MOSCOW (TASS): The hole in the utility compartment of the Soyuz MS-09 spacecraft in 2018 was drilled in zero gravity by a person who was not familiar with the device. This was announced to TASS by a high-ranking source in the Russian rocket and space industry.
“Of the eight holes, only one was through, the rest were drilled as if with drill bounces, which, rather, speaks of drilling in zero gravity conditions without the necessary support,” said the agency’s interlocutor.
According to him, they tried to drill one hole in the ship’s frame. “That is, someone who has not been trained in the construction of the Soyuz MS spacecraft was drilling,” he noted.
The interlocutor of the agency emphasized that such damage could not have been inflicted on Earth – in this case, the ship would not have been tested in a vacuum chamber before launch. “Thus, Roskosmos immediately ruled out the version of damage to the Soyuz MS-09 on Earth,” he added.
Russian cosmonauts underwent a polygraph test due to the situation with the hole in the Soyuz MS-09 spacecraft, while the NASA astronauts refused it, the source said.
“The Americans refused to go through the polygraph, in contrast to the Russian cosmonauts,” – said the agency’s interlocutor.
He especially noted that the Russian side did not get the opportunity to examine the tools and drills that are available on the ISS for the remains of metal shavings from the Soyuz MS-09 hull.
On August 30, 2018, pressure dropped on the ISS. As it turned out later, the air escaped through an opening in the household compartment of the Soyuz MS-09. Experts came to the conclusion that the ship’s hull was drilled from the inside. In September 2019, the general director of Roscosmos Dmitry Rogozin said that the state corporation knew the origin of the hole, but would not disclose this information to the public.
