On November 13th, 2024, NASA and Roscosmos had a ISS Advisory Committee meeting. In this meeting, NASA and Roscosmos continued to talk about the air leaks on the ISS that emerged several years ago.

According to Tom Howarth from Newsweek, “While leak rates on the ISS have been manageable, they have grown to the highest levels yet in 2024, reaching a loss of 1.7 kilograms of air per day, according to a September report from the Office of Inspector General (OIG)”(Nov. 14th, 2024).  These air leaks are causing concerns to rise about the safety and integrity of the ISS.

The opinions of the issue are varied between the sides. According to Mykyta Lytvynov from Universe Space Tech, “Russian engineers believe the cracks are likely caused by high cyclic fatigue from micro-vibrations. In contrast, NASA is of the opinion that several factors came into play, including pressure and mechanical stress, residual stress, module material properties, and environmental effects”(Nov. 14th, 2024).

When it comes to doing something about the leaks, Tom Howarth from the previously mentioned Newsweek article, stated that, “In May and June 2024, the ISS program elevated the leak risk to the highest level in its risk management system, underscoring NASA’s growing concerns. However, Roscosmos remains confident it can monitor and seal the leak before it reaches an “untenable level,” the OIG report stated” (Nov. 14, 2024).

According to Mykyta Lytvynov from the previously mentioned Universe Space Tech article, “To better understand the causes of the situation on the ISS, NASA attracted an independent group of engineers to analyze the problem. However, given Roscosmos’ official position on the severity of the situation, there is no guarantee that the organization will heed its conclusions”(Nov. 14th, 2024).