Cosmonaut instructed to immediately leave area as he discovers 'blob' growing outside International Space Station
Published on Aug 10, 2025 at 10:06 AM (UTC-4)
by Alessandro Renesis
Last updated on Aug 10, 2025 at 10:06 AM (UTC-4)
Edited by
Kate Bain
A Russian cosmonaut and his colleague venturing outside the International Space Station (ISS) on a spacewalk were told to ‘immediately’ leave the area after finding a ‘blob’ in space.
Astronauts are trained not to panic, but we bet their hearts still skipped a beat or two.
In the end, everything went well.
And they eventually learned what the ‘blob’ actually was.
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The reason why the Russian cosmonaut was ordered to leave immediately
Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub went on a spacewalk outside the ISS when they spotted a weird blob in space.
They were ordered to leave the area immediately and return to the International Space Station.
As it turns out, the blob was coolant leaking from a radiator, but it was still enough to contaminate Kononenko’s tether.
As a result, the tether was bagged and left outside ISS when the spacewalk ended.
The two astronauts managed to ‘isolate’ the leak so as not to contaminate anything else, while also collecting enough data for the engineers back home to analyze.
Both astronauts are fine.
In fact, they’re better than fine.
Astronauts age slower while they’re in space, which explains why Kononenko looks 40-something even though he’s actually in his early 60s.
About the International Space Station
The International Space Station – or ISS for short – is a large space station maintained by five space agencies: ESA (Europe), JAXA (Japan), Roscosmos (Russia), CSA (Canada) and of course NASA.
It was launched in 1998 and it is expected to remain operational until the end of 2030.
One thing that people might not realize about the ISS is that it travels at an incredible speed.
It travels at 27,600KM/H (17,100MPH), which means it can make 16 orbits of Earth every single day.
Alessandro is an automotive journalist with 10 years of experience covering supercars, automotive history, emerging vehicle technology, and luxury transportation. He wrote the first article published on SupercarBlondie.com when the website launched in 2022 and has since built a reputation for insightful reporting across the automotive and transportation industries. His expertise is grounded in hands-on experience. Alessandro has driven every Tesla model ever produced, from the original Roadster to the Cybertruck, and regularly covers the latest developments in electric vehicles and automotive innovation. His passion for transportation extends beyond cars, he has even flown a Boeing 787 Dreamliner simulator in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. His reporting spans everything from classic American muscle cars and rare automotive discoveries to luxury yachts, private aircraft, high-end watches, and cutting-edge vehicle technology. Known for his deep knowledge of automotive history and ability to uncover the stories behind iconic vehicles, Alessandro brings readers a blend of historical context, technical expertise, and first-hand experience.
