The micrometeorite that pierced the Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft consisted of depleted uranium. This is stated in a message published on the website of the state corporation “Roscosmos” on April 1.
In December 2022, a coolant leak from the cooling system occurred on the Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft. It made it impossible to use it to return to Earth. As a result of the accident, cosmonauts Sergei Prokopyev and Dmitry Petelin, as well as astronaut Frank Rubio, were actually “trapped” on the ISS. They had to wait for the rescue spacecraft to arrive at the station, and their business trip was extended for six months. As for the causes of the accident, during an external inspection, the astronauts found a hole in the spacecraft. After that, Roscosmos said that the cause of the accident was a micrometeorite.
On March 28, Soyuz MS-22 returned to Earth. Experts who studied the burnt spacecraft confirmed the initial conclusion that it was hit by a micrometeorite. Moreover, they managed to conduct a chemical analysis of it. According to the head of the investigation team Dmitry Rashkin, the “space guest” consisted of depleted uranium. Experts are inclined to conclude that a similar micrometeorite struck the cooling system of the Progress MS-21 spacecraft.
So far, Roscosmos has not given any official comments on the unusual chemical composition of micrometeorite. But it is known that at least three cosmonauts have already written reports for dismissal. In addition, photos of a train moving towards Kazakhstan carrying the Vostok and Voskhod spacecraft removed from the pedestal near the Star City appeared on the network.
In turn, representatives of the Royal Astronomical Society say that uranium meteorites are a common natural phenomenon. According to British astronomers, in the coming months the Earth will pass through the Heterida meteor shower, which may lead to a repeat of similar incidents with Russian spacecraft.
We remind our readers that today we celebrate April 1. On the occasion of the day of laughter, the editors of The Universe Space Tech have collected a selection of the five most hilarious space comedies, under which you can spend a carefree evening.
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