International Space Station ‘leak’ was DELIBERATE sabotage caused by mystery man using a drill to bore ‘dangerous’ hole, Russia sensationally claims
An anonymous source suggested the hole was made by accident, by a worker who then tried to patch it
THE head of the Russian Space Agency has claimed a leak on the International Space Station could have been deliberate sabotage.
Space agency chief Dmitry Rogozin said the hole was make by a drill, either while the capsule was on Earth or in space, by someone with a "wavering hand".
A commission had been set up to identify the saboteur, Rogozin said.
Rogozin said the situation was a "matter of honour" for the Russian manufacturer who make the Soyuz space craft.
The 2mm-wide hole was only noticed after an astronaut noted a pressure drop on August 29.
If it had not been noticed the astronauts would have run out of air in 18 days.
It was originally thought to have been caused by a small piece of space debris.
If it were caused by a drill, markings around it suggest the culprit had several attempts at making the hole.
"There were several attempts at drilling," Rogozin said late Monday.
"What is this: a production defect or some premeditated actions?"
Another anonymous source suggested the hole was unintentional but the worker hid their mistake with a seal instead of reporting it.
The current crew of the ISS:
- Oleg Artemyev - pilot and cosmonaut of the Russian Federation
- Commander Drew Feustel - NASA astranaut specialising in Geological Sciences
- Ricky Arnold - NASA astranaut
- Sergey Prokopyev - Russian cosmonaut
- Alexander Gerst - German geophysicist and astranaut
- Serena Auñón-Chancellor - NASA astranaut and medical expert
If it were made on the ground, the patched held for two months before the seal broke.
The £115billion ISS project is a massive international effort, and one of the few operations between US and Russia unaffected by the country's domestic disputes.
Both had argued how to fix the hole.
Russia wanted to use a special glue to seal the hole, while the US feared the substance's expanding qualities might cause more damage.
The glue has been used, and the pressure remains stable.
The patch is not in a section of the Soyuz that will be used to transport astronauts back to Earth.
The leak was detected on Wednesday night, with initial suggestions being it was caused by a micrometeorite strike when it caused a small drop in cabin pressure.
It was traced to a hole about 2 millimetres across in a capsule docked at the space station.
European Space Agency astronaut Alexander Gerst reportedly put his finger over the hole initially, before crew patched it with tape.
During a live feed from the ISS, Nasa's ground control were heard to comment: "Right now Alex has got his finger on that hole and I don't think that's the best remedy for it."
The makeshift repairs seemed to have stabilised the situation, at least for now, officials said.
Nasa and Russian space officials stressed the six astronauts were in no danger.
A Nasa spokesman said it was premature to speculate on whether they might have to return to Earth early if the leak, even as small as it is, cannot be stopped.
The 250-mile-high outpost is home to three Americans, two Russians and one German. Orbital debris is a constant threat, even the tiniest specks.
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