Allegation:
Female NASA astronaut sabotaged the International Space Station
Evaluation:
In 2018, the question of whether a hole had been deliberately punched into the Russian spacecraft Soyuz MS-09 by a saboteur sparked an investigation by the Russian space agency Roscosmos.
Repetitions of the claim appeared on: X and a Reddit to post In August 2023, the Theory/”Conspiracy” subhead claimed that the astronaut was “jealous and paranoid about what her boyfriend was doing on Earth, so she sabotaged him.”[d] entire space station” (archived) Here).
So did this really happen? It depends on who you ask. Russian media repeated the unfounded rumor that female NASA astronaut Serena Auñón-Chancellor deliberately punched a hole in the Russian spacecraft. NASA has publicly disputed this rumor.
Let’s start with the origins of this rumor.
Soyuz MS-09 is a Russian rocket. started Three crew members, NASA’s Auñón-Chancellor, Russian cosmonaut Sergey Prokopyev, and European Space Agency astronaut Alexander Gerst, were transported via spacecraft to the International Space Station (ISS) in June as part of a group of six spacecraft. Monthly mission ending on December 20, 2018.
On August 29, 2018, mission ground control in both Houston and Moscow detected signs of a “very minor pressure leak” resulting in a “minor loss of cabin pressure.” International Space Station Status blog From 30 August 2018 (archived) Here).
The day after the leak, six crew members identified a two-millimeter hole in the orbital compartment, or upper section, of the Soyuz MS-09 spacecraft attached to the Russian division’s Rassvet module. This is a section of the Soyuz that does not return to Earth. Mission Control in Houston and the Russian Mission Control Center outside Moscow worked with the crew onboard to make repairs using “epoxy over gauze to seal the hole.”
The crew was never thought to be in danger and resumed their six-month mission following repairs.
(The hole is shown at left before it was repaired, as seen in the photo at right. NASA)
Some Russian media outlets reported the so-called anonymous claim that the hole may have been made deliberately by a crew member in space. According to an article published by the Russian news agency TASS, Dmitry Rogozin, then Roscosmos Space Chief, said:
We evaluate all theories. The meteorite impact claim was rejected because the spacecraft’s hull was clearly impacted from the inside. But it’s too early to say for sure what happened. But it’s as if it was made by a trembling hand… A technological mistake made by an expert. This was made by a human hand; there are traces of a drill sliding across the surface. We do not reject any theory.
It is a matter of honor for Energia Rocket and Space Corporation to find out who is responsible for this, to find out whether it was an accidental defect or an intentional malfunction, and whether it was done on Earth or in space. It is now important to see the reason for this and learn the name of the person responsible. And we will surely find out.
NASA and Roscosmos published a statement joint statement On 13 September 2018, he announced the Russian space agency’s plan to “establish a Roscosmos-led Commission to investigate the cause of the leak”, acknowledging speculation “circulating in the media about the possible cause of the incident”.
Russian media outlet in 2021 RIA Novosti reported that the investigation was completed and the results were sent to law enforcement for next steps.
“Previously, allegations appeared in the Russian media that the hole in the Soyuz was opened by American astronaut Serina Auñon-Chancellor due to her suffering after an unsuccessful romantic relationship with one of the crew members,” RIA Novosti wrote.
TASS also Wrote inside August 2021 He said the hole could not have been made while the spacecraft was tethered to Earth, but instead was opened by a person while in space.
No further details were provided and it does not appear that any follow-up action has been taken as of this publication.
At that time, NASA once again disputed the claims.
“NASA astronauts, including Serena Auñón-Chancellor, are highly respected, serve their country, and make invaluable contributions to the agency,” said NASA Deputy Administrator for Space Operations. Kathy Leuders somehow wrote to post Shared with X on August 13, 2021. “We stand behind Serena and her professional conduct. We do not believe these accusations have any credibility.”
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson echoed Leuders’ thoughts to post It was shared with X on August 13, 2021 and read: “I wholeheartedly agree with Kathy’s statement. I fully support Serena and will always stand behind our astronauts.”
I wholeheartedly agree with Kathy’s statement. I fully support Serena and will always stand behind our astronauts. https://t.co/gBvgFTP5vF
— Bill Nelson (@SenBillNelson) 13 August 2021
“All partners of the International Space Station are committed to mission safety and crew welfare. “All International Space Station partners participate in multiple reviews prior to each major station activity to assess and ensure the safety of all crew members,” he wrote. Brian OdomIn an email to Snopes, NASA’s chief historian adds:
The hole detected by the space station crew in late August 2018 was quickly sealed, restoring airtight pressure on the station. Russian cosmonauts conducted a spacewalk in December to collect additional engineering data for Russian experts on Earth and to get an outside look at the effectiveness of internal repair. The Soyuz spacecraft was thoroughly inspected and deemed safe for the crew to return to Earth, which they did on December 20, 2018. Our NASA crew members perform their duties with professionalism and integrity.
As of January 2024, it is still unclear who or what caused the hole, but many experts to accept He said it was most likely due to a manufacturing error.
Resources:
August 2018 – Space Station. August 31, 2018, https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/2018/08/.
“https://Twitter.Com/KathyLueders/Status/1426250198855081985.” X (Formerly Twitter), https://twitter.com/KathyLueders/status/1426250198855081985. Access date: January 10, 2024.
“https://Twitter.Com/SenBillNelson/Status/1426251539035955200.” X (Formerly Twitter), https://twitter.com/SenBillNelson/status/1426251539035955200. Access date: January 10, 2024.
“https://Twitter.Com/Tractor_owner/Status/1731431869781020915.” X (Formerly Twitter), https://twitter.com/tractor_owner/status/1731431869781020915. Access date: January 10, 2024.
Kathy Lueders, Deputy Administrator for Space Operations – NASA. https://www.nasa.gov/people/kathy-lueders-associate-administrator-for-space-operations/. Access date: January 10, 2024.
NASA History Office – NASA. https://www.nasa.gov/history/history-office/. Access date: January 10, 2024.
Statement from NASA and Roscosmos on the International Space Station Leak – NASA. https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-roscosmos-statement-on-international-space-station-leak/. Access date: January 10, 2024.
Soyuz MS-09 Rocket Launched – NASA. https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/soyuz-ms-09-rocket-launched/. Access date: January 10, 2024.
Wall posted, Mike. “Hole Causing Leak in Russian Spacecraft Likely Caused by Assembly or Testing: Report.” space.comSeptember 6, 2018, https://www.space.com/41738-soyuz-spacecraft-air-leak-hole-origin-report.html.
Novosti, Р. I. A. “Results of ‘дырке’ and ‘Союзе’ телям.” RIA Innovations20211126T1033, https://ria.ru/20211126/kosmos-1760833889.html.
https://tass.com/science/1019791. Access date: January 10, 2024.
https://tass.com/science/1325275?utm_source=google.com&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=google.com&utm_referrer=google.com. Access date: January 10, 2024.