International Space Station ammonia leak 'very serious'

International Space Station ammonia leak 'very serious'

Russian and US space experts were scrambling to address a "very serious" ammonia leak outside the International Space Station that may require astronauts to perform an emergency spacewalk, a Russian official said on Friday.

"Indeed, they have a serious defect, very serious," Vladimir Solovyov, flight director for the Russian segment of the space station was quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency.

The US space agency Nasa earlier said the leak of ammonia used to cool the station's power system, did not pose a danger to astronauts on board.

Solovyov said officials from both countries were considering whether to send ISS crew members into open space to fix the leak, and would discuss the problem later on Friday.

The space news website Spaceflight101 called the leak "major", adding that flight engineers Mashburn and Cassidy would perform a six-hour spacewalk on Saturday.

In a statement earlier on Friday, Nasa said crew members had spotted small white flakes floating away from an area outside the craft before reporting the incident.

link