World News for Students of English

11-06-2026 07:00

NASA recently ordered five astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) to take shelter inside their docked SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft.

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.

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. The problem is that the ISS is an elderly spacecraft, and some parts have been operating since 1998, well beyond their original design life. Over the years, the structure has been stressed, especially when Russian Soyuz spacecraft dock with significant force.

Although the cracks are not a new problem, the rate of the air leak suddenly increased. If the astronauts had needed to leave the ISS completely, they could have closed the spacecraft’s hatch and been safe within a minute. 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.

Difficult words: leak (a small hole or crack that lets liquid or gas escape from a container), potential (possible), hatch (a special door or opening on a spaceship, airplane, or submarine).

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