According to Arstechnica.com, in 2018, the Russian Soyuz MS-09 vehicle was docked to the International Space Station, where a small hole with a circumference of a finger was found. The August 2018 was more of an embarrassment than an actual harm, as no no astronaut or cosmonaut was in danger from the small hole. The 2 mm breach was found when the module of the Soyuz MS-09 was docked into the International Space Station. Of course, the hole could have depressurized the station in two weeks had it not been found and fixed; however, the cosmonauts found the hole and patched it with epoxy, and the Soyuz aircraft flew its two cosmonauts back safely at the end of the six-month mission.
So what is really a crime here? Roscosmos which is the company overseeing russian spacecrafts, reported that it had handed its investigation results to the law enforcement who would then determine whether crime should be charged.
While most tended to agree that the hole was caused by manufacturing or testing defect, the Russian government began to entertain a rumor that a disgruntled NASA astronaut drilled the hole. Since the completion of the investigation, the Russian media has changed its tune, saying the hole was drilled after a romance had gone sour. NASA has fought back against both of these seemingly ridiculous accusations.
NASA had actually detected immediate depressurization in August 2018 and also knew that none of the NASA astronauts were near the depressurization hole when the pressure began to leak out. NASA had shared this information with the Russian government to clear its name at the time.
Although Russians and the Americans had been mostly amicable with regards to space, that might not be so reliable in the future, as in the most recent incident, Russian military shot down its own satellite, which caused such a dangerous situation for the astronauts on the space station, that they had to shelter inside the spacecraft for more than two hours. Planned spacewalk also had to be delayed.
The tension rises, but it is also true that Russia will be meeting with the U.S. in Russia next year. They might be able to clear up the air about a few things, or certainly, that would be the desired outcome.
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