Russia is keeping the source of last year's controversial air leak on the ISS a SECRET from NASA as US space chief Jim Bridenstine claims he 'has not been told anything'
- Russian media reports that Roscosmos chief knew the leak's source last year
- Jim Bridenstine, NASA administrator, insists he has not been told anything
- The leak saw a drop in air pressure when it was discovered in August 2018
- Some claim it was a botched repair job while others speculated it may have been an act of sabotage
The soap opera surrounding the International Space Station's mysterious hole and air leak continues.
NASA wants answers, but it seems their Russian counterparts are unwilling to provide them, despite allegedly knowing the cause of the issue as long ago as last year.
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.
Russia's space agency, Roscosmos, conducted an investigation into the hole and compiled a dossier on the incident, but reports claim it will not disclose its findings.
This includes, it seems, its international collaborators on the ISS, including NASA.
Jim Bridenstine, NASA administrator and top boss, says he wants to maintain a good working relationship, but insists he has been kept in the dark by the Russians.
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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.
The leak, a circular hole in the hull of the Russian Soyuz capsule as it joined the ISS, was the subject of headlines and speculation for months.
The exact cause of the breach was thought to be a botched repair job by an engineer who drilled through the side of the spacecraft.
However, some made allegations of subterfuge and deliberate sabotage.
A report from the Russian state-run news agency RIA Novosti claimed that Dmitry Rogozin, head of Roscosmos, revealed the agency had discovered the origin of the hole last year.
He is also reported as saying the findings would not be released.
'They have not told me anything,' Jim Bridenstine said during a Houston energy conference question session last week, according to the Houston Chronicle.
'I don't want to let one item set [the relationship] back, but it is clearly not acceptable that there are holes in the International Space Station,' he said.
The hole in the Russian Soyuz spacecraft attached to the station was spotted on August 30, three months after it first docked.
A decrease in air pressure was detected and astronauts rushed to find the cause.
Just days prior to their return to Earth, the cosmonauts endured a gruelling spacewalk that lasted almost eight hours to investigate the hole, using knives and shears to carve into the side of the ISS.
Jim Bridenstine, NASA administrator and top boss, (pictured, right, with actor brad Pitt who visited NASA this week) says he wants to maintain a good working relationship, but insists he has been kept in the dark by the Russians
The crew discovered a 2-millimetre (0.08 inches) hole which caused the leak and plugged it with epoxy and gauze.
NASA claimed the astronauts on board were never in danger but images and further investigation revealed it was made from the inside.
Sergey Prokopyev and two other astronauts, Serena Aunon-Chancellor of NASA and Alexander Gerst of the European Space Agency, were on board when it as detected.
Roscosmos chief Dmitry Rogozin said in September 2018 that the hole could have been drilled when the capsule was manufactured or in orbit.
At the time however, he stopped short of blaming crew members, but the statement has caused some friction between Roscosmos and NASA.
Rogozin has since back-pedalled from the statement, blaming the news media for twisting his words.
Mr Prokopyev scoffed at the idea the hole could have been drilled by an astronaut, saying, 'You shouldn't think so badly of our crew.'
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