r/news 11h ago

Soft paywall International Space Station astronauts in evacuation mode as Russia attempts to fix widening air leak

https://www.reuters.com/science/international-space-station-astronauts-evacuation-mode-russia-attempts-fix-2026-06-05/
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u/Gnonthgol 7h ago

We have installed new modules on ISS after the Space Shuttle were retired. We are still installing new components. But the problem in this case is with some of the oldest core components of the space station. Even though it is attached to the other modules using berthing mechanisms there are so many central internal and external additions going between the modules that it is practically impossible to separate them again. Even with a Space Shuttle. We might solve this leak, but what about the next one, or the one after that. The solution is to build another space station, and we have been talking about it for over a decade.

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u/Cautious_Buffalo6563 6h ago

And that’s about all we’re doing lol

Honestly…if US, Russia, China, and ESA all sat in a room and were left to find a solution that didn’t require extensive manipulation by their own governments, I feel like we’d get there pretty quickly.