A "unexpected smell" on a Russian freighter surprises the ISS astronauts

Nov 29. () –

Astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) were surprised by a strange smell, possibly toxicfollowing the arrival of a Russian cargo spacecraft.

The strange smell, which was apparently similar to spray paint, was noticed by Russian cosmonauts after the Progress spacecraft docked with the Russian Poisk module of the ISS on November 23, which He forced them to close the hatch and put on protective gear.

“After opening the hatch of the Progress spacecraft, Roscosmos cosmonauts noticed an unexpected smell and they observed small dropswhich led the crew to close the Poisk hatch to the rest of the Russian segment,” explained the count in X of the International Space Station on November 24.

The space station’s air scrubbers and pollutant sensors monitored the station’s atmosphere after the observation, and on Sunday, flight controllers determined that The air quality inside the space station was at normal levels, according to the same source.

According to Livescience.comit is unclear what exactly caused the smell or how dangerous it was. According to reports on the Russian Space Web website, the gases released were “toxic.” However, astronauts opened the hatch on Monday (Nov. 25) and discovered that the unusual smell came from “outgassing of materials” within Progress’s pressurized cargo section. NASA representatives told .