Crew of International Space Station move modules

A problem in the US segment of the International Space Station has prompted its six-person crew to quickly lock it up and move to a Russian module but they are not in danger, Russian and US officials said.

“The space station crew is safe,” Nasa spokesman Bob Jacobs said. Russia’s space agency Roscosmos said in a statement that a “leak of harmful substances from the cooling system” prompted the crew to isolate the American module.

“The crew is safe and is in the Russian segment now”, it said in a statement, adding that mission control experts in Moscow and Houston quickly and efficiently co-operated to ensure the crew’s safety. While Roscosmos said positively that there was a leak, Nasa said it was still unclear whether it had actually occurred.