ISS cosmonauts examine Nauka radiator leak using ERA

MOSCOW. Oct 18 (Interfax) - Russian crewmembers of the International Space Station (ISS) have examined the spot of a coolant leak from the backup loop of Nauka module's radiator using the European Robotic Arm (ERA), Roscosmos said on Wednesday.

"The Nauka Multipurpose Laboratory Module's backup radiator heat-exchanger has been examined using the European Robotic Arm (ERA)," the state corporation said in a report on the cosmonauts' work on the ISS on October 17.

On October 9, Roscosmos reported a leak from the Nauka module's backup radiator loop at the ISS Russian segment. The module's main thermal control loop was working normally and there was no risk to either the crew or station, it said.

On October 10, Roscosmos said cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub would examine and photograph the leak spot during a spacewalk on October 25 to establish its cause.

On October 11, NASA said the leak from the Russian module's radiator had stopped, noting later that astronauts' spacewalk planned for October 12 had been delayed until the end of this year.

The Nauka radiator does not run at full capacity, and the leak occurred from its non-working part, Roscosmos Executive Director for Manned Space Programs Sergei Krikalev said. "The leak occurred from the pipeline through which flexible lines are connected. The reasons for this depressurization will be clarified further," he said.