Nasa and Russian space agency look for fix for leaking space station

Officials say it is too early to speculate whether astronauts would have to leave if the hole is not fixed

A NASA spokesman said it was premature to speculate on whether astronauts might have to leave for Earth early if the leak on the station could not be stopped (Reuters)

An astronaut temporarily plugged a hole in the International Space Station with his finger to patch up a tiny gap in the orbiting lab.

Alexander Gerst, the European Space Agency astronaut who reportedly put his finger over the leak, would have "literally touched space", the YouTube channel Techniques Spatiale said in a tweet.

Astronauts have successfully given the hole a temporary fix to ensure that they are safe. But they are continuing to look for a way of permanently fixing the hole to ensure that air does not escape from the inside.

Nasa and Russian space agency officials have stressed that the astronauts – who were asleep when the leak was detected – are in no immediate danger.

The leak – possibly from a micrometeorite strike – was discovered on Wednesday night when it caused a small drop in cabin pressure. It was traced to a hole about 2mm across in a Soyuz capsule docked at the space station.

On Thursday morning, the crew taped over the hole, slowing the leak. Later, the two Russian spacemen put sealant on a cloth and stuck it over the area, while their colleagues took photos for engineers on the ground. Flight controllers, meanwhile, monitored the cabin pressure while working to come up with a better long-term solution.

Mission control outside Moscow told the astronauts to let the sealant dry overnight and that more leak checks would be conducted on Friday. The makeshift repairs seem to have stabilised the situation, at least for now, officials said. Earlier, flight controllers tapped into the oxygen supply of a Russian cargo capsule to partially replenish the atmosphere in the station.

The leaking Soyuz — one of two at the station — arrived at the lab in June with three astronauts. It's their ride home, too, come December, and serves as a lifeboat in case of an emergency. A NASA spokesman said it was premature to speculate on whether the three might have to return to Earth early if the leak, even as small as it is, cannot be stopped.

The hole is located in the upper, spherical section of the Soyuz, which does not return to Earth, according to Nasa.

The 250-mile-high outpost is home to three Americans, two Russians and one German. Orbital debris is a constant threat.

Additional reporting by Associated Press