A sudden air leak on the International Space Station (ISS) prompted NASA to order five astronauts into a docked SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule for safety on Friday. The emergency sheltering operation occurred as Russian cosmonauts grappled with a deteriorating situation in the Russian segment of the ISS.
As a precautionary measure, Jessica Meir, Jack Hathaway, Sophie Adenot, Andrey Fedyaev, and Chris Williams were instructed to don their spacesuits and take refuge aboard the Dragon spacecraft, dubbed "Freedom." This maneuver ensured they could swiftly escape back to Earth should conditions worsen.
The air leak was identified in a critical transfer tunnel, known as PrK, leading into the Zvezda service module of the Russian segment. Russian cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev were in the midst of repair efforts when instructions came from mission control in Houston to pause their work.
Retired Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield, who once commanded the ISS, explained the nuances of living aboard the spacecraft: "When you have an area that’s leaking a little more, you get up to a pound a day... it’s just a matter of fact of living on board a spaceship." 
For over six years, the station has contended with ongoing leaks, and a recent cargo delivery from Russia had further raised concerns about escalating pressure drops. Up until this point, repairs had relied on temporary fixes, but as Hadfield noted, there comes a time when more significant action is required.
Details surrounding the repair attempts indicated that the cosmonauts planned to utilize a saw to access the leak, a method that drew disagreement from NASA. Given the inherent risks, a "safe haven" protocol was activated for the astronauts aboard Dragon.
As more details emerged, NASA protocol led to a swift directive allowing the astronauts to return to their normal activities aboard the ISS. NASA spokeswoman Bethany Stevens confirmed, "Given this development, NASA has instructed the crew members inside the Dragon spacecraft to end the safe haven procedures and return to planned operations aboard the International Space Station."
Despite the tense scenario, Russian news agency Tass assured that crew safety remained uncompromised, deeming the repairs manageable. The ISS, measuring the length of a football field, remains a testament to international cooperation in space exploration, jointly operated since 1998 by a coalition that spans the United States, Russia, Canada, Japan, and 11 European nations.
Source: BBC News
Source: BBC Science
