WEBVTT

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- A Russian Soyuz spacecraft that's docked

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to the International Space
Station sprung a leak last week,

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and the Russian space
agency is trying to decide

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whether or not the spacecraft will be able

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to carry three astronauts
back home early next year.

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Early inspections revealed
a 0.8-millimeter-wide hole

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in the Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft,

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which could have been
caused by a micrometeorite

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or a small piece of space junk.

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On December 15th, the
Soyuz spacecraft sent

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an unsettling fountain
of coolant into space,

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forcing the Russian space
agency to cancel a spacewalk.

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The unusual sight lasted for hours,

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but NASA and Roscosmos said
that it posed no threat

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to the astronauts on board the ISS.

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But there may be a potential problem

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because this Soyuz spacecraft
is supposed to carry

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a NASA astronaut and
two Russian cosmonauts

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back to Earth in the spring of 2023.

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So now the space agencies need to decide

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whether the spacecraft
is fit for passengers.

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If not, they may need to
send an empty spacecraft

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to the ISS to bring the astronauts home.

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But the spacecraft's
thrusters are working based

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on a test conducted on Friday.

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Roscosmos expects to make a
decision by December 27th.

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So we'll have to wait and see

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whether the Soyuz can
carry astronauts back home,

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or if it will make a lonely descent

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back to Earth with no crew on board.

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