On Tuesday , cosmonauts Sergei Prokopyev and Oleg Kononenko conk out out of the International Space Station ( ISS ) on an important mission : locate and scrutinize the mysterious hole that led to an air leakfour month ago .
The hole was plugged with epoxy resin and gauze back in August , but Russian space official wanted the site survey on the exterior . The pickle is in the Soyuz capsule , which will be going back to Earth next calendar week with Prokopyev and two other astronauts . There is no risk for the astronaut though . The part of the Soyuz with the pickle will be jettisoned before atmospheric reentry .
It acquire the two astronaut about four hours to compensate the roughly 30 meters ( 100 foot ) to the abridgment . It then pick out them another two hour to remove the 25 centimeter ( 10 in ) of insulate material to reach the location of the hole . Spacewalks are a dense process and this was complicated by the fact that the Soyuz has no railing , unlike the ISS . Soyuz capsule are not expect to be repair while in orbit . Although the undertaking was difficult , the time and cautiousness of the two space master paid off .
“ That is exactly the hole we ’ve been looking for , guys , ” radioedRussian Mission Controloutside Moscow . Like on the interior of the Soyuz , the astronaut could n’t see any drill marks . This fact deepen the mystery story of the hole .
When the leakage was discovered , the idea of a measured act of sabotage began to distribute . Some even deliberate that it might have been done in space . While that has been categorically traverse and there ’s no evidence to even entertain such an idea , people are still at a loss to explain it . Some think that the abridgement was damage on Earth and the hole seal but not reported . The sealer might have then fallen off , thus exposing the hole .
The full spacewalk lasted 7 hour and 45 minutes , which you’re able to watch in the TV below . The two - mortal squad collected cloth from the outside to the Soyuz , which they will take back to Earth to be analyzed . Finally , an answer to this mystery might presently be revealed .
[ H / T : Press Association ]
