Russia’s space program just threw a NASA astronaut under the bus

Russia’s state-owned information service, TASS, has revealed a very defamatory article about NASA astronaut Serena Auñón-Chancellor. The publication claims that Auñón-Chancellor had an emotional breakdown in area, then broken a Russian spacecraft with a view to return early. This, in fact, is an entire fabrication.

The context for the article is the current, near-disastrous docking of the Russian Nauka science module with the Worldwide House Station. The TASS article makes an attempt to rebut criticism in US publications (together with Ars Technica) that coated the incident and raised questions on the way forward for the Roscosmos-NASA partnership in area.

One among a dozen rebuttals within the TASS article considerations a 2018 incident—a 2 mm breach within the orbital module of the Soyuz MS-09 automobile docked with the Worldwide House Station. Russian cosmonaut Sergey Prokopyev, European House Company astronaut Alexander Gerst, and NASA’s Auñón-Chancellor had flown to the station inside this Soyuz in June. The leak was found in late August.

Left unchecked, the small gap would have depressurized the station in about two weeks. Thankfully, cosmonauts have been in a position to patch the outlet with epoxy, and the Soyuz spacecraft was deemed secure to fly its crew of three again to Earth.

Consideration rapidly turned to what had brought about the outlet to look. A micrometeoroid strike was dominated out. Some Russian media reported that it had been brought on by a producing or testing defect, and this appears to be probably the most believable idea. On the identical time, nonetheless, sources within the Russian authorities began baseless rumors that maybe a disgruntled NASA astronaut had drilled the outlet.

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To acquire extra knowledge, two Russian cosmonauts went on a dramatic spacewalk in December 2018 and used knives to chop by way of the outside insulation on the Soyuz automobile. They sampled the positioning the place the outlet had been and took high-definition pictures and GoPro video of the outside of the leak web site to assist Russian investigators decide what had brought about the outlet. Prokopyev, Gerst, and Auñón-Chancellor then returned safely to Earth within the Soyuz on the finish of December. If the Russians ever accomplished their investigation of the outlet’s trigger, they by no means launched it publicly.

Within the report revealed Thursday, nonetheless, TASS reopens the case. The format of the story is such that journalist Mikhail Kotov interviews an nameless “high-ranking official within the Russian area business.” Based mostly upon the feedback made by this individual, the supply might be the top of the Russian area company, Roscosmos, Dmitry Rogozin.

Here’s a translation of the related a part of the article, accomplished by Rob Mitchell for Ars. The unique article was revealed within the Russian language:

With a view to set up what actually occurred within the “gap within the Soyuz” incident there have been a number of area walks by Russian cosmonauts again in December 2018. They went to the orbital module of the ship (Soyuz) which had been broken and carried out vital checks.

Keep in mind that this type of harm couldn’t have occurred on Earth, as a result of the ship is examined in a vacuum chamber earlier than launch. If there had been any gap the stress within the ship would have fallen quickly and it might not have handed the vacuum take a look at. Thus Roscosmos excluded the situation that Soyuz MS-09 was broken on Earth.

Regarding the opportunity of the outlet having been brought about whereas on orbit, it’s essential to consider a number of circumstances, says my nameless supply. Firstly, the sickness of the feminine astronaut, which is the primary identified incident of deep vein thrombosis in orbit, and the truth that Serena Maria Auñón-Chancellor had suffered the situation was revealed in a scientific article solely after she had returned to Earth. This might have provoked ‘an acute psychological disaster’, which may have led to makes an attempt by numerous means to hurry up her return to the planet, in response to my nameless supply. Secondly, for some motive unknown to Roscosmos, the video digital camera on the junction of the Russian and American segments was not working at the moment. Thirdly, the Individuals refused to carry out a polygraph examination, whereas the Russian cosmonauts have been polygraphed. Fourthly, Russia by no means had a chance to review the instruments and the drill that are aboard the ISS to see if there are any indicators of steel shavings from the hull of our ship’s orbital module.

Lastly, and fifthly, of eight holes just one went during the hull. The others have been skips of the drill, which suggests drilling in weightless situations with out wanted help. One gap was drilled within the framework (a transverse rib of the ship’s hull), that’s, whoever drilled it was not skilled within the development of the Soyuz MS.

There are a variety of troubling points about this text, notably because it pertains to Dr. Auñón-Chancellor, who was the one feminine on board the station on the time. First, it publicly reveals her beforehand undisclosed well being situation on orbit, which was efficiently handled upon her return to Earth. Then, the TASS article says such a situation may have brought about a “psychological disaster” that induced her to wish to return to Earth early. The Russian idea right here is that, apparently by damaging the Soyuz automobile, Auñón-Chancellor would impel Russian and NASA authorities to permit her to fly again to Earth instantly.

Then the article asserts {that a} video digital camera that would have proven NASA astronauts getting into the Russian section of the area station—the place the Soyuz automobile was docked—might have been tampered with. The article additionally says NASA astronauts refused a polygraph take a look at concerning the incident and that Russian cosmonauts weren’t allowed to evaluate US instruments on the station that will have been used to drill into the ship’s hull.

Nobody is ideal, in fact. Astronauts are individuals, and all individuals have flaws. However the concept that a NASA astronaut snapped on orbit and determined to drill her means by way of a stress module, with solely vacuum on the opposite aspect, is preposterous.

Additionally, there’s a very affordable rationalization for the outlet. The TASS article dismisses the likelihood that the issue occurred on Earth, earlier than launch. However that is virtually actually what occurred. Probably a technician by accident broken the Soyuz spacecraft and sought to cowl up this error by making use of a makeshift patch, maybe some type of tremendous glue. Such a patch would have held up throughout a vacuum chamber take a look at on Earth however ultimately failed throughout extended publicity on orbit. And going by way of repeated thermal cycles out and in of Earth’s shadow would not have accomplished the patch any favors. Russia’s engineers should know this.

NASA’s response to the TASS story, by way of an area company assertion on Thursday night, elicits extra questions than solutions concerning a serious cost by a vital area station associate:

All of the Worldwide House Station companions are devoted to mission security and the welfare of the crew. The Worldwide House Station companions all take part in a number of opinions prior to each main station exercise to evaluate and make sure the security of all crew members. The outlet that was detected in late August 2018 by the area station crew was rapidly sealed, restoring air-tight stress to the station. Russian cosmonauts carried out a spacewalk that December to collect extra engineering knowledge for Russian specialists on Earth and to look externally on the effectiveness of the interior restore. The Soyuz spacecraft was completely checked and deemed secure for the crew to return to Earth, which it did, on Dec. 20, 2018.

To guard their privateness, the company is not going to talk about medical info concerning crew members.

This assertion doesn’t exonerate Auñón-Chancellor. NASA’s public relations of us apparently weighed whether or not they need to get up for his or her astronaut and reply to one thing clearly ridiculous or, for the sake of expediency, keep away from getting right into a pissing match with Roscosmos. They selected the latter.