Silent but Deadly
Astronauts on the International Space Station this weekend noticed a rancid stink when they popped the hatch on Russia’s Progress cargo ship that had just docked with it — and NASA says that anyone who wants to know more will have to speak to mother Russia.
“For any detailed information on what caused the unusual odor, please contact [Russian cosmonaut agency] Roscosmos,“ NASA news chief Kelly O. Humphries told CNN. Once probed, Roscosmos did not respond to CNN‘s request for comment.
Smell You Later
It’s possible that both the ISS and Roscosmos are trying to pass the blame for the unpleasant stench off on someone else. Neither the US nor Russia seems confident in identifying where the smell originated — though NASA on X-formerly-Twitter suggested it could have to do with “small droplets” astronauts saw when they opened the cargo hold.
In any case, space journalist Anatoly Zak, on his website Russian Space Web, charged that the fetid situation was more dire than either US or Russia suggested.
“The [Progress] cargo ship made contact with the docking port of the Poisk module,” Zak wrote, “but after [crew members opened] the hatch between Poisk and Progress, it had to be closed immediately due to a toxic smell and possible contamination hazard in the form of droplets.”
The US suggested that the smell came from outgassing from Progress’ cargo, while Russia blamed the Poisk docking mechanism, Zak said. All told, we don’t know where the odor came from, and we also don’t know what this latest disagreement means for NASA and Roscosmos’ increasingly rocky relationship.
NASA and Roscosmos are also at odds about the slowly leaking Russian portion of the ISS; NASA said the leaks could lead to “catastrophic failure,” while Roscosmos maintains they’re no big deal.
Usually, the truth is somewhere in between.
More on the stinking ISS: Space Station Astronauts Complain of Horrible Smell After Russian Capsule Docks
