Key facts
- Astronauts aboard the International Space Station were ordered to shelter in their spacecraft.
- The astronauts were told to prepare for potential evacuation.
- A Russian crew is attempting to fix a worsening air leak on the station.
- The four astronauts of NASA's Crew-12 mission received the orders.
- They were instructed to enter their docked Crew Dragon spacecraft and don spacesuits.
Astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) were instructed by NASA to take shelter in their spacecraft and prepare for a possible emergency evacuation on Monday morning. The order came as a Russian crew is working to repair a worsening air leak on the Russian segment of the orbital laboratory. The four astronauts comprising NASA's Crew-12 mission, which includes two U.S. astronauts, one French astronaut, and one Russian cosmonaut, received the directive from NASA mission control at 9:04 a.m. ET. They were told to enter their Crew Dragon spacecraft, which is docked to the ISS, and put on their spacesuits in case the situation necessitates an emergency departure from the station.