Russian spacecraft comes close to colliding with US satellite; NASA ‘concerned’

According to a report by The Mirror US A collision between the two “could put lives in danger”, citing experts. NASA’s Deputy Administrator, Colonel Pam Melroy expressed deep concern over the incident in February 2024. Despite efforts, none of the satellites could be operated, resulting in a dangerous accident.

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The report further said that Melroy, speaking at the Space Foundation’s Space Symposium in Colorado, said, “It was very shocking to me personally and to all of us at NASA. On February 28, a NASA spacecraft named Timed and a Russian satellite, neither capable of moving, were expected to make a close pass.”

“We recently discovered that the path was less than 10 meters away, which was less than the distance from my front row. Had the two satellites collided, we would have seen debris generated, with small fragments traveling at speeds of up to 10,000 miles per hour, waiting to punch holes in other spacecraft and potentially endanger human life.”

Russian space officials confirmed on Wednesday that the Russian part of the International Space Station is experiencing a persistent air leak. However, he assured that there was no danger to the crew, the report said.

In addition, the Roscosmos state corporation said that experts are closely monitoring the situation and that the crew “works regularly to detect and fix possible places of leakage.”

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“There is no threat to the crew or the station,” it said in a statement carried by Russian news agencies.

Additionally, Roscosmos’ comments follow comments from NASA’s station project manager Joel Montalbano, who noted on Wednesday that air leakage in the Russian segment has increased, though he stressed that it is minor and would not affect the crew or crew. Does not jeopardize the safety of the team. Operation of vehicle.

Earlier in November 2021, a possible leak was identified in another area of ​​the Russia section of the station. Both Roscosmos and NASA assured that the leak posed no threat to the crew and did not disrupt station operations.

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Published: April 11, 2024, 01:54 PM IST