A Russian spacecraft docked at the International Space Station (ISS) brought not only cargo but also an unpleasant smell. The odor was strong enough to prompt astronauts to close the connecting hatch and initiate contamination procedures.
The Progress-90 cargo spacecraft docked with the Russian “Poisk” module at 9:31 AM EST on Saturday, November 23, delivering around three tons of food, fuel, and supplies for Expedition 72’s crew. Upon opening the hatch, crew members detected a foul smell and droplets coming from the spacecraft. Roscosmos cosmonauts immediately closed the hatch, fearing potential contamination, as reported by RussianSpaceWeb.com through communications between NASA’s Mission Control in Houston and ISS astronauts.
NASA confirmed the reports, adding that the smell posed no safety risk to the ISS crew. “The station’s air scrubbers and contamination sensors monitored the station’s atmosphere after the observation,” NASA stated on X. “By Sunday afternoon, flight controllers determined the air quality aboard the station was normal. The crew is now working to reopen the hatch between ‘Poisk’ and ‘Progress,’ while all other station operations remain on schedule.”
The Progress-90 spacecraft will stay docked at the ISS for about six months before reentering Earth’s atmosphere in a fiery descent, where it will burn up along with any waste loaded onto it by the crew.
The Russian segment of the ISS is showing signs of wear and tear. In 2019, an air leak was detected in the vestibule connecting the “Zvezda” module’s docking port, launched in 2000. Earlier this year, NASA raised the air leak’s risk level to its highest rating, as the leakage rate doubled from one pound of air per day to slightly over two pounds. The cause of the leak remains disputed between NASA and Roscosmos.
Additionally, Russian spacecraft have faced coolant issues, with two incidents occurring in 2022. In December, a leak was observed in the Soyuz spacecraft docked at the ISS, followed by a similar issue in February 2022 with the Progress-82 cargo craft.
Tensions between NASA and Roscosmos remain high, as the latter hesitates to commit to ISS operations until 2028, with the station expected to be decommissioned by 2030. Aging equipment is showing wear from the harsh space environment, but both agencies disagree on the severity of the problems.
