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Fumes on Mir, but U.S. astronaut feels safe
April 11, 1997
Web posted at: 1:02 p.m. EDT (1702 GMT)
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(CNN) -- Despite problems with the life support system on the Russian space station, the U.S. astronaut on board Mir said he feels safe. But Jerry Linenger told reporters Friday that carbon dioxide levels are too high and that the crew is suffering from nasal congestion because of leaking fumes.
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Linenger, 42, who's been living on Mir since January, said he and his two Russian crewmates -- Vasily Tsibliev and Alexander Lazutkin -- have spent the past few days unloading an unmanned Russian supply ship that docked with Mir on Tuesday.
They're trying to fix leaky coolant pipes and a broken oxygen generator, as well as scrubbers that remove poisonous gas from the air.
A backup air purification system is not working well because of the high humidity, but the primary system, which was shut down last week because of leaks, is now functioning again, the astronaut said.
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"Personally, I feel fine," Linenger said during a news conference, answering questions from reporters at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. "I'm glad I'm up here."
But he added that he and his Russian colleagues have suffered from stuffy noses and ethylene glycol fumes leaking from the coolant lines .
Linenger said he felt safe. "We've got some difficulties and we are working hard to overcome those."
The news conference was audio-only and there were occasional interruptions in the radio transmission between Mir and Earth.
Linenger, the fourth American to stay on Mir, is supposed to return to Earth in mid-May. But NASA officials say that if they are not comfortable with the Mir's safety performance, they may reconsider plans to send another astronaut up.
NASA needs to look closely at the results of the station repairs before allowing more Americans to live on Mir, Linenger acknowledged.
Three more U.S. astronauts are supposed to take turns living on Mir over the next year.
"It's a story here of a space station that we've kept going, or the Russians have kept going, for 11 years," Linenger said.
"They've done a lot of repairs up here, and so I'm hoping for the best that we're able to fix things."
Related stories:
- Russians lash back at NASA over Mir problems - April 10, 1997
- Russia launches supply rocket for Mir - April 6, 1997
- Orbiting Russian, U.S. spacecrafts beset by glitches - April 5, 1997
- Space station crew waits for supply ship - April 5, 1997
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