Suspicious hole on the International Space Station was caused by a 'botched repair job', claims commander
- Alexander Gerst confirmed the leak was made deliberately from the inside
- He believes it is from a faulty repair job done by mechanics on Earth
- In an interview he revealed it could have had 'severe' repercussions for the crew
The commander of the International Space Station has revealed the hole drilled from the inside of the orbiting laboratory was likely caused by a botched repair job.
It's been more than four months since crew first discovered the hole in the Russian Soyuz spacecraft, but just how it got there still remains a mystery.
Alexander Gerst confirmed the leak was made deliberately and had the potential for 'severe' repercussions in an interview with the BBC Radio 4 Today programme.
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The commander of the International Space Station has revealed the hole drilled from the inside of the orbiting laboratory was likely caused by a botched repair job. Space officials said the station remained safe to operate. There appear to be drill marks around the hole on the inside (pictured)
Gerst, the German-born commander of the mission, refuted allegations that the hole was caused by US astronauts.
He instead says that it was likely caused by a faulty repair job which was inadequately performed by mechanics on the ground.
Gerst spoke about the risks the crew faced and said: 'As an astronaut you think "Well, what would have happened if it broke loose a little bit earlier, when we were travelling to the space station, when you only have a very small volume of air in that spacecraft?",' he said.
'Even though the hole was small in that case it would have been more more severe for us.'
Sergey Prokopyev and two other astronauts returned to work in December following a 197-day space station mission.
The hole in the Russian Soyuz spacecraft attached to the station was spotted on August 30.
Just days prior to their return to Earth, the cosmonauts endured a gruelling spacewalk that lasted almost eight hours to investigate the hole, using knives and shears to carve into the side of the ISS.
The crew discovered a leak that was creating a slight loss of pressure and plugged the hole with epoxy and gauze.
Nasa claimed the astronauts on-board were never in danger but images and further investigation revealed it was made from the inside.
Alexander Gerst confirmed the leak was made deliberately and had the potential for 'severe' repercussions in an interview with the BBC Radio 4 Today programme
Claims were made that the hole was likely as a result of sabotage or repair error.
The hole didn't pose a danger to Prokopyev and crewmates Serena Aunon-Chancellor of NASA and Alexander Gerst of the European Space Agency during their return because the section of the capsule it appeared on was jettisoned before the fiery re-entry into Earth's atmosphere.
Roscosmos chief Dmitry Rogozin said in September the hole could have been drilled when the capsule was manufactured or in orbit.
Rogozin stopped short of blaming crew members, but the statement has caused some friction between Roscosmos and NASA.
Rogozin has since back-pedaled from the statement, blaming the news media for twisting his words.
Prokopyev scoffed at the idea the hole could have been drilled by an astronaut, saying, 'You shouldn't think so badly of our crew.'
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