Exactly how NASA could evacuate ISS amid fears about leaks and cracks on the space station

A growing leak connected nan International Space Station has sparked fears that astronauts connected committee whitethorn request to evacuate, including nan 2 stranded by Boeing's Starliner. 

All 7 astronauts person been forced into nan US broadside of nan orbiting laboratory owed to 50 'areas of concern' and 4 cracks successful a Russian-made module.

If nan leaks go severe, nan abstraction position could quickly suffer oxygen and pressure. 

The infinitesimal Houston sounds nan siren of a threat, astronauts would person to title to unopen nan hatch of nan leaking conception and caput to 'lifeboats' docked connected nan ship. 

A spaceflight master told DailyMail.com that if removal became necessary, each unit would flight successful their assigned NASA spacecraft, including nan SpaceX Dragon capsule and nan Russian Soyuz.

NASA's Commercial Crew Program Manager Steve Stich said that successful nan arena of an emergency, SpaceX's Dragon could beryllium powered up wrong minutes. 

The capsules person been stocked pinch emergency suits, allowing nan unit to quickly put connected nan due cogwheel arsenic they fly nan orbiting laboratory, redeeming much valuable time. 

However, nan US abstraction agency has admitted that it is not prepared for capsule failures owed to nan deficiency of ready-to-launch vehicles, which could leave nan unit stranded without a measurement home.

NASA has committed to afloat usage and safely run nan abstraction position done 2030, pinch plans to discontinue nan ISS sometime after.

Independent spaceflight information master Laura Forczyk told DailyMail.com: 'If nan leaks connected nan ISS worsen importantly to nan constituent wherever NASA and Russia reason nan business is unsafe, it whitethorn mean decommissioning nan ISS sooner than expected.'

The main leak was identified successful a work module transportation passageway successful Russia's Zvezda module that provides position surviving quarters, life support systems, electrical powerfulness distribution and information processing, formation power and propulsion systems.

American astronauts who came to nan ISS connected SpaceX's capsule are prepared to flight connected their spacecraft if necessary.

But nan removal scheme for Don Pettit, a NASA astronaut who flew to nan ISS aboard nan Roscosmos Soyuz MS-26 spacecraft pinch 2 Russian astronauts successful September, is simply a spot much complicated.

In nan arena of an emergency, he would not return to Earth connected Soyuz. Instead, he would person to cram wrong nan SpaceX capsule, which was precocious equipped pinch an other spot conscionable successful lawsuit Pettit needs it, NASA spokesperson Jimi Russell told DailyMail.com.

It is unclear why Pettit would not return successful nan Russian craft, but immoderate person suggested nan switch would beryllium owed to nan increasing tensions betwixt Russia and nan US. 

NASA does not presently person an charismatic removal scheme for American astronauts assigned to Russian spacecraft. But nan agency has awarded a $266,000 statement bid for SpaceX to build 1 out. 

In nan arena that nan leaks, cracks and different issues render nan full ISS uninhabitable, nan astronaut crews would travel protocol to shelter successful their respective spacecraft.  

Each crew's capsule has an assigned shelter-in-vehicle scheme that will protect astronauts from threats aboard nan ISS, and let them to fly nan abstraction position if necessary, according to a September study from NASA's Office of nan Inspector General (OIG). 

'It was designed pinch these kinds of contingencies successful mind,' Stich said previously. 

They besides incorporate astronaut suits truthful that crews tin quickly and conveniently suit-up successful an emergency situation.

It tin return up to 30 minutes to get wrong a spacesuit, according to NASA.

Streamlining this process arsenic overmuch arsenic imaginable would beryllium captious successful an emergency situation. 

These vehicles would beryllium nan astronauts' only dream of escape. If thing happened to them, it would beryllium a different story.

'Due to nan precocious costs and a constricted budget, nan deficiency of ready-to-launch vehicles forestall nan Agency from having an contiguous consequence capacity if unit vehicles brushwood important harm and are nary longer safe for unit evacuation,' nan study states. 

Russia's Zvezda module launched successful 2000 and 'served arsenic nan early cornerstone for nan first quality habitation of nan station,' NASA has said. But for illustration nan remainder of nan ISS, this module is aging and requires attraction to support working. 

The leak has been ongoing since 2019 erstwhile aerial began escaping from nan module's transportation tunnel, a vestibule that separates nan Russian docking larboard from nan remainder of nan remainder of nan module.

There was nary contiguous danger, but it was yet located and has been patched aggregate times complete nan past 5 years. 

A caller leak was identified successful 2021, besides successful nan Russian Zvezda module, which was deemed a 'fairly superior issue.' 

If nan leak grew severe, NASA and Roscosmos whitethorn beryllium forced to permanently adjacent nan hatch to nan affected tunnel.

And if nan leaks worsened to a constituent wherever nan habitability of nan full abstraction position was affected, astronauts would beryllium forced to sequester wrong their spacecraft and perchance return to Earth. 

Former NASA astronaut Bill Shepherd, who served arsenic nan first commandant connected nan ISS from October 2000 to March 2001, told a House of Representatives committee astatine nan clip that NASA and Russian engineers 'don't precisely understand why nan cracks are appearing now.' 

Shepherd reiterated claims by Roscosmos, nan Russian abstraction agency, that it was 'becoming a superior issue.'

Despite nan truth that NASA has patched nan main leak repeatedly, nan magnitude of aerial escaping nan position has only accrued complete nan past 5 years.

It was nan attraction of nan September study from nan OIG, which recovered that nan leak past deed grounds rates successful April - losing 3.7 pounds of aerial each day.

The OIG has escalated nan threat standing to 5 retired of 5 successful NASA's soul consequence assessments. 

But this leak is conscionable nan extremity of nan iceberg. NASA officials told the Washington Post they are search 4 different cracks and 50 'areas of concern' connected nan ISS.

Speaking to nan Washington Post, NASA subordinate administrator Jim Free said: 'We person conveyed nan seriousness of nan leaks aggregate times, including erstwhile I was successful Russia earlier this year.'

The cracks person 'all been covered pinch a operation of sealant and patches,' by Roscosmos, and further repairs are ongoing. 

But they stay a concern, particularly because nan leaks are located adjacent a hatch. NASA and Roscosmos to only unfastened nan hatch erstwhile perfectly basal and to support it sealed successful nan evenings. 

The aging ISS has remained successful orbit for 10 years longer than NASA primitively planned. 

The OIG identified 588 replacement parts that were operating beyond their operational lifetimes, according to nan September report. 

To make matters worse, OIG is monitoring respective different risks that could imperil nan ISS, including imaginable collisions pinch micro-meteors and abstraction debris. 

NASA presently plans to decommission nan ISS by 2031, and has tasked SpaceX pinch building a Dragon-type spacecraft that could region nan position from orbit.

But there's a chance that this caller scourge of method issues could shorten that timeline, according to spaceflight information master Laura Forczyk.

Though she said that worsening geopolitical relations betwixt nan US and Russia are nan higher consequence facet to nan ISS decommissioning timeline.