Astronauts Grapple With Air Lock Leaks

Astronauts struggled with more air leaks aboard the international space station on Thursday, this time inside the newly attached portal for spacewalkers.

NASA said the latest leaks were small and would not interfere with tonight’s spacewalk through the new $164-million air lock. A shrill noise coming from the air lock’s depressurization pump, when turned on, also will not hamper any of the activity, officials said.

Space station astronaut Susan Helms complained of the noise Thursday night.

“The decibel measurement right now is 100,” Helms reported. Mission Control said it copied what she was saying. “What?” she shouted, then added: “Just kidding.”

Space station astronaut Jim Voss used a leak-detecting tool to confirm that air was seeping from three spots in one compartment of the air lock into the other. Among the repair options: closing valves, tightening fittings and replacing seals.

Spacewalkers will use the air lock to leave the space station and float into the vacuum of space. The outer chamber of the air lock is depressurized before the astronauts step out, making a tight seal essential.

Flight director Paul Hill said even if no repairs are made, only a few pounds of air will leak out during tonight’s spacewalk, an amount “which is just not that big of a deal.”

“Even at this [leak] rate, the air lock’s pretty tight and looks really good and really ready to go,” Hill said.

Hours earlier in the mission, Voss fixed a leak that cropped up in a ventilation valve near the air lock, which was delivered by space shuttle Atlantis and installed over the weekend. Voss also had to wrestle earlier in the week with leaky plumbing that spilled water near the air lock.