A Russian spacecraft delivering about six months’ worth of food and supplies to the International Space Station leaked a strange odor and droplets upon docking at the station — raising alarm among astronauts.
The Progress 90 successfully docked to the ISS Poisk module on Saturday but when Roscosmos cosmonauts opened its hatch, the mysterious smell shot through, according to NASA.
“After opening the Progress spacecraft’s hatch, the Roscosmos cosmonauts noticed an unexpected odor and observed small droplets, prompting the crew to close the Poisk hatch to the rest of the Russian segment,” NASA said in an update.
The crew on the space station described the odor as “toxic” and immediately shuttered its hatch to avoid potential contamination and spread, according to communications between mission control in Houston and the onboard crew and reviewed by Russian Space Web.
Space Station air scrubbers were turned on and contaminant sensors monitored the station’s air quality and atmosphere, the ISS said.
Russian crews geared up in protective equipment and activated the air-scrubbing onboard the craft.
The sensors revealed that the air quality onboard was at normal levels and there was no imminent danger associated with the gas.
After it was marked safe, cosmonauts began to open the hatch of Progress — with three tons of food, fuel and supplies inside — on Sunday.
Progress 90 will remain docked at the ISS for roughly six months. After that, ISS crew members will load it up with their trash before releasing it. The craft will then burn up upon entering Earth’s atmosphere.
The ISS, a collaboration between 15 countries, is expected to continue operations through 2030.