---
title: "NASA Says There’s a Small Leak on the International Space Station"
description: "NASA is investigating a small air leak on board the International Space Station. Luckily, the three current crew members aren't in immediate danger."
date: "2020-08-20"
modified: "2020-08-20"
authors:
  - name: "Victor Tangermann"
    job_title: "Senior Editor"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/nasa-small-leak-international-space-station"
categories:
  - "International Space Station"
  - "NASA"
  - "Space"
tags:
  - "international space station"
  - "iss"
  - "NASA"
  - "the digest"
---

# NASA Says There’s a Small Leak on the International Space Station

![NASA is investigating a small air leak on board the International Space Station. Luckily, the three current crew members aren't in immediate danger.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/nasa-small-leak-international-space-station.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: NASA\</em\>*

## Leaking Air

NASA [is investigating](<https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/2020/08/20/crew-spending-weekend-in-stations-russian-segment/>) a small air leak on board the International Space Station. Luckily, the three current crew members aren't in immediate danger, according to NASA, and will spend the upcoming weekend inside the Russian segment of the station as they try to find the source of the leak.

A small amount of air leaking out of the station is to be expected.

"The station’s atmosphere is maintained at pressure comfortable for the crew members, and a tiny bit of that air leaks over time, requiring routine repressurization from nitrogen tanks delivered on cargo resupply missions," reads a NASA statement.

## Plugging the Hole

That leak rate, however, "has slightly increased," according to NASA, "so the teams are working a plan to isolate, identify, and potentially repair the source."

While hunkered down in the Russian segment of the ISS, the crew will close all hatches so that mission control can monitor air pressure in each module. NASA expects some kind of answer by the end of next week.

The Russian segment will allow all three astronauts to float around the main Zvezda module, the Poisk mini-research module, and their Soyuz MS-16 spacecraft.

**READ MORE:** [NASA investigating small air leak on International Space Station](<https://www.space.com/nasa-investigates-air-leak-on-space-station.html>) \[*Space.com*\]

**More on the ISS:** *[Researchers Built a “Gravity Suit” to Keep Astronauts Healthy](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/gravity-suit-astronaut-health>)*

## Author
I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/vtanger.bsky.social>)