Astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) were alarmed after a cargo ship, Progress 90, arrived with a “toxic smell” and potential contamination in the form of droplets.
The Progress spacecraft docked with the Russian Poisk module on Saturday morning, and the Russian crew immediately noticed the odor upon opening the hatch. They quickly donned protective gear and activated an air-scrubbing system to purify the air in their section of the ISS.
NASA astronaut Don Pettit also reported a “spray paint-like” smell in the US segment’s Node 3 module, though it was unclear if this was connected to the Progress spacecraft.
Space station air scrubbers and contaminant sensors were used to monitor the atmosphere, and by Sunday, flight controllers confirmed that the air quality inside the ISS was back to normal. While the hatch to the Poisk module remained closed, there were no immediate safety concerns for the crew.
The Progress 90 delivered essential supplies, including food, fuel, and equipment, to the Expedition 72 crew.
Both Russian and US sides of the station activated their air-scrubbing systems in response to the odor, with NASA reporting that the hatch to the Poisk module remained sealed. Though Russian media reported the presence of a toxic smell, NASA provided a different account, confirming that small droplets and an unexpected odor were observed, prompting the crew to seal off the Russian segment.
This incident comes amid ongoing concerns about the ISS’s safety, particularly regarding a growing leak in the Russian Zvezda Service Module, which has been losing air since 2019. NASA raised the threat level for this issue, and a report from September revealed that the air leak had reached a record rate of 3.7 lbs per day in April, prompting discussions about possible evacuation plans.
NASA has also warned of the station’s vulnerability to micro-meteors and space debris. Despite these challenges, NASA maintains that the leak does not pose an immediate risk to the ISS’s structural integrity or the crew’s safety, though the situation remains under close monitoring.
