The head of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, Yuri Borissov, paid tribute on Tuesday to American solidarity during the recent rise in temperature aboard a spacecraft docked with the International Space Station (ISS), following an accidental leak. “Say hello to the whole American team, they behaved very dignified in this situation and reached out to us to help. But I hope we will sort this out on our own,” he said during an exchange with the three cosmonauts on board: Sergei Prokopiev, Dmitri Peteline and Anna Kikina.
“I hope this little incident that happened with the temperature control system of the Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft has not had an effect on your morale and your composure”, he continued, according to a transcript of the exchange published by Roscosmos. “You have set an example to the world of how to work in the most trying and difficult conditions. I hope that many politicians will learn from this,” added Yuri Borissov.
The Soyuz MS-22 leak came on Wednesday when Russian cosmonauts Sergei Prokopiev and Dmitry Petelin were preparing for a spacewalk, which was ultimately canceled. The source of the leak was identified as coming from the Soyuz cooling system, and the liquid was presumably coolant.
On Monday, Roscosmos reported that the temperature had “stabilized” around 30°C in the Russian capsule. The agency added that the cause of the leak was being identified and that a special commission should establish whether the spacecraft can be used to bring cosmonauts back to Earth. The ISS is one of the few fields of cooperation still in progress between Moscow and Washington since the start of the Russian offensive in Ukraine, launched on February 24, and the Western sanctions that followed.
