Astronauts aboard the International Space Station, commanded by Sunita Williams swiftly took safety measures after an unusual odour from a visiting Russian spacecraft was detected.
The smell, accompanied by “droplets” observed by the crew, likely originated from “outgassing from materials inside the (Russian) Progress spacecraft,” explained Kelly O Humphries, Nasa’s news chief at the Johnson Space Centre. He confirmed that there were “no concerns for the crew.”
The Progress 90 capsule arrived at the ISS on November 21, delivering nearly three tonnes of supplies, including food, fuel, and equipment. Though the spacecraft runs on highly toxic propellants such as unsymmetric-dimethylhydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide, Nasa confirmed that the issue was unrelated to the fuel.
After the Russian cosmonauts noticed the odor, they shut down the hatch that connects the Poisk module to the rest of the space station and both Nasa and Roscosmos “activated air scrubbing equipment as part of normal procedures, indicating that the odor likely was outgassing from materials inside the Progress spacecraft,” according to NASA’s statement to CNN.
“The crew reported the odor dissipated quickly and cargo transfer operations are proceeding on schedule,” the statement noted, indicating that the cosmonauts were able to access the supplies stowed on board the Progress vehicle, despite the earlier reported smell.
