Russia Has a Plan To Save 3 Crew Members Of Space Station

To return three crew members, Sergey Prokopyev, Dmitry Petelin, and Francisco Rubio, the Russian space agency Roscosmos will launch an empty spacecraft to the International Space Station (ISS) in late February. After the Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft experienced a leak in December while it was docked at the International Space Station (ISS), which resulted in the loss of a significant volume of coolant, the agency has been evaluating a number of solutions. A return trip in the damaged capsule was deemed too unsafe for the three crew members by Russian authorities after an assessment since the temperature and humidity could increase to unacceptable levels without the coolant. So, on February 20, it will deploy a second Soyuz spacecraft to the ISS and return the currently parked vessel for examination. Photo Credit: The Guardian The head of Roscosmos, Yuri Borisov, made the following statement during a press conference on Wednesday: "It has been determined that the MS-22 must be landed without a crew on board after analyzing the condition of the spacecraft, thermal calculations, and technical documents." Also Read: SpaceX's Starbase Installation Is Seen By An ISS Astronaut  The original schedule will be somewhat disturbed by the new strategy. Prokopyev, Petelin, and Rubio will stay on the ISS, probably for at least several months past their original return date in March. The incoming spacecraft, Soyuz MS-23, was supposed to bring cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub, as well as NASA astronaut Loral O'Hara, to the station in March. However, for the time being, they will remain on Earth. The scenario might also affect NASA's plans for the SpaceX Crew-6 voyage, which are presently scheduled for mid-February. [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="2048"] Photo Credit: NASA[/caption] The spacecraft docked at the ISS serves as a ride home as well as an emergency escape vehicle in case an emergency threatens the orbital station. The three crew members might then be able to enter the damaged spacecraft for safety, however Roscosmos is still examining the viability of such an operation. Two spacecraft are now docked at the International Space Station (ISS): the damaged Soyuz and a SpaceX Crew Dragon that transported two Americans, one Japanese astronaut, and one Russian to the station in October. The idea of using the Crew Dragon to return all seven astronauts to Earth at the conclusion of their mission was floated last week, but this plan now seems to have been abandoned. According to Roscosmos, the findings of its study point to a micrometeoroid hitting the Soyuz capsule violently as the source of the leak.