Russian cosmonauts discover new cracks in the International Space Station - and fear they will get WORSE
Russian cosmonauts have discovered new cracks in a section of the International Space Station that they fear could worsen over time.
The superficial 'fissures' were found in the Zarya module, the first part of the ISS to be launched in 1998 by Russia.
The country's space officials have warned that the latest incident aboard the station, following the discovery of other cracks last year, could become more widespread over the next few years.
'Superficial fissures have been found in some places on the Zarya module,' Vladimir Solovyov, chief engineer of rocket and space corporation Energia, told RIA news agency.
The superficial 'fissures' were found in the Zarya module, the first part of the International Space Station (ISS) to be launched in 1998 by Russia
'This is bad and suggests that the fissures will begin to spread over time.'
He did not say if the cracks had caused any air to leak.
Last year, ISS crew members hunted for an air leak for several weeks, tracing it to the main work area inside another Russian module called Zvezda.
Nasa stressed that the leak posed no immediate danger to the crew and only caused a slight deviation to the ongoing work schedule.
Mr Solovyov has said previously that much of the International Space Station's equipment is starting to age and has warned there could be an 'avalanche' of broken equipment after 2025.
August 2018 saw astronauts rush to fix a hole (pictured) which had appeared in the outer wall of the Soyuz capsule on the orbiting laboratory. Its origins were, and still are, a mystery despite rife speculation
This is also the year that Russia plans to leave the ISS project, possibly to launch its own orbital station.
In April, Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov told the Russia 1 TV channel that Moscow intended to warn ISS partners about the withdrawal.
He noted that the station's service life has long expired, and its condition 'leaves much to be desired'.
It is not known whether Russia will decided to completely abandon all work on the ISS.
It comes after NASA hit back at Russian claims earlier this month that a US astronaut drilled a hole in the ISS in 2018 to force an early return to Earth that she 'suffered a psychological crisis'.
According to a report in TASS, the Russian state news agency, Roscosmos insiders claimed there were multiple holes drilled by someone unfamiliar with the module design and without proper support to ensure accurate drilling in low gravity.
They claim NASA astronaut Serena Auñón-Chancellor made the hole after a blood clot developed in her jugular vein that she had to treat herself, leading to an 'acute psychological crisis'.
NASA would not comment on the matters but disputed the claim, describing the astronaut as extremely well respected.
August 2018 saw astronauts rush to fix a hole which had appeared in the outer wall of the Soyuz capsule on the orbiting laboratory.
Its origins were, and still are, a mystery, despite rife speculation and accusations from all sides.
It is thought the latest report may be Roscosmos deflecting accusations from NASA over the arrival of the Russian Science module sending the ISS in a spin in July.
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