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In 1961, Yuri Gagarin became the first human being to venture into (and return from) outer space after the Russian cosmonaut spent close to two hours orbiting the Earth. America would eventually see and raise the Soviet Union when Neil Armstrong stepped foot on the moon in 1969, which essentially marked the beginning of the end of the “Space Race.”
In the 1980s, those rival countries agreed to put some of their differences aside to pursue the construction of what is arguably the most ambitious feat of engineering in human history: the International Space Station. It took more than 15 years for that plan to come to fruition, but the ISS welcomed its first visitors after the astronauts that comprised the Expedition 1 crew successfully docked to kick off its inaugural four-month mission in November of 2000.
The fact that the International Space Station has hosted more than 250 extraterrestrial travelers without any major incidents in over two decades of operation is a fairly stunning achievement when you consider it’s a massive autonomous structure situated more than 250 miles above the surface of the Earth.
With that said, there have been a few setbacks—including a recent incident that could mean three astronauts who are currently onboard are theoretically stuck there for the foreseeable future.
According to Ars Technica, two Russian crew members who were slated to embark on a spacewalk on Wednesday night were forced to abort those plans after mission control spotted coolant leaking from the Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft that carried them and an American NASA representative to the Russian side of the ISS in September.
While officials describe the leak as “fairly significant,” it thankfully doesn’t pose any immediate danger to that trio or the four other astronauts they’re been sharing the ISS with. However, there are concerns the leak could make the shuttle unfit for the trip back to Earth or prevent it from being used to escape in the event of a more serious emergency.
While there is also a functional SpaceX shuttle attached to the American side of the ISS, it doesn’t have enough room to accommodate all of the astronauts who are manning it. The ones who are impacted by the setback aren’t slated to return to Earth until March 2023, which means supplies aren’t a major concern and ground control should have ample time to send up a replacement if the Soyuz is ultimately ruled out of commission due to the leak.
With that said, knowing there’s a tiny chance you’re stuck in space in the event of a worst-case scenario can’t exactly do wonders for astronauts who are already dealing with a pretty psychologically-taxing job.