Disaster! Something Weird Is Happening on ISS that SHOCKED NASA's Scientists...

in any space operation astronaut safety is always the top priority however they seem to be facing significant troubles aboard the ISS which is currently getting too old what happened and why is the ISS falling apart let's find out on today's episode of alphatech the ISS seems to have endured an exceptionally unlucky Year from overcrowding caused by a problem in Starliner spacecraft mission to strange noises resulting from Miss communication between Machinery two increasingly frequent airlinks and most recently an unexplained foul smell polluting the station's environment each issue has added to the mounting challenges aboard the ISS progress 90 cargo ship arrived at the Russian pois module Saturday November 23rd delivering three tons of food Fuel and supplies from members of the Expedition 72 crew on board the ISS after opening the hatch between progress and pois modules the crew noticed a noxious smell and droplets coming from the cargo ship Ros Cosmos cosmonauts closed the hatch immediately fearing possible contamination based on communication between Mission Control in Houston and the astronauts aboard the ISS NASA confirmed this stating that the unusual odor does not pose a safety risk to the ISS space station air scrubbers and contaminant sensors monitored by the station's atmosphere following the observation NASA reported on the platform X by Sunday flight controllers determined that the air quality inside the space station was at normal levels the agency emphasized that there are no concerns for the crew and as of Sunday afternoon the crew is working to open the hatch between pois module and progress spacecraft while continuing all other station Ops as planned however these assurances might be a bit superficial the reality is Russian cosmonauts reportedly dawned protective equipment and activated the air filtration system in their module to cleanse the station's atmosphere of potential contamination the US segment of the space station also activated their own air filtration system with contamination control system monitoring the situation while the hatch of the Russian pois module stayed closed NASA astronaut Don Pettit reported a spray paint like odor in a US module suggesting that the unpleasant smell may have spread to other compartments at present there's no additional details about the possible contamination as it's unclear whether the odor is related to the Russian cargo spacecraft the United States suggests that the smell originated from gases emitted by the progress cargo ship while Russia points to the pois modules docking mechanism as the source NASA's directed further inquiries to Ros Cosmos while NASA news Chief Kelly Humphrey stated for any detailed info on what caused the unusual odor please contact rosmos when approached for comment RS Cosmos did not respond it appears that both the ISS and Russ Cosmos are attempting to deflect blame for this unpleasant smell both the US and Russia seem uncertain about pinpointing the exact source of the odor despite earlier claims according to the schedule Russia's progress 90 cargo ship will stay docked to the to the ISS for 6 months before returning to the Earth's atmosphere where it will then burn up with the wasted materials brought aboard by the crew hopefully this unusual and potentially dangerous odor quickly gets resolved the primary concern Remains the safety of the astronauts currently on their mission aboard the space station in a closed environment like the ISS the emergence of an unusual odor can have a profound impact on the astronaut's lives from a physiological perspective foul smell can trigger immediate reactions some Astron may experience mild nausea headaches or heightened tension psychologically persistent unpleasant foul smells pose significant challenges being confined in a small sealed environment with no escape from the smell can Elevate stress levels lead to mood swings and even create a sense of claustrophobia to manage this stress astronauts often rely on mental techniques and personal routines bad smell can also affect personal hygiene and social interactions with the iss's already tight quarters with limited laundry facilities and a recycled air system strange smells can make the place downright uncomfortable astronauts must prioritize hygiene and use specialized products designed for the space environment foul odors are more than a mere nuisance they also provide critical scientific insights into the station's environmental conditions they can indicate air quality Equipment functionality and the complex interactions of materials in a sealed space environment although no space agencies pinpointed the exact cause of the strange odor on the ISS it's undeniable that Russian spacecraft and even Russian modules on the station have suffered significant setbacks due to persistent leakage issues over the last few years the Russian module on the ISS has been deteriorating in 2019 an air leak was discovered on the PRK module a vestibule connecting a docking port to the vesda module which Russ Cosmos launched in July 2000 earlier this year NASA classified the leak as a high-risk issue after the air loss rate doubled from one pound per day to just over two pounds disagreements persist between NASA and Russ Cosmos regarding the leak's cause additionally Russian spacecraft have faced cooling system leaks in December 2022 ground teams observed a spray of particles emanating from a soou spacecraft dock to the ISS shortly after Russia progress 82 cargo ship connected to the station and also began linking coolant back in 2022 Russ Cosmos attributed this to space debris impacts but reports indicate tensions behind the scenes as NASA and RIS Cosmos work to identify the root causes the situation highlights the growing geopolitical tension between Russia and the United States even in space if the current state persists the ISS may become uninhabited sooner than NASA originally anticipated a tragic outcome for what has become a familiar and invaluable Legacy more importantly it could signal a shift in the competitive landscape of space exploration with the ISS the US and Western nations would lack a foothold for operations in low earth orbit the sole dominant player in that scenario would be China's changyang space station moreover China's testing reusable inflatable modules for space signaling its ambition to dominate space infrastructure further inflatable space modules are not A New Concept NASA's been exploring the possibility since the 60s the Chinese space agency is now getting in on the ACT and is testing its new inflatable module which is part of its shigan 19 satellite launch to get it into orbit the capsule was impressed and folded and then inflated once in orbit following completion of the tests it reentered the atmosphere landed in the GOI desert on October 10th the goal is for this to be used to extend its space station the same way NASA's been exploring the expansion of the ISS the idea of inflatable space capsules offers a lightweight solution that simplifies the launching process their development started back in the 1960s but real progress was seen with projects like transhub that looked at new Advanced Materials even though transhub was canceled it was a precursor to Adventures like the Bigalow Aerospace module known as beam it was tested back in 2016 aboard the ISS and proved that the concept could work making it an invaluable part of the future of space exploration the Chinese National Space Administration has now started experimentation with Inflatables they've long been a major player on the global space stage since it was founded in 1993 some of their successes has been changes lunar missions and the Chan win Mars explorers since 2021 tangang space stations been in orbit high above Earth and there are now plans for crude lunar missions on September 27th the cnsa launched their shijian 19 retrievable satellite from jinquan in China a test inflatable module was developed and manufactured by the China Academy of space technology as a landmark step in getting an inflatable module to orbit they confirmed that the inflatable flexible sealed module completed a successful orbital test the module is a sealed structure made from Composite Materials much like the bean module the cnsa has confirmed that they plan to expand their tangang space station and are now looking at the possibility of using Inflatables as part of their plans the next likely module to be added is likely to be a multi-functional capsule allowing other modules to be added the success of the inflatable module opens up a number of possibilities for the Chinese agency not just for changyong but other space exploration habitats it's been nearly 10 years since Beijing launched the ma in China 2025 initiative where China set its sights on surpass in the US in virtually every industry imaginable a primary focus of this initiative is expanding China's presence in space including Ambitions for moon and Mars settlements Beijing is aiming to dominate the space race with the US undermining our military Effectiveness in this new geopolitical era for this reason addressing certain issues within the US space industry should be top priority the government must facilitate the development of Technologies for space exploration particularly SpaceX Starship ship which currently faces constraints imposed by certain environmental agencies hope they figure that out soon that's it for today's episode thank you so much for joining us and we hope to see you next time goodbye