Remember Russia had a problem with radiator leaks on the International Space Station? Guess what!!

[thewayne]

In the last twelve months, twice Russia has had leaks on Soyuz space craft radiators, resulting in them dumping all of their coolant into space.

Well, it's happened again.

In this case, it's their Nauka science module, and an unused coolant loop. That is to say, a coolant loop that is not currently in use, it's planned for use with future experiments. Something happened and it has or is in the process of dumping all its coolant.

The two Soyuz leaks were blamed on micrometeorite impacts, what will take the blame for the Nauka leak? One micrometeorite? Okay, plausible. Two? When nothing has damaged any of the American equipment in similar fashion? Why don't we instead talk about the terrible state of the Russian space program: the funding cuts, the very low morale, the poor quality control.

I think you might find a lot of micrometeorite accumulation if you looked there.

https://arstechnica.com/space/2023/10/for-the-third-time-in-a-year-russian-hardware-on-the-space-station-is-leaking/

Comments

[acelightning73]

I remember in old stories during the Soviet era, people complained that the radiators in their buildings weren't working. Soviet engineering has never been the finest. Occasionally US space devices do get damaged by micrometeorites, or cosmic rays, or the ghosts of dead astronauts. I wish I could have gotten into our space program as a QC engineer! And if I were out there, I'd notice the presence of hostile energies, and I'd know how to banish them.

Okay, as I refer to in my Lughnasad poem, in many cultures the health of the King and the health of the Land are considered to affect each other. The injured or weakened King must allow his bride, an Incarnation of the Goddess, to murder him every Autumn, so he will rise up again in the Spring. It's relatively visible that Vladimir Putin is not in the vigorous health. Hmm.

[thewayne]

Serve Putin the slice of cake with the bean in it!

[kaishin108]

How gross, all that stuff out there in space!

[disneydream06]

Somebody has to be going out a window I would imagine. LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hugs, Jon

[thewayne]

Putin replaced the head of the Russian space program a year or so ago, and surprisingly he has not yet met with an accident.  I don't know that the new guy has been any improvement.

[disneydream06]

Oh, I'm sure he hasn't been. LOL......

[silveradept]

It very well could be what they say it is, but if it is, they're hoping you think that the micrometeorites are particularly energetic, rather than that the engineering is so poor that the average space particle can rip through it.