Hole in space station deliberate

The hole discovered in the International Space Station (ISS) was drilled deliberately, the Russian space agency has said.

Last week mission controllers in Houston and Moscow noticed a drop in pressure on the station and astronauts discovered a hole in a Russian domestic module.

Although the leak was small enough to be fixed by the crew, if it had not been spotted the astronauts would have run out of air in 18 days.

Space debris or a micrometeorite were initially blamed for the damage, but new pictures show the hole had been deliberately drilled and the Russian Space Agency Roscosmos and module manufacturer RSC Engergia have launched an investigation to find the culprit.

One Russian politician and former cosmonaut has even claimed it could have been carried out by a homesick astronaut.

Speaking to Russia’s International News Agency, RIA Novosti, Maxim Suraev said onboard sabotage by a mentally unstable crew member could not be ruled out.

‘‘All of us are living people, everyone can want to go home, but this way is completely unworthy,’’ he said.

Suraev also said that the ISS had a drill on board capable of making the hole. Although Roscosmos said it was not accusing any of the crew, it said it had not ruled out that the hole was drilled deliberately in space.

It is also investigating whether it was an error made on the ground which was then patched up and was only noticed when the plug failed.

Nasa has yet to comment on the investigation. – Telegraph Group

AP The Russian Soyuz MS-09 crew craft, left, and the Northrop Grumman Cygnus space freighter are attached to the International Space Station. Nasa and Russian space officials stressed last week that the six astronauts were in no danger after a small air leak developed in one of the two Soyuz capsules docked at the space station.