"For Crew-3, we’ve fixed this problem in the tank by essentially making it an all-welded structure with no longer a joint in there that can come unglued and become disconnected", the Spaceflight.now portal quoted Gerstenmaier as saying on Monday.
He added that the company provided all necessary information on design changes to NASA engineers, studying the modification. According to Gerstenmaier, two technical problems have a "good path to closure" in time for the launch of a new Crew Dragon flight on October 31.
Experts are also studying the ways in which malfunctions can lead to corrosion in the construction of the Crew Dragon capsule. According to Gerstenmaier, "extensive tests" have already been carried out.
During the flight of the space mission Inspiration4 in September, the toilet system malfunctioned. According to Bill Gerstenmaier, SpaceX engineer and vice president of build and flight reliability, a hose on the Crew Dragon spacecraft became disconnected and fluid entered the ventilation system. When the spacecraft arrived on Earth, engineers examined its condition.
Astronauts recorded a similar problem on the Crew-2 mission capsule, which is supposed to return to Earth in November. According to the portal, officials asked the astronauts to limit their use of the Dragon toilet after leaving the station.
In this Dec. 18, 2018 photo provided by SpaceX, SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket are positioned inside the company's hangar at Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, ahead of the Demo-1 unmanned flight test
© AP Photo / Space X
Crew-3 was formed in May and included NASA astronaut Tom Marshburn, commander Raja Chari, mission specialist Kayla Barron, and German astronaut Matthias Maurer. The Crew Dragon is scheduled to be launched on 31 October. The members of the mission are expected to spend about six months on the International Space Station.
The crew named their mission Endurance. This will be the first flight for the Crew Dragon capsule and the second launch for the Falcon 9’s recycled first stage booster, which is expected to be used during the flight.