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Russian theory that NASA sabotaged the space station spreading like wildfire
As you may recall, a low-pressure leak occurred aboard the International Space Station in late August. Eventually the crews traced the leak to the orbital module of a Russian Soyuz spacecraft that had arrived at the station in June. After the problem was traced to what appears to be a manufacturing defect, the head of Russia's space program essentially called for the head of whoever made the error. Now, however, something entirely new is afoot in Russia. A growing number of Russian publications have been putting forth an absurd new theory—that a NASA astronaut deliberately caused the leak on board the station in order to force the evacuation of a sick crew member. The story has spread like wildfire during the last 24 hours, according to Robinson Mitchell, who translates Russian space stories for Ars.
One of the most prominent articles was published Wednesday in Kommersant, which says Russian investigators are vigorously pursuing the claim that Americans may have damaged the Soyuz deliberately. Publicly, Roscosmos leader Dmitry Rogozin was quoted as saying about Russia's investigation into the leak, "Results we have received do not give us an objective picture. The situation is much more complex than we earlier thought." Privately, however, several sources from the space agency are leaking much juicier comments to the Russian media. "Our Soyuz is next to the Rassvet (Dawn) module, right next to the hatch into the American segment of the station," one source told Kommersant. "Access to our ship is possible only with the permission of our commander, but we cannot exclude an unsanctioned access by the Americans."
The NASA/Roscosmos joint statement:
NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine and Roscosmos General Director Dmitry Rogozin met for the first time yesterday via teleconference to discuss the status of International Space Station (ISS) operations in response to a request from Roscosmos. As part of their discussion, Dmitry Rogozin informed his American counterpart about Roscosmos' decision to establish a Roscosmos-led Commission to investigate the cause of the leak in the Soyuz (MS-09/55S) spacecraft currently docked to the station. The Administrator and the General Director noted speculations circulating in the media regarding the possible cause of the incident and agreed on deferring any preliminary conclusions and providing any explanations until the final investigation has been completed.
They affirmed the necessity of further close interaction between NASA and Roscosmos technical teams in identifying and eliminating the cause of the leak, as well as continuation of normal ISS operations and NASA's ongoing support of the Roscosmos-led Soyuz investigation. They acknowledged the entire crew is dedicated to the safe operation of the station and all docked spacecraft to ensure mission success.
The Administrator and the Roscosmos General Director agreed to conduct their first face-to-face meeting at the Baikonur Cosmodrome on or about Oct. 10 when the NASA Administrator will visit Russia and Kazakhstan in conjunction with the upcoming Soyuz crew spacecraft launch of American astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Alexy Ovchinin.
Previously: Russian Space Chief Vows to Find "Full Name" of Technician Who Caused ISS Leak
(Score: 0, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 14 2018, @11:17PM (8 children)
The drill marks look they were made by a person with no practical experience handling a drill. And the part had been painted before the hole was drilled, so probably after manufacture.
I'm sure the Russians seal parts up before getting sent to launch, so in space sabotage, with access made possible by weightlessness, is a serious possibility.
(Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 14 2018, @11:33PM
Ah ha! Russian collusion in space, now Trump's SPACE FORCE makes more sense. They needed a scandal to funnel money into the super expensive so-secret-they-can't-show-pictures SPACE FORCE! space force chaaaaa.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Friday September 14 2018, @11:39PM (3 children)
I would be interested in looking at those photos. Please don't link to some grainy stuff that could just as easily be the bottom of a septic tank. Just a simple photo, showing details please. Something on Kodachrome would be a nice bonus. Nikons are nice . . .
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rlDTK6QI-w [youtube.com]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 15 2018, @12:00AM (1 child)
What's next, 50 ways to leave your drill marks?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 15 2018, @11:23PM
Oh that got a good chuckle :{D
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 15 2018, @06:06AM
The picture I saw of the hole had scratch marks in the paint where the bit skipped until it bit into the metal.
(Score: 5, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 15 2018, @01:01AM (1 child)
It's a 2mm hole, so it's pretty certain the Russians did it themselves.
Americans would have used a 5/64" bit.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 15 2018, @03:26AM
Americans would have used a #47 bit.
(Score: 2) by FatPhil on Saturday September 15 2018, @01:56PM
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 5, Funny) by Runaway1956 on Friday September 14 2018, @11:22PM (7 children)
One of my grand daughters was out gallivanting on her unicorn. Being magical creatures, the unicorn can take her way up high, beyond the atmosphere, while carrying it's own air supply. Anyway, they saw the space station, and decided to explore. They weren't challenged on the way in, so they snooped all over the place. When it was time to leave, the unicorn was in a tough position in a tight spot, and accidentally caused that "drill hole".
We've scolded the grand daughter, and told her no more unicorn rides for a month. She has promised to act more responsibly in the future. The next time she visits the space station, she'll get a fairy to take her. Fairies are fine - but we warned her about those damned gremlins. Gremlins are nothing but problems!
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Saturday September 15 2018, @12:44AM (6 children)
Knowing that the hole is near the toilet, I reckon you still have a thing or two to tell her.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Saturday September 15 2018, @12:58AM (4 children)
Me tell her? Are you nuts? Grandpa is forbidden to tell the child certain things. For instance, magic. Informing the girl that magic isn't real would result in my near-instantaneous death at the hands of Mama and Grandma. Let's make a deal - YOU tell her!
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Saturday September 15 2018, @01:22AM (3 children)
That's not a deal; what's in for me?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 2) by MostCynical on Saturday September 15 2018, @03:38AM
Slow, and likely painful, death.
"I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Saturday September 15 2018, @09:49AM (1 child)
The satisfaction of knowing that you've done that trademarked "right thing"?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 15 2018, @10:14AM
And let you with the trademarked "good things"?
Sorry, no.
(Score: 2) by jasassin on Sunday September 16 2018, @09:11AM
I'm pretty sure she had a good idea what was going on after the penis slid out the hole.
jasassin@gmail.com GPG Key ID: 0xE6462C68A9A3DB5A
(Score: 1, Troll) by hemocyanin on Saturday September 15 2018, @12:12AM (5 children)
Looks like the Russians are taking a page from the Democrat's #RussiaRussiaRussia playbook and doing a search and replace.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Saturday September 15 2018, @12:14AM (4 children)
Pretty easy to do when America has imposed sanctions on your country, with plans to do more [reuters.com].
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Saturday September 15 2018, @12:36AM
Washington’s message is clear, do as we say or be punished – US Secretary of Energy Perry [rt.com]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Saturday September 15 2018, @12:37AM (2 children)
Every time I read or hear about some joint US/Russian venture in space, I think about all that enmity on the ground. Crazy, isn't it? We want to cut Russia's throat, economically, but we depend on Russia to cooperate with us in space.
(Score: 5, Interesting) by takyon on Saturday September 15 2018, @12:57AM
We could be seeing the end of U.S.-Russian cooperation in space.
1. This crazy mess.
2. U.S. is likely to suspend involvement with the ISS by 2025, maybe 2028.
3. U.S. will (hopefully) have two companies capable of getting U.S. astronauts to the ISS by next year, ending dependence on the Russians.
4. U.S. has its lame LOP-G as a destination for the SLS, which doesn't get the Russians to the actual [nextbigfuture.com] Moon [spaceflightinsider.com].
5. China will open up [gbtimes.com] its low-Earth orbit space station to any interested nations. Except for the U.S., since NASA is prohibited from working with China by Congress.
6. Russia's space program is in the [spaceflightinsider.com] shitter [independent.co.uk] anyway [defenseone.com].
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Immerman on Saturday September 15 2018, @05:07AM
I think a big part of it may genuinely have been a "Hey, let's cooperate where it absolutely doesn't matter to anyone but egghead astronomers". Sort of an escape valve to explore cooperation and try to defuse cold-war tensions someplace that had good P.R. potential with limited real consequence to either power. Not like corporate business ventures where stakeholders might hold your feet to the fire if you decided to renege.
Sort of the brighter mirror-image of the long history of the U.S. R and D parties "Let's be loudly at odds over things our corporate sponsors could care less about, while quietly cooperating to sell out citizens"
(Score: 5, Informative) by c0lo on Saturday September 15 2018, @01:19AM
Russian cosmonaut speaks about hole in the ISS and assures that all is well [firstpost.com]
Interesting: around the 1 minute mark of the video, the hole doesn't seem to be in a position that easy to reach from inside ISS, it is more likely it didn't happen in space.
On the (literally) other side of the hole [tass.com]
As for the claim that Americans cosmonauts may have damaged the Soyuz deliberately???
The russian officials are calling "Bullshit. Fake news" [tass.com]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 15 2018, @01:23AM (3 children)
seems like drilling a hole would be pretty loud.
Wouldn't everybody come running to see what was happening?
This smells like a diversion, but from what?
(Score: 2) by Knowledge Troll on Saturday September 15 2018, @02:24PM (2 children)
I can't fathom how anyone could drill a hole in the space station with out everyone else in there knowing about it unless it was really really really slowly. Prison escape slow.
I would expect the drill noise to travel along the entire structure.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 15 2018, @11:26PM
I imagine they have quite a few pumps and fans running at all times. A small drill at slow speed and a tiny bit is probably easy to do in under 5 mins.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 16 2018, @12:34AM
The way it was first reported, the hole was plugged with some sealant that had come loose. At least in that news item, the assumption was the hole was drilled on the ground, plugged and the plug fell out recently.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Revek on Saturday September 15 2018, @01:35AM (1 child)
American idiots in that they let themselves be trolled so easily and rush forward with a story without any real evidence.
This page was generated by a Swarm of Roaming Elephants
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 15 2018, @02:01AM
have you seen hordes of Russian demonstrators clashing with counter-demonstrators?
no? Then there may be a specific difference between the Russian idiots and American idiots [nypost.com]
(Score: 4, Interesting) by fraxinus-tree on Saturday September 15 2018, @10:11AM
This is impossible, never happened before and unlikely to happen anyway.
Russians and people in (post-)soviet world in general are used not only to not trusting any official position. In a lot of cases, they also assume exactly the opposite to be true. So the government had to build a parallel rumor-based "network of the truth". The Internet trolls are not new and their methods are not developed in the internet age. They just adopted the new technology, still doing what they are good at, just scaled to the whole world. Their services are for sale, too.
Good luck fighting them. Not impossible, just very, very hard.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 15 2018, @01:08PM
-nt