Space station crew briefly moves to “safe haven” amid concerns over leaks

Out of an abundance of caution, NASA on Friday briefly directed five of the seven crew members aboard the International Space Station to wait inside the docked SpaceX Crew Dragon “Freedom” spacecraft — known as a “safe haven” — amid new concerns over some cracks in a transfer tunnel in the Russian module.

Mission Control then told the crew members they were comfortable with backing out of the safe haven configuration after the Russians decided to only perform measurements Friday.

The cracks have been the source of a small air leak that has persisted on and off for the last six years or so. The leak is considered a top safety risk. There have been several attempts over the years to repair the cracks.

“The cracks have always been a concern that NASA watches very closely,” the agency said in a statement Friday.

Friday’s effort comes after the Russian space agency Roscosmos noticed a slow pressure drop in that transfer tunnel last month following the arrival of a Russian cargo ship.

NASA said it and Roscosmos have been trying to determine the cause of the cracks while the Russian space agency addresses the issue through “operational mitigation measures and periodic partial-repair efforts.”

After new leaks appeared, NASA initially said Roscosmos decided to move forward with a more extensive repair operation Friday before the Russians decided to perform measurements.

“We continue to work with our Russian counterparts, along with the rest of the international community that supports the space station, to arrive at a more permanent resolution,” NASA said.