MOSCOW, Jan. 7 (UPI) -- An oxygen generator on the International Space Station malfunctioned but was repaired, Russian media reported Friday.
An undisclosed source at the Russian Mission Control Center was quoted by the Russian Itar-Tass news agency as saying the Elektron oxygen generation system began to malfunction during the New Year holidays because the oxygen supply line was clogged with gas bubbles.
Russian cosmonaut Salizhan Sharipov fixed the problem Thursday, the source said.
A similar incident occurred last September. The oxygen generation system, according to the source, needs periodic repairs.
At the same time, neither Sharipov nor NASA astronaut Leroy Chiao are threatened with lack of oxygen because reserves of oxygen on the ISS are sufficient for several months, the source said.
The cargo spacecraft Progress M-51 delivered oxygen to the station in late December. The crew also can use standby oxygen producers for more than a month.
Plans call for an advanced Russian oxygen generation system to be sent to the ISS this year, the Newsru.com Web site reported.
