NASA protects the US astronaut Serena Auñón-Chancellor against the Russian accusations. Russia says the astronaut intentionally drilled a hole in the International Space Station (ISS) back in 2018. They pin her actions on a psychological crisis, as the mistake forced an early return to Earth.
According to the Russian news, the female astronaut supposedly made a few holes in the immense spacecraft. According to the Russian state news agency, multiple drilled holes were made by someone inexperienced with drilling in low gravity.
TASS points out that Serena Auñón-Chancellor is guilty due to an unexpected health issue. The US astronaut developed a blood clot in her jugular vein, causing an ‘acute psychological crisis’. Hence she was the surgeon on the spacecraft; she had to treat herself.
Although NASA doesn’t deny the astronaut’s health issues, they protect her reputation. The reason why the holes appeared on the Soyuz capsule is still unknown. Both the US and Russia made comments about the issue; however, there is no conclusive evidence. Bill Nelson, head of NASA, fully supports her.
I whole heartedly agree with Kathy’s statement. I fully support Serena and I will always stand behind our astronauts. https://t.co/gBvgFTP5vF
— Bill Nelson (@SenBillNelson) August 13, 2021
Could this be just Russia’s old grudge on the US? Even back then, the story was all over the new and lots of speculations were made. However, the investigation done in 2019 shows no evidence for either party. Plus, the Russian team sent the ISS spinning back in July, which didn’t stand well with NASA. Maybe this is just a way to remove themselves from the spotlight.
Soyuz capsule issue
After three months of docking, the team noticed a decrease in air pressure. Therefore, after many hours of research, they found a 2 ml hole. Although this severe problem was immediately sorted out, NASA claims that the life of the astronauts was not in danger. The curious thing was that the holes were made from the inside of the ISS.
The mystery still remains.