International Space Station LEAK: NASA and Russia remain tight-lipped over findings

[Leonhard]

Yeah definitely done by a drill.

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Lots of speculation going on why and when it happened.

[Sparko]

Lots of speculation going on why and when it happened.

a lot of scratches there. Either it was really hard to control a drill in zero G, or maybe they were drilling something else held over the spot and drilled too far?

I wonder if it also could have happened down on the ground and they just didn't notice until they were docked? Some maintenance gone wrong?

[Cow Poke]

a lot of scratches there. Either it was really hard to control a drill in zero G, or maybe they were drilling something else held over the spot and drilled too far?

I wonder if it also could have happened down on the ground and they just didn't notice until they were docked? Some maintenance gone wrong?

The notion that it happened pre-orbit has been advanced, and seems plausible. That it was not intended, but accidental.

HOWEVER, "sabotage in space" makes a MUCH more interesting story!

[Leonhard]

It was a tiny hole. Even when they found it, they had weeks before the leak would become a real problem. I wouldn't surprised if it turned out to be an oversight on the ground. The people they put up there are vetted a lot.

[Cow Poke]

It was a tiny hole. Even when they found it, they had weeks before the leak would become a real problem. I wouldn't surprised if it turned out to be an oversight on the ground. The people they put up there are vetted a lot.

You're really killing a perfectly good conspiracy, you meanie!

[Sparko]

The notion that it happened pre-orbit has been advanced, and seems plausible. That it was not intended, but accidental.

HOWEVER, "sabotage in space" makes a MUCH more interesting story!

yeah when it was in the ISS, it would have had to be sabotage. but since it was in the Soyuz it could have happened on the ground and been that way all along. If it was sabotage, it was really sloppy work, like someone had never used a drill before.

[Leonhard]

yeah when it was in the ISS, it would have had to be sabotage.

No new parts have been added to the ISS in a long time, and the Shuttle isn't there anymore. It happened on the Soyuz module and honestly I wouldn't be surprised if the Shuttles weren't perfectly air tight. If it had been in any of the lab modules the leak would have been detected years ago.

If it was sabotage, it was really sloppy work, like someone had never used a drill before.

The idea is that whoever sabotaged it wanted to get down earlier. Only problem is that the issue is so easily fixed. I mean they applied a quick patch of ducttabe and slapped on some epoxy and rubber, and likely applied a third patch of something else on top of that to satisfy the engineers down on the surface.

[Sparko]

No new parts have been added to the ISS in a long time, and the Shuttle isn't there anymore. It happened on the Soyuz module and honestly I wouldn't be surprised if the Shuttles weren't perfectly air tight. If it had been in any of the lab modules the leak would have been detected years ago.



The idea is that whoever sabotaged it wanted to get down earlier. Only problem is that the issue is so easily fixed. I mean they applied a quick patch of ducttabe and slapped on some epoxy and rubber, and likely applied a third patch of something else on top of that to satisfy the engineers down on the surface.

Yeah that makes it sound more like some accident.