第3057期:ISS air leaks

NASA recently ordered five astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) to take shelter inside their docked SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft. 美国国家航空航天局（NASA）近日要求国际空间站（ISS）上的五名宇航员进入已对接的SpaceX“龙”飞船内避难。 This safety action was taken while two Russian crew members worked to repair new air leaks in a transfer tunnel of the Russian service module. 这一安全措施是在两名俄罗斯宇航员正在修复俄罗斯服务舱转移通道中新出现的空气泄漏时采取的。 An expert explained that while the situation was serious enough to prepare for a potential evacuation, it was handled as a standard, practiced safety procedure. 一位专家解释称，尽管情况严重到需要准备潜在撤离，但实际上是按照标准的、已演练过的安全程序处理的。 The problem is that the ISS is an elderly spacecraft, and some parts have been operating since 1998, well beyond their original design life. 问题在于国际空间站已经是一艘“老旧”航天器，其中一些部件自1998年以来一直在运行，远超其原始设计寿命。 Over the years, the structure has been stressed, especially when Russian Soyuz spacecraft dock with significant force. 多年来，该结构承受了持续压力，尤其是在俄罗斯“联盟号”（Soyuz）飞船以较大冲击力对接时。 Although the cracks are not a new problem, the rate of the air leak suddenly increased. 尽管裂缝并不是新问题，但空气泄漏的速度却突然增加。 If the astronauts had needed to leave the ISS completely, they could have closed the spacecraft’s hatch and been safe within a minute. 如果宇航员需要完全撤离空间站，他们可以关闭飞船舱门，并在一分钟内进入安全状态。 Fortunately, after a few hours of waiting without needing to put on their spacesuits, the repairs were completed, and NASA told the astronauts they could safely return to the station. 幸运的是，在等待数小时且无需穿上航天服的情况下，维修工作完成，NASA随后通知宇航员可以安全返回空间站。