Evaluation reveals 0.8mm hole in Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft — "not very pleasant", replacement being prepared [Roscosmos/TASS]

Submitted by Riegel_Haribo t3_zr9ndh in space

Reddit doesn't allow links to TASS...so the unadulterated source:

MOSCOW, December 19. /TASS/. A preliminary inspection of the Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft docked to the International Space Station (ISS) revealed a tiny hole in the spaceship’s instrumentation compartment, Roscosmos Head Yury Borisov said on Monday.

"The preliminary inspection revealed that there is a tiny hole there measuring about 0.8mm, which caused the leak," the daily Izvestia quoted the Roscosmos chief as saying.

The Roscosmos head characterized the situation as "not very pleasant." However, he rejected the speculation that the temperature inside the spaceship had increased to plus 50 degrees Celsius.

On December 15, a drop in pressure in the Soyuz MS-22 manned spacecraft’s external cooling loop was recorded as Russian cosmonauts were preparing for their scheduled spacewalk. A visual inspection of the spacecraft from the orbital outpost confirmed the coolant leak, which cancelled the spacewalk.

As Roscosmos reported, Roscosmos flight controllers conducted a series of tests of the Soyuz MS-22 spaceship’s systems, including a test of its propulsion control system that involved short-term activation of its berthing and attitude thrusters. The tests revealed that there were no other faults found.

The temperature inside the Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft has stabilized at plus 30 degrees Celsius, Roscosmos said.

"In the first days after the leak, the tests of the systems revealed that the temperature reached plus 30 degrees Celsius in the Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft’s habitation module and plus 40 degrees Celsius in its instrumentation/equipment compartment. However, in the last few days, as the spaceship’s systems were switched off, the temperature in its compartments stabilized at plus 30 degrees Celsius," Roscosmos said.

The temperature increase inside the Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft is within acceptable limits and uncritical both for equipment and the cosmonauts’ health in case of their presence inside the spaceship, Roscosmos said.

(Soyuz is not on Izvestia's website articles page, and Google won't translate the HTML to English anyway)

(the Soyuz spacecraft docked to ISS formerly being the return trip home for two cosmonauts and one astronaut)

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ttystikk t1_j12fvuk wrote

No discussion of the possible causes of such a hole. Simple speculation suggests a micro meteor/space junk collision.

Does the loss of the cooling system mean that it can't be flown to re-entry? Can the leak be fixed and the system recharged in orbit? On the ground, such a fix would be straightforward and within the skill set of most refrigeration techs.

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Ramental t1_j135bj0 wrote

+30 with everything shut down would mean it's about to get hotter once the electronics and engines are fired. Unclear by how much, but it's risky if the astronauts get a heat stroke or even die from overheating during the return. During the descendant stage when the capsule gets heated by friction it might be far worse and they boil alive, but I'm speculating here.

From what I just googled, seems like there are no welding tools on ISS due to the heat control problems that'd happen if one uses it. Replacing the tubes is also likely no possible (where would they get parts). We also don't know if there is a way to refill the coolant.

Perhaps there is a reserve loop, then it could be used. Otherwise, unlikely it can be repaired in space.

My bet is that it won't be used for the return. At least the US will back off, likely. Russia will probably follow, because Russia has far smaller pool of the astronauts, and having 2 of them dead would be unpleasant, but could still be presented as a sick twisted victory if an American died with them. If Russians die alone - that would be just a sign of incompetence and a failure of another of limited propaganda pillars Russia has.

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ttystikk t1_j1364x8 wrote

This is space, not stupid war propaganda. They're working together on the problem.

If the cooling system is necessary for re-entry they have a problem. I can say for certain that such a cooling system is NOT the difference between boiling occupants alive (they're also in space suits for the trip) and a successful return. It's likely needed for electronics.

I'm looking forward to hearing more about this situation as it unfolds.

These kinds of collisions are about to get a lot more common and that's a big problem for everyone flying in space.

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oldbastardbob t1_j145pzz wrote

I can't wait for some multi-billion dollar space program launch to get peppered with Starlink space cubes as it leaves the atmosphere. That'll be something.

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trashae t1_j14idu8 wrote

That’s unlikely to happen. Starlink knows the location of their hardware and shares that with people. I like to compare it to the asteroid belt where sure there is an area you’re more likely to hit something, but the odds are still astronomically low

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RifewithWit t1_j16ga9j wrote

They're also in an unstable orbit, and require direct control to keep them aloft. In the event that one becomes unresponsive or is damaged, it will de-orbit with a month or two, iirc, and burn up on reentry.

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the_fungible_man t1_j12fer5 wrote

>the Soyuz spacecraft docked to ISS formerly being the return trip home for two cosmonauts and one astronaut

formerly? That's still to be decided.

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ZedZero12345 t1_j133rf7 wrote

They saw the hole in the instrument panel. But did it zing all the way through the capsule? Is the radiator piping near the panel?

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Riegel_Haribo OP t1_j13gmjy wrote

The instrumentation/service module is the wide end part of a Soyuz that has propulsion, antennas, and solar panels. It also has radiators and coolers. One of the statements is that a radiator is what was punctured.

Here is a picture of the spacecraft, with the ISM on left and radiators mounted externally, along with the many hoses and cabling that are then covered with an external thermal blanket.

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ZedZero12345 t1_j168ie3 wrote

Thanks, I appreciate it. I thought they were talking about the dashboard.

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AwfulEveryone t1_j12hqac wrote

What is the background to this story? Why is there an increased temperature in the module?

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Riegel_Haribo OP t1_j12kglr wrote

The Soyuz MS-22 mission spacecraft is docked at the Russian segment of the International Space Station. It delivered three crew on September 21. It is also the same return vehicle (and emergency egress) for that personnel. It began unexpectedly leaking coolant into space December 15.

Coolant circulates through all three parts of the craft and external radiators to manage temperature of equipment and habitable space, as the "cold" vacuum of space alone doesn't cool the craft (that also is in unfiltered sunlight the majority of the orbit).

roscosmos.ru is unreachable, but here is a human translation of their update: https://twitter.com/katlinegrey/status/1604818480259366912 "Soyuz MS-23 can be prepared for flight by February"

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AwfulEveryone t1_j12nkfe wrote

Thank you, that tweet explained everything beautifully!

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Triabolical_ t1_j14hm5j wrote

Interestingly, the hard part for spacecraft is staying cool rather than staying warm, because the only way to get rid of heat is to radiate it away. ISS has big radiators, and shuttle had radiators on the inside of the payload doors.

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