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Astronauts plug space station hole with finger

ISS - Level 0

Astronauts fixed a hole in the International Space Station (ISS). Scientists usually do scientific experiments on the ISS. Last week, NASA said the station was slowly leaking air. An astronaut found the hole. He used a simple and quick way of doing this. He put his finger over the hole. Luckily, it was only two millimeters wide.

A small piece of space junk may have hit the ISS, which travels at around 28,000 kph. Flight controllers in the USA and Russia helped the crew. A cosmonaut used a "space tape" and a special glue from a "space repair kit". NASA said: "The crew are healthy and safe with weeks of air left in the International Space Station reserves."

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ISS - Level 1

Astronauts fixed a hole in the International Space Station (ISS). The ISS is a satellite that scientists do scientific experiments in. Last week, NASA told astronauts that the station was slowly leaking air. Six astronauts looked for the leak. One astronaut found it and used a simple and quick way of stopping the leak. He put his finger over the hole. Luckily, the hole was only two millimeters wide. It was not an emergency, but it did need fixing.

NASA said a small piece of space junk may have hit the ISS, which travels at around 28,000 kph. A tiny object can cause a lot of damage. Flight controllers in the USA and Russia worked with the crew to fix the hole. A cosmonaut used a "space repair kit" to do this. He used some "space tape" and a special glue. NASA said the ISS crew are now safe. It said: "The crew are healthy and safe with weeks of air left in the International Space Station reserves."

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ISS - Level 2

Slowest

Astronauts on the International Space Station fixed a hole in its outer wall. The ISS is a large satellite that scientists live in to do scientific experiments. It was first put into space in 1998. Last week, NASA told ISS astronauts that the station was slowly leaking air. Six astronauts started looking for the leak. Astronaut Alexander Gerst found it. He quickly used a simple and effective way of stopping the leak - he put his finger over the hole. Luckily, the hole was only two millimeters wide. It was not a major emergency, but it did need fixing.

The hole was in a Soyuz MS-09 spacecraft. NASA said a small piece of space junk or a small meteorite may have hit it. The ISS travels at around 28,000 kph, so a tiny object hitting it can cause a lot of damage. Flight controllers in the USA and Russia worked with the crew to fix the hole. Cosmonaut Sergey Prokopyev used a "space repair kit" to do the job - some "space tape" and a special glue. A NASA official said the crew on the ISS are safe after the repair. He said: "The crew are healthy and safe with weeks of air left in the International Space Station reserves."

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ISS - Level 3

Astronauts and cosmonauts on the International Space Station (ISS) have fixed a hole in the shell of its outer wall. The ISS is a large satellite in space that scientists live in to do scientific experiments. The first part of it was put into space in 1998. Last week, NASA alerted astronauts on the ISS that the station was slowly leaking air. Astronaut Alexander Gerst and five other astronauts started looking for the leak. Mr Gerst eventually found it and quickly used a simple and effective way of stopping the leak - he put his finger over the hole. Luckily, the hole was only two millimeters wide so it was not a major emergency, but it did need fixing.

The hole was in a docked Russian Soyuz MS-09 spacecraft. NASA said it could have been caused by a small piece of space junk or a small meteorite colliding with the spacecraft. The ISS travels at speeds of around 28,000 kph. Even a tiny object hitting it can cause a lot of damage. Flight controllers in the USA and Russia worked together with the crew to fix the hole. The Soyuz commander, Sergey Prokopyev, used a heat-resistant "space tape" and a special glue to plug the hole. These are part of a "necessary space repair kit". A NASA official said the crew on the ISS are safe after the repair. He said: "The crew are healthy and safe with weeks of air left in the International Space Station reserves."

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