spacetoday.net: ISS may have air leak

ISS may have air leak

Posted: Thu, Nov 29, 2007, 8:01 AM ET (1301 GMT)
Harmony module moved to final location on ISS (NASA)

Engineers and astronauts are troubleshooting a possible minor air leak in a new module on the International Space Station. A leak check performed in the vestibule between the Destiny lab module and the new Harmony docking node indicated the existence of a small air leak resulting in the loss of less than 1.5 kg of air per day. The exact location of the leak has not been identified, and engineers are not ruling out the possibility that the "leak" may simply be an instrumentation error. Another leak check elsewhere in the Harmony module is planned for later this week; officials will then decide what additional steps, if any, are needed to locate and repair the leak.