NASA ruled out the version that the hole in the Soyuz MS-09 spacecraft docked to the ISS in 2019 could have been drilled by an American astronaut. This was announced during a briefing by a representative of NASA.
“NASA astronauts carry out missions with professionalism, they are highly respected people who make incredible contributions to the country. I think, more precisely, we believe that the astronauts' behavior is professional, and we do not find these accusations worthy of trust, “he said (quoted by Interfax).
On the eve of TASS, citing a high-ranking source in the Russian rocket and space industry, reported that a hole in the living compartment of the Soyuz MS-09 spacecraft was drilled in 2018 in zero gravity. According to him, they tried to drill one hole in the ship's frame. As the source specified, this could have been done by a person not familiar with the device.
TASS also published an article claiming that the American astronaut Aunyon-Chancellor, being the only woman in the Soyuz MS-09 crew, suffered an “acute psychological crisis.” Wanting to speed up her return to Earth due to an emergency situation, the American could drill a hole that threatened to depressurize the station. As one of the confirmations of his version, TASS said that the NASA astronauts refused to take a lie detector test.
The hole in the skin of the Soyuz MS-09 was noticed on August 30, 2018, when the sensors on the ISS showed a slight decrease in air pressure. The leak was located in the utility compartment, not in the descent vehicle. Then the Russian cosmonauts closed the hole with a special sealant.
More details – in the material of “Kommersant” “” Soyuz “violated”.
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