November 25th 2024.
As the cosmonauts eagerly opened the hatch to the Progress 90 spacecraft, they were met with a putrid stench that immediately assaulted their noses. It was certainly not the welcome they were expecting after a routine mission to deliver supplies to the International Space Station. The spacecraft had just docked, and everyone was ready to begin unloading the cargo when the foul odor permeated the air.
Before anyone could jump to conclusions, let me clarify that the spacecraft did not make a pit stop at Uranus. No, the source of the stench was something else entirely. Despite the unpleasant surprise, the air quality inside the space station seemed to be normal. However, as a precaution, the crew had to don protective gear and take necessary measures to ensure the safety of everyone on board.
What was supposed to be a routine mission has now turned into a mystery. Everyone is curious to know what caused the foul odor that filled the spacecraft. According to reports from Ars Technica, the incident may have been downplayed. Russian Space Web's Anatoly Zak even described the smell as "toxic" and claimed that the cosmonauts had to immediately shut the hatch and activate the air scrubbing system.
The smell was so strong that the cosmonauts had to take immediate action and start scrubbing the air inside the spacecraft. To top it off, the undocking of the Soyuz MS-25 from the ISS only added to the confusion. US astronaut Don Pettit even claimed to have smelled a similar odor in the US segment of the station, but it's unclear if it was related to the incident.
The Progress 90 spacecraft was launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Thursday, with a Soyuz rocket. The launch was live-streamed by NASA, and everything seemed to go according to plan. However, the unexpected stench upon docking has caused quite a stir.
According to a tweet from the X account of the International Space Station, the Progress spacecraft successfully docked at the Poisk module on November 23. But upon opening the hatch, the Roscosmos cosmonauts noticed the foul odor and some small droplets, prompting them to close the hatch to the rest of the Russian segment. The air quality was monitored, and it was determined that there were no concerns for the crew. As of Sunday afternoon, the space station operations were back on track, with the crew working to open the hatch between Poisk and Progress.
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