Science News Desk – Three astronauts from America and Russia are stranded hundreds of kilometers above the earth. These astronauts were sent to the International Space Station for six months in September last year. As these astronauts prepared to return to Earth this month, a micrometeorite brought their journey to a halt. The return of these astronauts has been postponed due to security reasons. Now these astronauts will return to Earth in September this year. In such a situation, preparations are being made to deliver the goods needed by these astronauts to the space station through rockets as soon as possible.
The astronauts stranded on the International Space Station include Sergei Prokopyev of Russia, Dmitry Petelin of the US and Francisco Rubio. The three astronauts were sent to the International Space Station in September last year for a six-month mission 248 miles above Earth. However, now on their way back, there is a possibility of a small particle on their way to damage their ride. This could have caused a leak in the Soyuz MS-22 rocket that brought back the astronauts.
According to Roscosmos, the Russian space agency operating this mission, the astronauts stranded on the International Space Station will next walk on solid ground in September. Roscosmos wrote on its Telegram page that space missions always carry a high risk of life-threatening emergencies for astronauts. Micrometeoroid impacts on a spacecraft or orbital station have happened before, but unlike Soyuz MS-22, they have never had such serious consequences. There are currently seven people on the ISS.
Diana Contella, NASA’s ISS operations integration manager, said the plan is for Frank and Dmitry and Sergei to remain on the ISS for several more months until they come home, probably by the end of September. He told that this is such an event, for which NASA is always ready. The space station is fully stocked for events where astronauts cannot return home for several months. It is believed that the space agency does not want to take any risk considering the size of the meteorite.