Russian Cosmonaut Diagnoses Oxygen Fault on Space Station

Text of report by Russian news agency ITAR-TASS

Korolev (Moscow Region), 26 January: During his space walk, Salizhan Sharipov may have discovered the reason for malfunctions of the Elektron oxygen regeneration system on board the International Space Station (ISS), an ITAR-TASS correspondent was told at Mission Control Centre (MCC) today.

“As he was examining the drainage opening of the oxygen regeneration system on the outer surface of the Russian Zvezda service module, Sharipov discovered a white residue which, in all probability, is preventing the normal emission of hydrogen out of the ISS,” the agency’s source said. He explained that, on the ISS, oxygen is obtained from water, which is separated by means of electrolysis into oxygen and hydrogen.”"The latter is discharged into space through the drainage opening,” the expert explained.

He also said that the Russian cosmonaut had discovered, next to the drainage openings of the Elektron and Vozdukh systems and the trace substances unit, black stains that were most likely left by toxic heptyl, which is a component of the fuel used to power the engines of the orbiting complex. In his view, the choking of the drainage nozzles could be the cause of the repeated failures of the oxygen regeneration system.

The MCC said that Sharipov had photographed the nozzle heads of the Elektron system. After the photographs are “downloaded” to earth, experts will embark on a careful analysis. If necessary, the MCC said, the crew will clean the nozzles during a second space walk planned for the end of March.

The MCC recalled that the last time the Elektron system went out of action was during the new year holidays. Malfunctions were reported previously too. At any rate, “the ISS crew is not threatened with major oxygen starvation”, the MCC said. Reserves of oxygen aboard the station and oxygen-regeneration cartridges will be enough for several months.