The head of the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Bill Nelson, expressed concern about the safety of the crew of the International Space Station (ISS). Nelson said this on Tuesday, November 16.
"I spoke with Director General Rogozin (Roscosmos CEO Dmitry Rogozin - Ed.), expressing concern about the danger to which our astronauts and cosmonauts on the ISS continue to be exposed," he wrote on Twitter following a conversation with the Director General of the Russian state corporation.
On November 16, Rogozin and Nelson had a telephone conversation. The main topic of discussion was the convergence of the ISS with space debris.
On November 15, Roscosmos reported that space debris approaching the ISS no longer threatens the station. The crew is working normally. According to the crew's negotiations with Earth, space debris flew past the ISS on Monday, but may return to the station again.
It was noted that in the case of a rapid approach of the ISS with space debris, the crew traditionally takes refuge in spacecraft in case of emergency evacuation, since it takes several hours to prepare for the evasion maneuver.
In addition, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said on November 15 that the Russian Federation had tested anti-satellite systems. He added that by its actions, the Russian Federation allegedly threatens "the long-term sustainability of the space environment and the use of space by all countries."
In turn, the head of the Russian Defense Ministry, Sergei Shoigu, noted that there was no threat to space activities during the testing of the system. At the same time, the Ministry of Defense recalled that the United States is actively developing and testing in orbit the latest strike-combat weapons of various types, including the latest modifications of unmanned X-37 spacecraft, without any notification.
