“For technical reasons”
On the morning of December 15, it was learned from the negotiations with the ground services of the ISS crew that the spacewalk of Sergei Prokopiev and Dmitry Petelin, scheduled for 5:20 Moscow time, was postponed due to the depressurization of the cooling system. Docking of the Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft to the stations.
In a NASA broadcast, jets of technical fluid were seen pouring from the ship. The astronauts were then able to photograph the troubled Soyuz MS-22 from the ISS windows and examine it using the ERA robot arm’s cameras. Now the pictures are being studied by experts on Earth.
The NASA broadcast director said that “nothing threatened the two Russian cosmonauts or the rest of the ISS crew.”
Roskosmos announced that the departure of astronauts from the Russian Federation was canceled for “technical reasons”.
“The implementation of the VKD-56 program was suspended for technical reasons. According to the crew’s report, before the start of the procedure for opening the exit hatch, information was received about the operation of the signaling device of one of the diagnostic systems of the Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft. on the telegram channel of the state agency.
On the Roscosmos website saidAccording to preliminary information, it was reported that the outer coating of the instrument-assembly compartment of the manned transporter Soyuz MS-22 was damaged.
“The crew reported that the warning device of the ship’s diagnostic system was operating, signaling a pressure drop in the cooling system. A visual inspection confirmed the leak, after which it was decided to halt the planned work on non-vehicle activities,” the government agency said.
Roscosmos added that Russian cosmonaut Anna Kikina photographed and filmed the exterior of the damaged spacecraft using a camera in the Nauka laboratory module. These materials were also transferred to Earth.
“Currently, all systems of the ISS and the ship are operating normally, the crew is safe,” the government agency said.
ship change
The source told RIA Novosti that due to the accident on Soyuz MS-22, the launch of the next manned spacecraft, Soyuz MS-23, currently scheduled for March 16, 2023, could be delayed to an earlier date.
“In connection with the accident on the Soyuz MS-22, Roscosmos experts are considering the possibility of shifting the launch of the Soyuz MS-23 to the left,” the source said.
Another agency source said the accident in the Soyuz MS-22’s thermal control system was “very serious” and could lead to failure of the ship’s instruments – the correct temperature and humidity could no longer be maintained. According to his data, in this case, the spacecraft would overheat on the sunny side and freeze in Earth’s shadow while orbiting as part of the ISS.
According to him, “Now Roscosmos specialists are considering priority measures to ensure an acceptable thermal regime for the operation of instruments on board.”
Previous Event
The current cancellation of the spacewalk was already the second during the flight of Sergei Prokopiev and Dmitry Petelin.
A total of five exits are planned for their expeditions. On November 17, the first took place – everything went as usual. Russian cosmonauts then prepared the radiator for transfer, and also installed a fastening system for large objects in the Nauka module.
The second spacewalk was to take place on November 25. Petelin and Prokopyev were supposed to transfer the radiator-heat exchanger from the Rassvet module to the new Nauka module of the Russian division of the ISS. However, about half an hour before the launch, it was postponed to December 15 due to abnormal operation of the pumps in the cooling system of one of the spacesuits.
The day before, the Roscosmos Telegram channel announced that the cosmonauts will bypass the ISS to equip the Nauka module – “prepare the radiator for transfer from the Rassvet module by the ERA manipulator and install it on Nauka”.
“The exit door of the Poisk module opens at 5:20 Moscow time. Set alarms. The planned duration of the work is 6 hours 37 minutes.
They also stated that the entire spacewalk will be “filled with sunlight”, as the star “will always illuminate the work of astronauts, even during the flight segments of the ISS on the night side of the world.”
“Such conditions, caused by the unique position of the Sun relative to the orbital plane of the ISS, are only possible during the winter solstice,” said Roscosmos.