The search for a source of toxic benzene in the atmosphere of the International Space Station will resume at the end of July after the delivery of the new US air quality monitor on board the Russian cargo spacecraft Progress, a source in the rocket and space industry said.

"Since there is only one such device at the station and it is impossible to repair it in orbit, it was decided to send the new AQM to the ISS on the Progress MS-15 spacecraft", the source said.

Earlier reports said the blastoff of the Progress MS-15 cargo spacecraft to the ISS by the Soyuz-2.1a launch vehicle from the Baikonur space centre was scheduled for 23 July.

On Tuesday, NASA reported that the month-long search for the benzene source had to be stopped due to the failure of the US Air Quality Monitor 1 while taking measurements in the Russian segment of the space station.

Last week, the ventilation systems between the Russian and US segments of the stations were split to try to determine the benzene's source.

On 20 May, Roscosmos reported heightened benzene concentrations inside the space station, a week-and-a-half before the expected arrival of a NASA SpaceX Crew Dragon with two US astronauts onboard. The search continued in June, with NASA claiming the increase in concentrations could be caused by the air filters installed in one of the American modules on board the station.

Benzene, an organic chemical compound, is a colourless liquid with a specific sweet smell. It is a natural constituent of crude oil and is used in the production of drugs, plastics, dyes and rubbers. Benzene is carcinogenic and toxic.

ISS Astronauts stop search for benzene leak source
Cosmonauts and astronauts aboard the International Space Station first reported heightened toxic benzene concentrations last month, although levels are not deemed high enough to pose a risk to the crew's lives.

The month-long search for the source of the toxic benzene leak aboard the ISS hit another snag due to the short-circuiting of the US Air Quality Monitor 1 (AQM-1), NASA has confirmed.

Last week, the ventilation systems between the Russian and US segments of the stations were split to try to determine the benzene's source. AQM-1 was able to offer two readings in the Russian segment before tripping a circuit breaker on Friday. The system's failure prompted astronauts and ground control to reintegrate the segments' atmospheres.

Roscosmos first reported heightened benzene concentrations inside the ISS on May 20, a week-and-a-half before the expected arrival of a NASA SpaceX Crew Dragon with two US astronauts onboard. The search continued in June, with the AQM-1 measuring air quality in the Russian Zvezda service module.

Astronauts temporarily separated ventilation systems on June 12. Later, NASA speculated that the increase in benzene levels may have been caused by an air filter installed in one of the US modules aboard the station, indicating that specially designed charcoal HEPA filters may have absorbed benzene and other compounds and begun pushing the benzene off the filters, elevating toxicity levels.

Russia's space agency confirmed Friday that the work on finding the source of the benzene is ongoing.

In March 2019, ISS air analyzers revealed a heightened concentration of isopropyl alcohol after the arrival of an unmanned Crew Dragon, with analysis concluding a concentration of about six milligrams per cubic meter, which decreased to about 2 milligrams per cubic meter after air purification systems were turned on.

Benzene is a colourless liquid with a distinct sweetish odour. It's used in the production of medicines, plastics, synthetic rubber and dyes, and is toxic and carcinogenic.

The International Space Station consists of 15 pressurized modules, including 5 Russian modules, 7 US modules, 1 Japanese module, 1 European module and an experimental Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) developed by NASA contractor Bigelow Aerospace.

Construction of the space station began in 1998, with the ISS's modular design based on the tried and tested designs developed by the USSR with its Salyut, Almaz and Mir space stations. Some of the Russian modules aboard the ISS were initially developed for the Mir-2, a space station designed in the mid-1980s but never built.

Source: RIA Novosti

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