An air supply system on the ISS just failed

[Mike Wehner]

• The oxygen supply system on the Russian half of the International Space Station failed on Wednesday.
• The crew is safe thanks to a second oxygen system on the U.S. half of the spacecraft.
• Repairs to the oxygen system will be carried out today.

When you're living in space there are a few things you need. They're the same things you need on Earth, really, like breathable air, water, and food, but because you're completely separated from the ground below, you rely on various systems to ensure that these vital things are available.

On the International Space Station, air, food, and water are delivered on a regular basis. Water can be recycled but still needs to be topped off at times, and food is obviously not something that can be re-used since, well, poop. Air, or more specifically oxygen, needs to be delivered on a regular basis, and machines ensure that there is a nice mix of oxygen in the air so that the crew remains healthy and alert. A failure of the air supply is a pretty serious issue and one that demands immediate attention, and that's exactly what is happening right now on the Russian half of the ISS.

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An air supply system on the ISS just failed originally appeared on BGR.com on Thu, 15 Oct 2020 at 18:49:35 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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