TORONTO – NASA has reported a coolant failure on the International Space Station.
According to the space agency, the pump module on one of the space station’s two external cooling loops shut down when it reached “pre-set temperature limits.”
As of 7:30 p.m. EST, the Johnson Space Center reported that the pump was brought back online, though a valve may not be working correctly inside of it.
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These loops circulate ammonia outside the ISS in order to keep equipment temperatures both inside and outside cool.
According to NASA, “The flight control teams worked to get the cooling loop back up and running, and they suspect a flow control valve actually inside the pump itself might not be functioning correctly. At no time was the crew or the station itself in any danger, but the ground teams did work to move certain electrical systems over to the second loop.”
NASA also reported that some non-critical systems have been powered down within the Harmony node, and the Kibo and Columbus laboratories.
The ISS is comprised of several nodes. Harmony is an internal connecting port and passageway to other labs.
Teams are trying to determine what caused the shutdown.
“The crew is safe and preparing to begin a normal sleep shift while experts on the ground collect more data and consider what troubleshooting activities may be necessary,” NASA’s statement said.
In May, astronauts had to conduct a space walk in order to replace a pump after a similar coolant leak.
According to NASA, the crew is continuing normal routines.
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