International Space Station Astronauts Discover Mysterious Substance During Spacewalk, Forcing Immediate Return to ISS

Written by Rafaela Fabris

Published on 13/08/2024 at 17:32

Updated on 15/08/2024 at 21:42

Astronautas da Estação Espacial Internacional enfrentaram uma descoberta perturbadora no espaço: uma substância misteriosa que os forçou a abandonar a missão e retornar rapidamente, deixando todos em alerta máximo.

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The Day Astronauts Found Something Disconcerting Near The International Space Station And Had To Return Immediately

In October of last year, Russian astronauts from the International Space Station faced a tense and unexpected situation. During a routine spacewalk, intended to repair a faulty radiator, they encountered something that made them return immediately to the ISS: a disturbing substance that could jeopardize the entire operation.

When it comes to space, surprises seem to be inevitable, even with all the training and preparation of astronauts. Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub, experienced astronauts from the International Space Station, were on an apparently simple repair mission when they discovered something no one could have predicted.

Ground Team And Astronauts Were Intrigued

Kononenko and Chub during a spacewalk for a radiator inspection (Image: NASA TV/Playback)

It all started with a routine inspection of a radiator panel. Kononenko, while investigating a malfunction, found several holes in the panel, all with very regular edges, as if they had been deliberately drilled. He immediately reported to mission control in Moscow, describing the holes as numerous and arranged chaotically. At first, the ground team and the astronauts were intrigued, but what was to come would be even more disturbing.

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Immediate Return Of Astronauts To The International Space Station

Given the gravity of the situation, the Roscosmos mission control had no choice but to order the immediate return of the astronauts to the International Space Station. But there was a crucial detail: before re-entering the ISS, Kononenko and Chub needed to bag the contaminated tether and leave it outside the station. This was essential to avoid any contamination risk within the controlled environment of the ISS.

The spacewalk, which was supposed to be a routine task, quickly became a reminder of the constant dangers astronauts face. Before being caught off guard by the leak, the astronauts still managed to complete the installation of a synthetic radar communications system and launched a nanosatellite, intended to test solar sail technology, a significant advancement for monitoring the terrestrial environment.

Mystery

As for the cause of the leak, it remains a mystery. The most accepted theory is that the “bubble” formed from residual coolant that was disturbed during the valve closure work. Even prepared to handle liquids, the astronauts were caught off guard when one of Kononenko’s tethers came into contact with the substance.

Now, Russian engineers from Roscosmos are analyzing the data collected by the astronauts to better understand what happened and how to prevent a similar situation in the future. The experience highlights not only the technical challenges faced by the astronauts of the International Space Station, but also the constant need for adaptation and rapid response in such an unforgiving environment as space.

TO KNOW MORE: Researchers discover submerged islands off the coast of Spain, raising new theories about the possible location of the lost city of Atlantis

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WELINGTON

#38640

20/08/2024 19:23

Alien?

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Nelsa M Huedepohl

#37711

18/08/2024 22:05

Muito interessante tudo o que se refere ao espaço. Imagino quanta coisa mais poderíamos saber, quantos mistérios seriam desvendadosNelsa M Huedepohl

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Euclides

#37696

18/08/2024 21:22

Aconteceu isso comigo também tava jogando alien 8 passageiro quando tive que abandonar a missão motivo furou pneu da nave 🤣🤣

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International Space Station Astronauts Discover Mysterious Substance During Spacewalk, Forcing Immediate Return to ISS

The Day Astronauts Found Something Disconcerting Near The International Space Station And Had To Return Immediately

Ground Team And Astronauts Were Intrigued

Immediate Return Of Astronauts To The International Space Station

Mystery

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International Space Station Astronauts Discover Mysterious Substance During Spacewalk, Forcing Immediate Return to ISS

The Day Astronauts Found Something Disconcerting Near The International Space Station And Had To Return Immediately

Ground Team And Astronauts Were Intrigued

Immediate Return Of Astronauts To The International Space Station

Mystery

Seven world powers including the US, China, and Russia are spending €22 billion on a reactor in the south of France that aims to confine plasma at 150 million degrees Celsius, ten times the temperature of the Sun’s core, using a magnetic field capable of lifting an entire aircraft carrier.

Elon Musk’s internet comes to mobile: Starlink technology connects smartphones without an antenna via satellite, works even without carrier signal, already costs just US$10 extra in the US, and could arrive in Brazil as an included benefit.

While Brazil has been discussing bullet trains for 16 years, China delivers 5 new high-speed lines in 2026, surpasses 50,000 km of HSR, and moves 1 billion passengers in a single year.

With a wingspan of 152 meters, 76 tires, and a capacity to carry 1,270 tons, the Boeing Pelican was the giant “flying ship” that promised to cross oceans close to the water on an invisible air cushion beneath its wings.

A Chinese factory in Guangdong is assembling a humanoid robot every 30 minutes while Tesla, Figure, and Boston Dynamics still struggle to deliver 10 thousand per year.

While countries spend billions to draw water from the sea, a Nobel-winning scientist creates a container-sized machine that extracts up to 1,000 liters per day from dry air and uses ultrasound to release water in minutes, even in the middle of the desert.

Belgium will sink 23 giant concrete caissons, each weighing 22,000 tons, in the North Sea to build the world’s first artificial energy island 45 km off the coast, forming offshore electrical walls.

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