The astronaut arrived at the International Space Station on the Russian Soyuz.
The American space agency NASA wants to increase up to five seats on the SpaceX Dragon. Such a decision was made by the agency so that the American astronaut, if necessary, would not return home on a Russian ship.
As Space.com writes, in this way, the American agency wants to have the flexibility to take its astronaut Frank Rubio to Earth. He arrived at the International Space Station on the Russian Soyuz.
“NASA plans to transfer Rubio’s seat to Endurance, the Dragon spacecraft. This change allows for increased crew protection by reducing the thermal load inside the MS-22 spacecraft,” agency representatives wrote.
It is noted that both ships are now docked with the ISS. However, the Russian Soyuz MS-22 suffered a coolant leak last December after an apparent collision with a micrometeorite or debris. After that, the ship was deemed unsuitable for returning the crew to Earth, except in emergencies. At the same time, the Soyuz can still be used as a rescue boat in case of problems on the ISS until the arrival of the next spacecraft.
What is happening on the ISS
In December 2022, a significant leak of an “unknown substance” began in the Russian segment of the ISS from the aft part of the Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft on the night of December 15.
In addition, American astronauts on the ISS were unable to go into outer space due to the threat of nearby Russian space debris. Two astronauts planned to go into outer space from the American gateway of the ISS to install a new solar panel.
