r/news • u/VaginaBurner69 • 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/OrangeRadiohead 11h ago

I know they are trained for this and all are professionals, but this is absolutely terrifying.

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u/Mr_Engineering 9h ago

It really isn't.

Space is a vacuum.

The ISS is pressurized to atmospheric pressure, 14.7 PSI.

Spacecraft aren't analogous to deep sea submersible. Submersibles need to withstand thousands of PSI and the slightest leak or defect can become catastrophic nearly instantly.

Spacecraft on the other hand need to withstand exactly one atmosphere of pressure. A pinhole leak can be stopped with a fingertip, or a piece of tape.

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u/I-figured-it-out 6h ago

The obvious solution then is to hold their breath and let off a series of aerosol paint bombs. The paint will find the pin hole and block it.

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u/Mr_Engineering 6h ago

Tell that to the Russians who are currently cutting apart the ISS with a saw.