Space Station Springs a Leak
NASA reports that astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) noticed a significant exterior ammonia leak beginning about 11:30 am Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) today. The agency stresses that the astronauts are in no danger.
The crew noticed small white flakes floating away from a portion of one of the solar arrays where part of the cooling system is located. Ammonia is used as a coolant for the power channels that provide electricity generated by the solar arrays. Crew observations and images obtained from exterior cameras operated by ground controllers confirmed that it is in the same area where a leak was investigated during a November 2012 spacewalk.
NASA said it is making plans to reroute other power channels to ensure full operation of the space station. The leak rate is so high that a complete shutdown of that cooling loop might be required in the next 48 hours.
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