The Hindu : Air pressure on ISS drops again

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jan 10, 2004

International

International

Air pressure on ISS drops again

By Vladimir Radyuhin

MOSCOW, JAN. 9. Air pressures on the International Space Station dropped again today after a two-day stabilisation, a mission control spokesman said here.

"Air pressure is currently decreasing at a rate of about one millimetre of mercury a day," the spokesman said.

Earlier this week onboard sensors registered a steeper pressure drop of 2.5 millimetres a day. Since Dec. 22 air pressure on the ISS has declined from the normal 760 millimetres to 726.5 millimetres. Russian mission control has set up a group of specialists to investigate the cause of the pressure, while the mixed crew of the U.S. astronaut, Michael Foale, and the Russian cosmonaut, Alexander Kaleri, were checking the station's four compartments for air-tightness closing them off one by one.The mission control said the drop posed no immediate threat to the crew.

"Air pressure is declining at a very insignificant rate and even if the problem persists, there'll be enough oxygen aboard for normal life support during more than 180 days," the spokesman said. He explained that the safe pressure range was 610 to 880 millimetres.

He also did not rule out that air pressure may eventually stabilise. "There used to be similar problems on the Russian space station Mir, and they dissipated on their own."

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