The ISS Is in the ‘Riskiest Period of Its Existence,’ NASA Safety Panel Warns

The International Space Station (ISS) has been orbiting Earth since 1998, housing groups of astronauts in the microgravity environment around 250 miles above the surface of the planet. All of that time in space has taken a toll on its aging hardware, and the space station is due to retire within the next few years. Until then, however, safety experts are warning of long-running issues that threaten the safety of the ISS, and the crew on board. During a meeting of the Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel (ASAP) held on Thursday, members of a NASA safety panel stated that there are growing risks threatening the space station as it nears the end of its use, SpaceNews reported. “The ISS has entered the riskiest period of its existence,” Rich Williams, a member of the panel, said during the meeting. At the top of the list of growing risks is a leak where air has been escaping at an increasing rate from a tunnel that connects a docking port to a Russian module. In 2019, Russia’s space agency Ro ... Read full article.