harwood, CBS News reporter.
According to the agency, the incident did not even delay a scheduled space walk for today.
This is a serious incident, and it's sure to cause concern given Russia's recent plans to close the station by 2025. Russia's state news increasingly discusses the alarming state of the orbital outpost.
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Vladimir Solovyov (chief engineer at Russian space company Energia), warned last week that parts of the ISS might be beyond repair.
According to the BBC, Solovyov said that irreparable failures could occur literally a day after [in-flight] systems have exhausted completely.
Although it is too early to draw conclusions, Solovyov's comments are certainly intriguing. Although we have not yet found the cause of the smoke, it is possible to draw some conclusions based on recent events.
Russian authorities noticed several cracks and air leaks that allowed air to slowly escape into open space. However, both Roscosmos as NASA maintained that no crew was in danger.
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According to Solovyov, superficial fissures were found on Zarya's Zarya module. This was reported by Reuters. This is a bad sign and could mean that fissures will spread in the future.
Russia seems ready to look beyond the ISS. There is a possibility that the outpost may be getting old. Russia's state news seems to be keen to portray the ISS as a preordained conclusion that it is not worth saving.
In the coming years, the country will establish its own space station.
NASA continues to work with international partners to determine how to dispose off the station once its days are over in ten years.
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As the ISS enters its 22nd consecutive year of continuous operation, incidents like these are likely to increase in frequency. It is not clear what the future holds for the outpost. We can only hope that the outpost's crews are not in serious danger.
READ MORE: International Space Station fire alarms sound [The Guardian]
More about the ISS: Some Astronauts refuse to put pineapple on Space Pizza
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