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Smoke flowed briefly from the ventilation system of the International Space Station's Russian service module on Tuesday, but the apparent source was quickly isolated and the multi-national six member crew on board was in no danger, NASA reported.

The incident occurred shortly before 3 p.m., EDT, near the end of the station's work day.

"They seem to have the power off," ISS commander Steve Swanson informed NASA's Mission Control Center in an audio exchange released by the space agency. "And there is definitely no longer any sign of smoke in the area. We believe it's under control at this time."

Swanson, a NASA astronaut, leads a crew that includes three Russians, another American and a European.

The ventilation system for the station's Russian segment was isolated from the U.S. Operating Segment with commands issued by NASA flight controllers.

Russian controllers pointed to a heater for the water reclamation system in the Zvezda service module, which includes dining, sleep and work quarters for the station's cosmonauts, as the smoke source.

The device was deactivated. The station's crew activated a fan and filters to clear the smoke, NASA reported.

Quelle: AVIATIONWEEK

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Crew OK after detecting smoke on ISS

NASA says the International Space Station's six-person crew is safe after a detecting smoke inside the outpost this afternoon.

The crew reported seeing a small amount of smoke coming from a vent in the Russian-made Zvezda Service Module around 2:40 p.m. EDT, NASA said.

Mission controllers in Houston followed an emergency procedure to isolate the ventilation system on the station's Russian segment.

Expedition 40 commander Steve Swanson radioed that the smoke subsiding quickly, and NASA said the crew was not in danger.

"We believe it's under control at this time," Swanson said in an audio clip NASA posted online.

He described having seen "a very small amount" of smoke.

A heater in a water reclamation unit on the station's Russian segment, used for dining purposes, is considered the smoke's most likely source.

NASA said the crew deactivated the unit, set up a fan and filter to clear the smoke and assessed air quality throughout the station.

NASA and Russian engineers are studying any next steps.

Quelle: Florida Today