The air leak on the International Space Station (ISS) was first detected in 2019 when astronauts noticed a gradual drop in the station's air pressure.

Over the following years, several small cracks were monitored and sealed, but the problem persisted, causing ongoing loss of air inside the station.

By late 2021 and early 2022, Russian cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anton Shkaplerov identified the likely final location of the leak within the Russian segment of the ISS, specifically inside the Zvezda module.

This module was found to have cracks, including some non-through cracks, which were the source of the leak.

Because the cracks were very small, detecting them precisely was difficult despite the use of ultrasonic diagnostics and other specialized detectors.

To address this, NASA and the Russian space agency Roscosmos cooperated closely.

The repair required specific materials and equipment that could not be delivered immediately.

These were scheduled to arrive aboard a Progress cargo spacecraft, after which the cosmonauts planned to begin the repair work.

Despite attempts to seal the cracks earlier, the leak remained persistent.

If necessary, the complete isolation of the Zvezda module was also an option to prevent further air loss.

The repair process was careful and methodical to ensure the air-tight integrity of the station would be restored while keeping crew members safe.

In summary, the ISS air leak was first noticed in 2019 and took several years to locate accurately.

The cause was small cracks in the Zvezda module.

Cooperation between NASA and Roscosmos led to a planned repair after delivery of the required materials by a resupply mission, aiming to fix the leak and secure the station's environment for astronauts onboard.

This event highlights the complexity of maintaining a safe, habitable space station and the teamwork required across agencies to resolve critical problems beyond Earth .

The air leak on the International Space Station (ISS) was first detected in 2019 when astronauts noticed a gradual drop in the station's air pressure.

Title:

Content: Ribbon
01 January 07: 01
All news
vk.com / Cosmonaut Ivan Wagner
Moscow, January 1.
Russian cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anton Shkaplerov discovered in the Zvezda module on the International Space Station, presumably the last place of air leakage.
This was reported in the press service of Roscosmos.
The first small leak was discovered on the ISS back in 2019, since then, astronauts have been monitoring the situation and eliminating cracks in the hull.
Experts know how to return the module tightness.
This will be done as soon as Progress delivers the necessary equipment to orbit.
“Russian cosmonauts Peter Dubrov and Anton Shkaplerov found a possible last place of air leakage in the intermediate chamber of the service module“ Star ” of the Russian segment of the ISS ”, — stated in the message.
Russian President Vladimir Putin previously admitted the possibility of continuing the operation of the ISS after 2024.
This is necessary to maintain high launch activity.
Go back
Comment

Over the following years, several small cracks were monitored and sealed, but the problem persisted, causing ongoing loss of air inside the station.

Title:

Content: 22: 04, 31 December 2021
The Russian crew found the alleged site of air leakage on the International space station
It is located in the module “Star ”, said in“ Roscosmos ”.
The cosmonauts will begin repair work after the nearest Progress cargo ship will deliver the necessary funds to them, the state corporation said.
Today, during the congratulations of the Russian participants of the expedition to the ISS, the head of Roscosmos, Dmitry Rogozin, spoke about the problems faced by the astronauts.
Air leakage at the station was recorded more than two years ago.
Since then, crew members have found several cracks and reported that they were able to seal them.
However, the pressure on the station continued to fall.
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By late 2021 and early 2022, Russian cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anton Shkaplerov identified the likely final location of the leak within the Russian segment of the ISS, specifically inside the Zvezda module.

This module was found to have cracks, including some non-through cracks, which were the source of the leak.

Title:

Content: Links for simplified access
ISS crew reports smoke and smell of burnt plastic
In the Russian module “Zvezda ” on the International space station (ISS) last night worked fire alarm, reports RIA“ Novosti ” with reference to the negotiations of the crew with the Earth, which broadcasts NASA.
Around five in the morning Moscow time, cosmonaut Oleg Novitsky told the Mission Control Center about the smoke and smell of burnt plastic.
After that, the devices showed the presence of harmful substances in the area of the medical cabinet in the Zvezda module.
French astronaut Tom Pesquet said that the smell of burnt plastic or electronics also penetrated the American segment of the ISS due to the working ventilation.
The source of the smoke and smell has not yet been identified.
The ISS included a system for removing harmful impurities.
Later, Roscosmos said that the smoke sensor and alarm system worked on the ISS “during automatic recharging of batteries. ”
Currently, all systems of the station are working normally, the department notes.
The Russian service module Zvezda docked to the ISS in July 2000.
Its main frame was built in the 1980s as the core of the Mir-2 space station, which was to replace the Mir station, but then it was decided to use it in the ISS program.
Zvezda allows a crew of three cosmonauts to stay in space, and the module can also dock with the Progress cargo ship, which once every three months delivers the necessary supplies to the station and adjusts its orbit.
In the fall of 2019, an air leak was recorded on the ISS.
A year later, the leakage rate increased fivefold.
Sequential sealing of the station compartments allowed us to establish that the cause of the leak was a crack in the Russian segment of the ISS - Zvezda.
The astronauts sealed it with a sealant, but the air leak continued.
Recently, during the survey of the International Space Station, cosmonauts found non-through cracks on the oldest module - "Dawn".
At the end of July, a meeting of the Presidium of the Scientific and Technical Council of Roscosmos took place, where it was noted that the station is breathing on incense.
The International Space Station will expire in 2024.
Earlier, Vladimir Solovyov, General Designer of the Energia Rocket and Space Corporation, predicted an avalanche of failure of numerous elements at the station after 2025.
This mainly concerns the tightness of the housing and complex computing facilities that have developed their resource, Solovyov noted.
XS
SM
MD
LG

Because the cracks were very small, detecting them precisely was difficult despite the use of ultrasonic diagnostics and other specialized detectors.

Title:

Content: The Russian module of the ISS “Zvezda ” can be completely isolated due to air leakage
reads: 670
23.01.2022 23: 30
The Russian Zvezda module, which is one of the modules of the Russian segment of the International Space Station, could be permanently isolated due to air leakage.
This was reported by NASA Director for the ISS Robin Gatens, reports “Interfax ”.
She said that the situation with the module does not yet pose a serious threat to the ISS, but in the worst case, is considering the option of complete isolation of the “Star ”.
According to Gatens, NASA and Roscosmos are working together to eliminate air leakage in the module, but due to the small size of the crack, it is difficult to detect detectors and ultrasonic diagnostic tools.
In turn, Roscosmos said that the concern of their colleagues on the ISS “is not justified and is surprising. ”
According to the Russian Ministry, the cosmonauts found the site of the leak at the end of last month.
They promise to fix the problem when the Progress cargo ship delivers materials to the ISS.
Note that in the Russian segment of the space station repeatedly there were problems and other problems.
For the first time, an air leak in one of the modules was detected in September 2019, in October 2020, a crack was detected in the camera of the Zvezda module.
Recall that earlier it was reported that at the end of July 2021, after docking the Russian module “Science ” to the International space station, it turned on the engines, because of which the station began to move chaotically and for a time lost control over the orientation of the ISS.
Wikipedia: The International Space Station, Inc.
International Space Station (ISS).
ISS) is a manned orbital station used as a multi-purpose space research complex; it is operated from the end of 1998 to the present (the countries agreed to operate through 2024 inclusive, the extension of the period of operation to 2028, 2030 is being considered).
The ISS is a joint international project involving 14 countries: Russia, the United States, Japan, Canada and members of the European Space Agency Belgium, Germany, Denmark, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, France, Switzerland, Sweden (originally the participants were Brazil and the United Kingdom).
The ISS is controlled by the Russian segment from the Space Flight Control Center in Korolev, the American segment from the Lyndon Johnson Flight Control Center in Houston.
The European Columbus and Japanese Kibo modules are controlled by the European Space Agency (Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (Tsukuba).
There is a constant exchange of information between the centers.
Photofact

To address this, NASA and the Russian space agency Roscosmos cooperated closely.

The repair required specific materials and equipment that could not be delivered immediately.

Title:

Content: Possible location of air leak from the International Space Station
Space
International Space Station
Copy Link https: / / www.rt.com / s7a8
The media office of the Roscosmos Foundation announced that the Russian cosmonauts discovered in the unit "Zvezda", the possible place of air leakage from the International Space Station.
According to the information office, the materials and equipment needed to repair this place will be sent aboard the Progress cargo vehicle.
"The equipment and materials necessary to stop air leakage will be sent with the first Progress cargo vehicle launched to the International Space Station, to solve this problem once and for all," the statement said.
Astronauts Peter Dobrov and Anton Shkaplerov discovered the possible location of the air leak in December in the middle chamber of the Zvezda unit.
NASA has said it is considering isolating the Zvezda module completely if necessary.
The Roscosmos media office commented: “The concerns of our partners are unfounded and surprising. ”
Source: Novosti
Agree.
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These were scheduled to arrive aboard a Progress cargo spacecraft, after which the cosmonauts planned to begin the repair work.

Despite attempts to seal the cracks earlier, the leak remained persistent.

If necessary, the complete isolation of the Zvezda module was also an option to prevent further air loss.

The repair process was careful and methodical to ensure the air-tight integrity of the station would be restored while keeping crew members safe.

In summary, the ISS air leak was first noticed in 2019 and took several years to locate accurately.

The cause was small cracks in the Zvezda module.

Cooperation between NASA and Roscosmos led to a planned repair after delivery of the required materials by a resupply mission, aiming to fix the leak and secure the station's environment for astronauts onboard.

This event highlights the complexity of maintaining a safe, habitable space station and the teamwork required across agencies to resolve critical problems beyond Earth .


The International Space Station (ISS) has confronted significant challenges related to air leaks, especially in the older Russian segment’s Zvezda service module.

This ongoing issue, detected initially in 2019 and persisting into 2024, follows an earlier, high-profile incident involving the Soyuz MS-09 spacecraft in 2018.

Together, these events reveal technical difficulties, human response, and the interplay of international collaboration under high-stakes conditions.

Below is a detailed timeline and overview, incorporating direct quotations and moments ripe for dramatization for your middle school drama troupe.

**Timeline and Detection**

The earliest notable air leak incident related to the ISS was the Soyuz MS-09 spacecraft breach on August 30, 2018.

A small hole, about the size of a drill bit, was found in the Soyuz’s household compartment while it was docked to the ISS.

Crew members swiftly sealed the hole with epoxy and tape, ensuring the leak did not threaten the crew’s safety.

The event provoked media scrutiny and speculation; NASA Assistant Head for Manned Flights Katie Leeds responded firmly: "NASA crew members carry out their missions professionally and honestly.

I support Serina

[Augnon-Chancellor] and her professional behavior, and I don't find the accusation credible" (referring to accusations suggesting crew interference in causing the breach).

This early incident highlighted vulnerabilities but was contained effectively and underlined the importance of teamwork and trust .

By late 2019, persistent signs of a new, more insidious air leak began emerging in the Zvezda service module, one of the ISS’s oldest components, launched in 2000.

Through 2020, the air leak worsened dramatically.

Joel Montalbano, NASA’s ISS Program Manager, summarized the situation in early 2024: “There is an area in the aft end of the International Space Station.

[There is] a small leak.

We’ve seen this leak increase about a week before the recent Progress launch and docking.”

The leak rate increased from roughly one pound to two pounds of air per day, though he reassured, “The hatch is closed in that area.

It’s not an impact on Crew-8…” indicating no immediate danger but ongoing operational concern .

Russian cosmonauts Peter Dubrov and Anton Shkaplerov took a leading role in physically locating the suspected leak in December 2021.

According to Roscosmos: “The means of eliminating non-hermeticity are planned to be delivered on the nearest Progress cargo ship, after which the cosmonauts will begin the final elimination of the leak.”

This coordination demonstrated joint NASA-Roscosmos efforts amid a complex technical challenge .

**Technical Responses and Methods**

Detecting the precise location of tiny leaks in orbit requires extraordinary care.

Doppler ultrasound tools and pressure sensors assist the crew, but “the small size of the crack” as NASA’s ISS Director Robin Gatens noted, complicates the process.

Crew members perform thorough visual inspections inside the segment, watching for condensation or drafts visible in air flow.

Repair efforts focused on sealing visible and suspected cracks with specialized space-grade sealants.

Each attempt temporarily improved pressure but leaks reappeared, implying multiple fissures.

Repair materials arrived via Progress cargo ships following detailed planning.

The sealant used is specially formulated to withstand vacuum conditions and temperature extremes, applied painstakingly in tight conditions.

In 2023, the technical challenges expanded when a new coolant leak was detected on the recently attached Nauka Multipurpose Laboratory Module.

Astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli visually detected flakes of coolant escaping from a radiator during a spacewalk, reporting on NASA’s live televised feed, “Yeah, there’s a leak coming from the radiator on the MLM.”

Mission Control responded promptly, instructing, “Jaws, can you please close the cupola shutters?”

Moghbeli confirmed, “Shutters closed,” showcasing coordination under pressure .

During this inspection, cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub experienced a tense moment when a tether soaked in coolant fluid struck an astronaut’s helmet, forcing them to halt part of the operation.

Kononenko’s terse report, “The tether touched my helmet and is soaked with coolant,” underscored the sudden danger.

The crew followed decontamination protocols, and NASA issued reassurances about air filtration and crew safety.

These real-time problem-solving moments offer vivid, dramatic content for portrayal.

**Human Drama and Communications**

Dramatic tension underscores many moments in this saga.

For example, in September 2021, a smoke alarm in the Zvezda module triggered immediate concern.

Cosmonaut Oleg Novitsky calmly communicated to Mission Control, “There is smoke and smell of burnt plastic.”

French astronaut Thomas Pesquet noted the smell seeping into the American segment via air circulation, a reminder of the shared risks aboard ISS.

The 2023 coolant leak spacewalk was broadcast live, revealing to viewers the vulnerable, high-pressure environment where unexpected mishaps could quickly escalate.

Crew control conversations exemplified professionalism under duress, with often terse but precise communication that could be dramatized with urgency and teamwork.

The 2018 Soyuz incident also lends itself to dramatic retelling, given the media spotlight and political tensions.

NASA officials’ public defense against sabotage rumors added a diplomatic element to the technical crisis, highlighting the pressures faced by crews as representatives of international partnerships.

**Aging Infrastructure and Program Outlook**

The underlying cause of ongoing leaks lies mainly with the ISS’s ageing modules.

Roscosmos officials have bluntly stated that the station is "breathing on incense," a metaphor reflecting the fragile integrity resulting from decades of operation in space.

Vladimir Solovyov, General Designer at Energia, warned of increasing failures post-2025, particularly mentioning deteriorating sealing systems and control computers.

This awareness has driven plans for new Russian orbital stations and possible ISS retirement by 2030.

Meanwhile, the aging ISS remains operational, with NASA and Roscosmos balancing repair efforts and safety protocols while continuing vital science operations aboard.

**Key Quotes and Scenes for Dramatic Retelling**

- December 2021, Roscosmos head Dmitry Rogozin: “Air leakage at the station was recorded more than two years ago.

Crew members have found several cracks and reported sealing them, but pressure continues to fall.”

This candid admission sets a tone of urgency and resilience.

- 2023 coolant leak spacewalk:

  NASA Mission Control: “Jaws, can you please close the cupola shutters?”

  Astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli: “Shutters closed.”

  Cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko: “The tether touched my helmet and is soaked with coolant.”

This sequence captures procedural interaction alongside sudden risk—ideal for dramatizing tension.

- September 2021 smoke alarm:

  Oleg Novitsky: “There is smoke and smell of burnt plastic.”

  Thomas Pesquet: “The smell of burnt plastic has entered the American segment.”

- 2018 Soyuz MS-09 leak media defense:

  NASA’s Katie Leeds: “NASA crew members carry out their missions professionally and honestly.

I support Serina and her behavior and do not find these accusations credible.”

**Summary**

The ISS air leak story spans years of technical troubleshooting, international teamwork, and personal courage.

From the quick patching of the Soyuz MS-09 hole in 2018 to the persistent and complex investigation of cracks in Zvezda, astronauts and cosmonauts have exhibited professionalism and adaptability in the face of slow but constant degradation.

The leaks’ detection methods—pressure monitoring, visual inspection, spacewalks, and live broadcasts—offer multiple dramatic set pieces where characters confront invisible but deadly faults in humanity's home in space.

The repeated sealing attempts and continued pressure drops underscore a real ticking clock element, heightening stakes.

Interpersonal communications, emergency responses to smoke and fluid leaks, and the international backdrop of cooperation vs. tension reveal layers of human drama.

The language of direct dialogue helps bring this environment alive for audiences, presenting astronauts and cosmonauts not just as scientists and engineers but as individuals wrestling with risk, isolation, and teamwork high above Earth.

This full, fact-based account provides your drama group an engaging, scientifically accurate foundation to build a narrative that balances factual detail with emotional and dramatic storytelling—highlighting the heroism and ongoing challenges of living and working aboard the ISS.

Should you wish to explore additional material or dramatize specific moments with more technical detail or emotional depth, further transcripts from NASA broadcasts and interviews with involved personnel may be solicited from space agencies or public archives.

The International Space Station (ISS) has confronted significant challenges related to air leaks, especially in the older Russian segment’s Zvezda service module.

Title:

Content: Ribbon
January 19 00: 04
All news
pxhere.com
Moscow, January 18.
Astronauts of the Russian segment of the International Space Station have discovered a possible place of air leakage in the chamber of the Zvezda module.
The relevant data follows from the material published by the press service of Roscosmos.
It is known that soon the nearest cargo ship "Progress" will be delivered to the ISS means of eliminating leakage.
After that, the Russian cosmonauts will immediately begin the final elimination of the cause of the leak.
"The means of eliminating non-hermeticity are planned to be delivered on the nearest Progress cargo ship, after which the cosmonauts will begin the final elimination of the leak," Roscosmos said.
Earlier, Russian cosmonauts Peter Dubrov and Anton Shkaplerov discovered a potential last place of air leakage in the Zvezda module.
Specialists will be able to restore its tightness as soon as Progress delivers the necessary equipment to the station.
Go back
Comment

This ongoing issue, detected initially in 2019 and persisting into 2024, follows an earlier, high-profile incident involving the Soyuz MS-09 spacecraft in 2018.

Title:

Content: The Russian module of the ISS “Zvezda ” can be completely isolated due to air leakage
reads: 670
23.01.2022 23: 30
The Russian Zvezda module, which is one of the modules of the Russian segment of the International Space Station, could be permanently isolated due to air leakage.
This was reported by NASA Director for the ISS Robin Gatens, reports “Interfax ”.
She said that the situation with the module does not yet pose a serious threat to the ISS, but in the worst case, is considering the option of complete isolation of the “Star ”.
According to Gatens, NASA and Roscosmos are working together to eliminate air leakage in the module, but due to the small size of the crack, it is difficult to detect detectors and ultrasonic diagnostic tools.
In turn, Roscosmos said that the concern of their colleagues on the ISS “is not justified and is surprising. ”
According to the Russian Ministry, the cosmonauts found the site of the leak at the end of last month.
They promise to fix the problem when the Progress cargo ship delivers materials to the ISS.
Note that in the Russian segment of the space station repeatedly there were problems and other problems.
For the first time, an air leak in one of the modules was detected in September 2019, in October 2020, a crack was detected in the camera of the Zvezda module.
Recall that earlier it was reported that at the end of July 2021, after docking the Russian module “Science ” to the International space station, it turned on the engines, because of which the station began to move chaotically and for a time lost control over the orientation of the ISS.
Wikipedia: The International Space Station, Inc.
International Space Station (ISS).
ISS) is a manned orbital station used as a multi-purpose space research complex; it is operated from the end of 1998 to the present (the countries agreed to operate through 2024 inclusive, the extension of the period of operation to 2028, 2030 is being considered).
The ISS is a joint international project involving 14 countries: Russia, the United States, Japan, Canada and members of the European Space Agency Belgium, Germany, Denmark, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, France, Switzerland, Sweden (originally the participants were Brazil and the United Kingdom).
The ISS is controlled by the Russian segment from the Space Flight Control Center in Korolev, the American segment from the Lyndon Johnson Flight Control Center in Houston.
The European Columbus and Japanese Kibo modules are controlled by the European Space Agency (Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (Tsukuba).
There is a constant exchange of information between the centers.
Photofact

Together, these events reveal technical difficulties, human response, and the interplay of international collaboration under high-stakes conditions.

Title:

Content: NASA stops space travel for a very confusing reason

While waiting to learn more about the new fluid leak that occurred during the full voyage last March, NASA had to resign itself to suspend all regular missions for its astronauts until further notice.

This is official: NASA is reluctant to announce to all its astronauts the cessation of regular space missions for at least several months. The reason given: After so many important events, she can no longer trust her clothes, some of which have endangered the lives of astronauts.

In the immediate future, all spacewalks (EVAs) that are not considered absolutely necessary will be postponed indefinitely. So the American astronauts would go out only if the International Space Station needed urgent repairs; In the absence of priority work, there is no question of stepping out of the station until further notice.

Until we have a better understanding of what happened in the last EVA, we will no longer be dating.Dana Weigel, one of the people involved in the management of the station quoted, confirms. Space.com. This interval should at least last until next July. Only on this date will defective or suspicious compounds be returned to Earth for analysis. From there, it takes a few weeks to determine for sure the origin of the failure.

New fluid leak that triggers old shock

This result is directly linked to the series of crashes that began in the concerned astronauts and gave cold sweat to NASA crews. The last event of its kind took place on March 23, and was paid for by German ESA astronaut Matthias Mauer.

As he exited, the temperature regulatory system of his EMU (Extravecular Mobility Unit) suit broke down. So the person concerned saw a water leak in his sealed helmet; An apparent crisis situation in the vacuum of space. This represents a direct danger to the astronaut, leaving him to his own devices and gradually being locked in a jar that is filled. This fluid may have leaked into other subsystems; A situation that can lead to dramatic failure of communications or oxygen recycling system, with all consequences.

And unfortunately this is not an isolated incident. In 2013, Italian Luca Permitano found himself in the same situation and was accidentally captured on video. “My head is very wet and I feel like it is getting worseHe promised the control team 400 kilometers down.

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A cold testimony that impressed NASA; After a few tests and exchanges of views, as if confused, the officers ended up interrupting the mission in an emergency. It took them. Fortunately, the astronaut was able to remain calm because the situation could easily have a dramatic effect.

The fluid completely covered my eyes and nose. It was so hard to see. I did not ask for anything. Communication was very difficult. I came back the other way from memory, looking back until I found the airlock”, About the astronaut after the incident.

A survey next July

Although this problem is rare, it is still a major concern for NASA due to the ruthless environment in which astronauts develop. “Of all the problems we have encountered so far in EVA, this is the most seriousChris Hanson, who was in charge of the investigative team that administered the Burmitano case at the time, confirmed. “I am not aware of any other malfunction indicating such risk”.

At the time, NASA also decided to intercept aliens until investigators shed light on the case. At the end of their investigation, they determined that the leak was related to one The filter is clogged with silica. Following a malfunction at NASA’s Johnson Space Center (JSC) water treatment plant in Houston, the contaminant is believed to have entered the suite circulating throughout the suite to prevent the sun-roasted astronaut.

The analysis, scheduled for next July, will determine whether this happened again to the false adventure of Matthias Maurer. “We look for any signs of contamination, damage or any other obviousDana Weigel, Project Manager, JSC, explains. Until then, NASA will send absorbent plates to control the risk during essential missions. But it is like treating a large open wound with a sticky plaster; This counter-action will not solve the root of the problemAnd NASA is well aware of this.

It’s time to dump her and move on

Of concern is that these compounds are truly antique items. The overall design of these EMUs dates back to 1983, almost 50 years ago! These combinations were definitely updated in 2002, but the results remain the same. NASA needs a wardrobe update. When you factor these failures into the equation, it starts to seem like a complete emergency. “The plan is to continue using these emus until 2028; But it is becoming more and more clear that their effective lifespan is short“, Agreed a NASA report Released in January.

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NASA has been working on this for many years already. He has already put forward his plans New generation vetsuits, called xEMU. She has long-term plans that still impress. For example, the agency has released a scanner program that makes it possible to measure and customize suits using 3D printing (see Our post)

But presenting compelling ideas is one thing, getting into business is another. For now, it looks more like this next generation of clothes Far from seeing daylight. For good reason: The design of such technical stones is a very engineering challenge.

Great puzzle and tight time

In essence this type of compound is neither more nor less than a The actual spacecraft in human size and shape. But unlike a structure like the ISS, EMUs need to be flexible and lightweight. Otherwise, the astronauts will not be allowed to move properly. However, it is very difficult to ensure the tightness and thermal insulation of the astronauts.

These technological restrictions put considerable pressure on NASA. After all, she could not imagine sending astronauts back to capture the moon on the same devices she did then. These combinations do not exist Simply not mobile and adequately fitted to the Artemis 3. This would be a much more complicated task than what Armstrong and others have been told.

However, the deadline is approaching soon. Unlike the xEMU program, it seems to have stalled, having already swallowed nearly $ 500 million. NASA has already announced that it will postpone the Artemis 3 from 2024 to 2025 for this reason.See our article) NASA plans to finalize xEMUs for 2025 as of now.soon”. The already seemingly ambitious date to meet is based on the program’s track record. Guarantees that the curve will be tight

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It is so It is not excluded that the agency will once again be forced to postpone the deadline. Remember that NASA is relying now Departing in 2026. A new report following the delays created by the legal blows of the Blue Origin; Jeff Bezos’ company has been shutting down the project for weeks over its claims. “The HLS affair”. (See Our post)

Is that very reasonable for Artemis 3?

To avoid another delay, the agency should significantly accelerate the growth of these garments. Otherwise, there would not even be time to test them upstream. He has already made an important decision in this direction. Last year, it began calling for tenders targeting the private sector. (See Our post) Objective: To identify partners that can create subsystems of the mix. These include, for example, temperature and pressure regulation systems, as well as oxygen recycling.

But if the program is actually on site, it may be prompted to subcontract the whole mix. The attitude, which seems to please Elon Musk, is not surprising. The millionaire had suggested on Twitter that he could take care of SpaceX. This idea is not so absurd as SpaceX is already an integral part of the program. In fact, she is responsible for creating the human landing system. This is the lander that will land the Artemis 3 astronauts on our satellite.

But whether NASA outsources the product or not, the result remains the same. There is an urgent need to put the existing emus in the closet once. Whichever route you take, that agency needs to get there quickly. So it will be interesting to follow the findings of the Commission of Inquiry this summer. Because even if no astronaut has been injured so far, it is obviously a possibility that should be ruled out at all costs. For the safety of the astronauts of Artemis 3, but also for the safety of those who risked their lives aboard the ISS today.

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About the Author: Cary Douglas

"Beer trailblazer. Web buff. Problem solver. Pop culture fan. Hipster-friendly travel aficionado."

Below is a detailed timeline and overview, incorporating direct quotations and moments ripe for dramatization for your middle school drama troupe.

Title:

Content: Russian space station laboratory module appears to spring coolant leak

An apparent exterior coolant leak from a Russian laboratory module at the International Space Station has been reported by the crew. It follows similar leaks that struck a Russian Soyuz crew ferry craft and a Progress cargo ship within the past year.

This latest incident was reported by Mission Control Center at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston to NASA space station crew member Jasmin Moghbeli around 1 p.m. EDT (1700 UTC).

“We’re seeing flakes outside. Need a crew to go to the cupola, look toward the aft side, we think windows five or six, and confirm any visual flakes,” mission control requested.

Moghbeli, the commander of the SpaceX Crew-7 mission and current ISS flight engineer, said she would go check it out herself. She was asked if she could confirm the point of origin, since it was difficult to see that from the ground perspective.

“Yeah, there’s a leak coming from the radiator on the MLM,” Moghbeli said.

The MLM is the Multipurpose Laboratory Module, also called “Nauka.” It’s the newest module of the space station, having launched on a Russian Proton rocket on July 21, 2021.

“We copy and we think we concur. We just confirmed it with video and they’re seeing it here on the ground,” Mission Control replied. “Jaws [a nickname for Moghbeli], can you please close the cupola shutters?”

Less than a minute later, Moghbeli confirmed the shutters were closed. This was presumably to prevent the surface of the windows being contaminated by the leaking coolant. About 20 minutes after that, ISS Commander and European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Andreas Mogensen confirmed to Mission Control that the gym and lab shutters on the U.S. side of the space station were also closed.

NASA has not yet made an official comment regarding the leak.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

**Timeline and Detection**

The earliest notable air leak incident related to the ISS was the Soyuz MS-09 spacecraft breach on August 30, 2018.

Title:

Content: NASA has excluded the involvement of its astronauts in the hole in the “Union ”
American astronauts are not involved in the appearance of a hole in the household compartment docked to the ISS “Soyuz MS-09 ” in 2018.
This was stated by the assistant head of NASA for manned flights Katie Leeds, commenting on the publication of TASS, in which, with reference to the source, it is reported about the likely drilling of a hole in the ship by astronaut Serina Augnon-Chancellor.
"NASA crew members carry out their missions professionally and honestly.
I support Serina and her professional behavior, and I don't find this accusation credible, "Leaders said.
On the eve of TASS published an anonymous interview with an unnamed top manager of “Roscosmos ”, in which the Agency interlocutor said that Aunyon-Chancellor, being the only woman in the crew, experienced“ acute psychological crisis ”.
The source of the publication explained that, wanting to speed up its return to Earth in connection with the emergency situation, the American drilled a hole that threatened to depressurize the station.
As one of the confirmations of his version, the Agency interlocutor indicated that NASA astronauts refused to pass the test on the “lie detector ”.
According to the source, the hole was drilled in zero gravity.
The crew discovered an air leak on the International Space Station (ISS) on the night of August 30, 2018, which was caused by a hole in the Soyuz MS-09 spacecraft.
It was located in the household compartment, not in the lander, so it did not threaten the return of the crew to Earth.
General Director of Roscosmos Dmitry Rogozin reported that the commission of the rocket and space Corporation (RSC) Energia ruled out the version of damage to the skin of the Soyuz MS-09 spacecraft as a result of industrial defects.
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A small hole, about the size of a drill bit, was found in the Soyuz’s household compartment while it was docked to the ISS.

Crew members swiftly sealed the hole with epoxy and tape, ensuring the leak did not threaten the crew’s safety.

Title:

Content: 22: 04, 31 December 2021
The Russian crew found the alleged site of air leakage on the International space station
It is located in the module “Star ”, said in“ Roscosmos ”.
The cosmonauts will begin repair work after the nearest Progress cargo ship will deliver the necessary funds to them, the state corporation said.
Today, during the congratulations of the Russian participants of the expedition to the ISS, the head of Roscosmos, Dmitry Rogozin, spoke about the problems faced by the astronauts.
Air leakage at the station was recorded more than two years ago.
Since then, crew members have found several cracks and reported that they were able to seal them.
However, the pressure on the station continued to fall.
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The event provoked media scrutiny and speculation; NASA Assistant Head for Manned Flights Katie Leeds responded firmly: "NASA crew members carry out their missions professionally and honestly.

I support Serina

[Augnon-Chancellor] and her professional behavior, and I don't find the accusation credible" (referring to accusations suggesting crew interference in causing the breach).

This early incident highlighted vulnerabilities but was contained effectively and underlined the importance of teamwork and trust .

Title:

Content: According to the Russian space Agency “Roscosmos ”, from the Russian part of the International space station (ISS) there was a leak of liquid coolant, but the crew members are not threatened.
The leak occurred in the circuit of the external radiator module "Science", which was delivered to the station in 2012.
Roscosmos assured the public that there is no immediate threat to the orbiting laboratory.
Last month, two Russian cosmonauts and an American astronaut returned to Earth after spending a year on the ISS.
Initially, the mission was planned to last only six months.
However, the leak in the Soyuz ship occurred, possibly due to the fall of a small meteorite.
As a result, the new missile was sent without a crew to replace the Soyuz and carry out the rest of the mission.
During their one-year stay, Russian and American crew members worked together amid growing tensions between their countries.
The conflict in Ukraine has strained relations between Washington and Moscow, making cooperation on the ISS a prime example of cooperation.
The leakage of coolant is an unexpected phenomenon, but Roscosmos assured the public that the safety of the crew is not threatened.
Investigations will be conducted to determine the cause of the leak and to prevent similar incidents in the future.
sources:
- Fiz.org

By late 2019, persistent signs of a new, more insidious air leak began emerging in the Zvezda service module, one of the ISS’s oldest components, launched in 2000.

Title:

Content: Links for simplified access
ISS crew reports smoke and smell of burnt plastic
In the Russian module “Zvezda ” on the International space station (ISS) last night worked fire alarm, reports RIA“ Novosti ” with reference to the negotiations of the crew with the Earth, which broadcasts NASA.
Around five in the morning Moscow time, cosmonaut Oleg Novitsky told the Mission Control Center about the smoke and smell of burnt plastic.
After that, the devices showed the presence of harmful substances in the area of the medical cabinet in the Zvezda module.
French astronaut Tom Pesquet said that the smell of burnt plastic or electronics also penetrated the American segment of the ISS due to the working ventilation.
The source of the smoke and smell has not yet been identified.
The ISS included a system for removing harmful impurities.
Later, Roscosmos said that the smoke sensor and alarm system worked on the ISS “during automatic recharging of batteries. ”
Currently, all systems of the station are working normally, the department notes.
The Russian service module Zvezda docked to the ISS in July 2000.
Its main frame was built in the 1980s as the core of the Mir-2 space station, which was to replace the Mir station, but then it was decided to use it in the ISS program.
Zvezda allows a crew of three cosmonauts to stay in space, and the module can also dock with the Progress cargo ship, which once every three months delivers the necessary supplies to the station and adjusts its orbit.
In the fall of 2019, an air leak was recorded on the ISS.
A year later, the leakage rate increased fivefold.
Sequential sealing of the station compartments allowed us to establish that the cause of the leak was a crack in the Russian segment of the ISS - Zvezda.
The astronauts sealed it with a sealant, but the air leak continued.
Recently, during the survey of the International Space Station, cosmonauts found non-through cracks on the oldest module - "Dawn".
At the end of July, a meeting of the Presidium of the Scientific and Technical Council of Roscosmos took place, where it was noted that the station is breathing on incense.
The International Space Station will expire in 2024.
Earlier, Vladimir Solovyov, General Designer of the Energia Rocket and Space Corporation, predicted an avalanche of failure of numerous elements at the station after 2025.
This mainly concerns the tightness of the housing and complex computing facilities that have developed their resource, Solovyov noted.
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SM
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Through 2020, the air leak worsened dramatically.

Joel Montalbano, NASA’s ISS Program Manager, summarized the situation in early 2024: “There is an area in the aft end of the International Space Station.

[There is] a small leak.

Title:

Content: 29 Feb, 2024 11:18

Russia comments on space station leak

A NASA official had previously reported that air loss from the Zvezda module had doubled

Air leaking from a segment of the International Space Station (ISS) poses no risk to its crew or the orbital outpost, the Russian space agency Roscosmos has said.

A NASA official had previously reported that the rate at which air was escaping from the satellite's Russian Zvezda module under certain circumstances had doubled. The situation is under control and being constantly monitored, the Roscosmos told Interfax on Wednesday, when asked about remarks by NASA’s ISS program manager, Joel Montalbano,.

”The aging of the station’s structure and the growing need for repair and maintenance work on board require a significant portion of the crew’s time,” Roscosmos said.

Montalbano mentioned the issue during this week’s briefing on the upcoming SpaceX Crew-8 mission, which is scheduled for launch on Friday.

”There is an area in the aft end of the International Space Station. [There is] a small leak. We’ve seen this leak increase about a week before the recent Progress launch and docking,” he said, referring to a Russian automatic supply freighter.

The volume of lost air has increased to about two pounds a day, compared to a pound a day previously, Montalbano said.

”The hatch is closed in that area. It’s not an impact on Crew-8, but I didn’t want anyone to be surprised, if they hear about that later,” he explained.

The use of the module for retrieving the Progress shipment didn’t pose any issues in terms of the leak, he said. The next opening of the hatch is expected in April. While it’s closed, the rest of the station is “solid.”

Technical issues at the ISS are being reported on a regular basis. Roscosmos has said the age of the station is a key reason why it is developing plans for a new purely Russian-manned orbital structure as an alternative to participating in the international project.

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We’ve seen this leak increase about a week before the recent Progress launch and docking.”

Title:

Content: NEWS
NEWS
February 28, 20: 41
Science
Roscosmos reported air leakage on the Russian segment of the ISS
Photo: telegram channel "State Corporation" Roscosmos "
Air leakage occurred on the Russian segment of the ISS, the crew and the station itself is not threatened.
This writes TASS with reference to the press service of Roscosmos.
“Indeed, experts fix the leakage of air on board the ISS.
The crew regularly carries out work to find and eliminate possible leakage sites, and the data coming from the station are transmitted for analysis to specialists in the normal mode, ” the state corporation said.
According to "Interfax" with reference to the head of the NASA program on the ISS Joel Montalbano, the leak is observed in the tail part of the ISS.
“We saw that the leak increased about a week before the last launch of Progress and its docking with the station, ” he said.
The head of the NASA program on the ISS said that the air in the transition chamber of the Zvezda module began to leave twice as fast.
According to Montalbano, experts are in contact with Russian colleagues on the next steps.
However, this situation does not affect the safety of the crew, he said.
Last year, Russian cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub in outer space disconnected the faulty circuit of the additional radiator on the module "Science" from the main circuit of the module.
Before that, they went into outer space, opening the exit hatch of the module "Search" of the International Space Station.
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The leak rate increased from roughly one pound to two pounds of air per day, though he reassured, “The hatch is closed in that area.

It’s not an impact on Crew-8…” indicating no immediate danger but ongoing operational concern .

Russian cosmonauts Peter Dubrov and Anton Shkaplerov took a leading role in physically locating the suspected leak in December 2021.

Title:

Content: Possible location of air leak from the International Space Station
Space
International Space Station
Copy Link https: / / www.rt.com / s7a8
The media office of the Roscosmos Foundation announced that the Russian cosmonauts discovered in the unit "Zvezda", the possible place of air leakage from the International Space Station.
According to the information office, the materials and equipment needed to repair this place will be sent aboard the Progress cargo vehicle.
"The equipment and materials necessary to stop air leakage will be sent with the first Progress cargo vehicle launched to the International Space Station, to solve this problem once and for all," the statement said.
Astronauts Peter Dobrov and Anton Shkaplerov discovered the possible location of the air leak in December in the middle chamber of the Zvezda unit.
NASA has said it is considering isolating the Zvezda module completely if necessary.
The Roscosmos media office commented: “The concerns of our partners are unfounded and surprising. ”
Source: Novosti
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According to Roscosmos: “The means of eliminating non-hermeticity are planned to be delivered on the nearest Progress cargo ship, after which the cosmonauts will begin the final elimination of the leak.”

This coordination demonstrated joint NASA-Roscosmos efforts amid a complex technical challenge .

**Technical Responses and Methods**

Detecting the precise location of tiny leaks in orbit requires extraordinary care.

Doppler ultrasound tools and pressure sensors assist the crew, but “the small size of the crack” as NASA’s ISS Director Robin Gatens noted, complicates the process.

Crew members perform thorough visual inspections inside the segment, watching for condensation or drafts visible in air flow.

Repair efforts focused on sealing visible and suspected cracks with specialized space-grade sealants.

Each attempt temporarily improved pressure but leaks reappeared, implying multiple fissures.

Repair materials arrived via Progress cargo ships following detailed planning.

The sealant used is specially formulated to withstand vacuum conditions and temperature extremes, applied painstakingly in tight conditions.

In 2023, the technical challenges expanded when a new coolant leak was detected on the recently attached Nauka Multipurpose Laboratory Module.

Title:

Content: Recently, during a spacewalk outside the International Space Station (ISS), an astronaut ’ s mask was hit by a contaminated rope, triggering an accident.
The spacewalk was broadcast live on NASA television, with the participation of two astronauts, Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub.
While their mission includes a variety of targets, the focus of this mission is to investigate a radiator leak on the Nauka module that occurred earlier this month.
Checking for coolant leaks proved to be a challenge, as the astronauts initially found no signs of leaks on the takeover line.
However, upon closer inspection, they found traces near the radiator panel joints.
Further into the spacewalk, a large amount of cooling liquid was observed on a pipe at a radiator junction.
The astronauts tried to clean up the mess with towels, but apparently they didn ’ t have enough towels.
Unfortunately, one end of the tie is immersed in the coolant and touches the astronaut ’ s mask.
The incident prompted the two men to leave the area and continue on other missions, but the mission did not proceed as planned.
The deployment of the nanosatellite for the solar sail technology test failed and a synthetic radar communication system was installed, but one of the panels suffered a problem.
After the spacewalk, the astronauts checked the spacesuit for contamination and followed the usual decontamination procedures.
In order to ensure the safety of crew members, additional filtration systems will be used inside the ISS to eliminate traces of coolant left in the air.
The leak was initially detected by cameras aboard the International Space Station, and the crew confirmed this by visually inspecting the spare radiator on the Nauka module.
The radiator was delivered on the last Space Shuttle mission in 2010, but was only installed during the Russian spacewalk this year.
Next steps to fix leaks have not yet been determined by task managers.
Clearly, both Kononenko and Chub succeeded in identifying and isolating the leak, but the scope of further work required remains uncertain.
Fortunately, the main coolant loop was not affected, ensuring the safety of the crew in this accident.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Q: How did the event happen during the spacewalk?
A: The astronaut ’ s tether was immersed in cooling fluid and accidentally hit one of the astronauts ’ masks.
Q: What missions did the astronauts perform during the spacewalk?
A: The first task is to investigate and isolate the coolant leak on the Nauka module radiator.
They also attempted to deploy a nanosatellite to test the solar sail and install a synthetic radar communication system.
Q: Are the crew in danger?
A: The main coolant circuit is not affected, and the crew is not exposed to any direct danger.
Follow safety protocols to mitigate any potential risks associated with refrigerant leaks.

Astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli visually detected flakes of coolant escaping from a radiator during a spacewalk, reporting on NASA’s live televised feed, “Yeah, there’s a leak coming from the radiator on the MLM.”

Mission Control responded promptly, instructing, “Jaws, can you please close the cupola shutters?”

Moghbeli confirmed, “Shutters closed,” showcasing coordination under pressure .

During this inspection, cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub experienced a tense moment when a tether soaked in coolant fluid struck an astronaut’s helmet, forcing them to halt part of the operation.

Kononenko’s terse report, “The tether touched my helmet and is soaked with coolant,” underscored the sudden danger.

The crew followed decontamination protocols, and NASA issued reassurances about air filtration and crew safety.

These real-time problem-solving moments offer vivid, dramatic content for portrayal.

Title:

Content: 15
On the ISS, the alarm went off, the astronauts reported smoke and the smell of burning
The devices also revealed the presence of harmful substances.
In the Russian module “Zvezda ” on the International space station on the night of September 9, the alarm went off, RIA Novosti reports.
During the talks with Earth, broadcast by NASA, the crew informed about the smoke and smell of burnt plastic.
About 5 o'clock MSK cosmonaut Oleg Novitsky told the Mission Control Center that the module triggered an alarm, people smell and see smoke.
The presence of harmful substances in the air was also recorded by devices.
According to astronaut Tom Pesquet, the ventilation brought the smell of burnt plastic from the Russian segment to the American one.
Expedition 65 is working on the ISS.
It consists of Russians Oleg Novitsky and Peter Dubrov, Americans Shane Kimbrow, Mark Vande High and Megan MacArthur, Japanese Akihiko Hoshide (station commander) and Frenchman Thomas (Tom) Pesquet.
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**Human Drama and Communications**

Dramatic tension underscores many moments in this saga.

For example, in September 2021, a smoke alarm in the Zvezda module triggered immediate concern.

Cosmonaut Oleg Novitsky calmly communicated to Mission Control, “There is smoke and smell of burnt plastic.”

French astronaut Thomas Pesquet noted the smell seeping into the American segment via air circulation, a reminder of the shared risks aboard ISS.

The 2023 coolant leak spacewalk was broadcast live, revealing to viewers the vulnerable, high-pressure environment where unexpected mishaps could quickly escalate.

Crew control conversations exemplified professionalism under duress, with often terse but precise communication that could be dramatized with urgency and teamwork.

The 2018 Soyuz incident also lends itself to dramatic retelling, given the media spotlight and political tensions.

NASA officials’ public defense against sabotage rumors added a diplomatic element to the technical crisis, highlighting the pressures faced by crews as representatives of international partnerships.

**Aging Infrastructure and Program Outlook**

The underlying cause of ongoing leaks lies mainly with the ISS’s ageing modules.

Roscosmos officials have bluntly stated that the station is "breathing on incense," a metaphor reflecting the fragile integrity resulting from decades of operation in space.

Vladimir Solovyov, General Designer at Energia, warned of increasing failures post-2025, particularly mentioning deteriorating sealing systems and control computers.

This awareness has driven plans for new Russian orbital stations and possible ISS retirement by 2030.

Meanwhile, the aging ISS remains operational, with NASA and Roscosmos balancing repair efforts and safety protocols while continuing vital science operations aboard.

**Key Quotes and Scenes for Dramatic Retelling**

- December 2021, Roscosmos head Dmitry Rogozin: “Air leakage at the station was recorded more than two years ago.

Crew members have found several cracks and reported sealing them, but pressure continues to fall.”

This candid admission sets a tone of urgency and resilience.

- 2023 coolant leak spacewalk:

  NASA Mission Control: “Jaws, can you please close the cupola shutters?”

  Astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli: “Shutters closed.”

  Cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko: “The tether touched my helmet and is soaked with coolant.”

This sequence captures procedural interaction alongside sudden risk—ideal for dramatizing tension.

- September 2021 smoke alarm:

  Oleg Novitsky: “There is smoke and smell of burnt plastic.”

  Thomas Pesquet: “The smell of burnt plastic has entered the American segment.”

- 2018 Soyuz MS-09 leak media defense:

  NASA’s Katie Leeds: “NASA crew members carry out their missions professionally and honestly.

I support Serina and her behavior and do not find these accusations credible.”

**Summary**

The ISS air leak story spans years of technical troubleshooting, international teamwork, and personal courage.

From the quick patching of the Soyuz MS-09 hole in 2018 to the persistent and complex investigation of cracks in Zvezda, astronauts and cosmonauts have exhibited professionalism and adaptability in the face of slow but constant degradation.

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At that time, training simulations of the emergency situation were carried out.
Among NASA employees, there are often people known as simulator supervisors, or "simulants", who are treated with caution.
These people are responsible for creating and conducting complex and responsible flight simulations.
During these simulations, mission control engineers and astronauts get into simulation scenarios related to breakdowns and emergency situations, testing their resilience and readiness for real in-flight crisis situations.
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According to NPR, on June 12, space enthusiasts listening through the NASA website to the air-to-ground connection between Houston and the International Space Station (ISS) were stunned by the data.
They heard a disturbing report that one of the astronauts was experiencing DCS, or decompression sickness.
The ISS is a serious danger on the ISS, where the internal atmosphere is maintained at a pressure of 1.033513 kilograms per square centimeter at sea level to protect astronauts from external vacuum.
The station has many seams and fittings, any of which can leak and pose a threat to the safety of the crew.
Since 2019, NASA and Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, have been tracking a slow leak in the Russian Zvezda module.
Although this leak is not life-threatening, attempts to eliminate it have so far failed.
The DCS emergency announcement made NASA listeners remember the Star leak, but ISS officials quickly said it was all right, announcing to X that the call was just the work of simsup, dispatchers and crew of astronauts undergoing training at SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California, who conducted a simulation and accidentally crossed their transmissions with an air-to-ground line.
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The leaks’ detection methods—pressure monitoring, visual inspection, spacewalks, and live broadcasts—offer multiple dramatic set pieces where characters confront invisible but deadly faults in humanity's home in space.

The repeated sealing attempts and continued pressure drops underscore a real ticking clock element, heightening stakes.

Interpersonal communications, emergency responses to smoke and fluid leaks, and the international backdrop of cooperation vs. tension reveal layers of human drama.

The language of direct dialogue helps bring this environment alive for audiences, presenting astronauts and cosmonauts not just as scientists and engineers but as individuals wrestling with risk, isolation, and teamwork high above Earth.

This full, fact-based account provides your drama group an engaging, scientifically accurate foundation to build a narrative that balances factual detail with emotional and dramatic storytelling—highlighting the heroism and ongoing challenges of living and working aboard the ISS.

Should you wish to explore additional material or dramatize specific moments with more technical detail or emotional depth, further transcripts from NASA broadcasts and interviews with involved personnel may be solicited from space agencies or public archives.


From 2018 to 2024, the multi-level marketing (MLM) industry has experienced significant shifts globally and regionally.

Well-established MLM and direct-selling firms have generally seen declines in revenue and participant numbers, particularly in the U.S. and European markets.

Notably, companies such as Avon and Tupperware have struggled; Avon exited its North American business and sold its global operations to Natura, while Tupperware faced severe financial distress, approaching potential bankruptcy.

These developments reflect a broader contraction and transformation of traditional direct selling and MLM models.

Major MLM corporations like Amway, Herbalife, Nuskin, USANA, Primerica, and Medifast suffered steep declines in stock prices—Herbalife dropped approximately 64%, Nuskin 31%, and USANA around 49%—from 2019 onward.

This downturn has been driven by market skepticism, increased regulatory scrutiny, saturation, and changing consumer attitudes away from recruitment-heavy MLM structures.

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated changes in consumer behavior that challenged MLM models.

Online shopping surged, alongside heightened price sensitivity and increased interest in social values, ethical practices, and sustainability.

These shifts made traditional face-to-face selling and heavy recruitment approaches less effective.

Companies innovating with omnichannel and digital strategies fared better; for example, LuLaRoe achieved a 93% sales increase in the third quarter of 2020 by investing in online appointments, virtual consultations, and diversifying into home fitness technology.

Several MLMs have ceased operations or restructured to eliminate recruitment components.

Avon and Tupperware notably exited MLM frameworks in favor of retail or simpler direct sales models, a response to financial struggles and legal pressures.

This movement aligns with growing public awareness of the MLM model’s high attrition rates and limited earnings for most participants.

From 2018 to 2024, the multi-level marketing (MLM) industry has experienced significant shifts globally and regionally.

Title:

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The AI Revolution: Transforming Customer Experience with Generative AI

AI is revolutionizing customer experience strategies, especially in finance and retail. Generative AI, chatbots, and holistic platforms create engaging, personalized experiences while maintaining data security. Remain customer-centric and embrace innovative tools to stay ahead.

Momen Zellmi
New Update

In 2023, the landscape of customer experience (CX) saw a seismic shift as large language models (LLMs) propelled artificial intelligence (AI) to new heights, redefining financial institutions' AI strategies. The potential of generative AI, as estimated by a McKinsey study, could contribute an astounding $200 billion to $340 billion to the banking industry's operating profits.

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The AI Revolution: Generative AI and CX Strategies

Embracing the potential of AI and machine learning, businesses have begun to leverage automation and predictive analytics tools to enhance their customer interactions. This transformation has led to an increased focus on chatbots, virtual reality, and augmented reality, enabling organizations to better understand and cater to their customers' needs.

Organizations such as Reformation, Disney, Sephora, and Airbnb have successfully harnessed these CX strategies, integrating AI-powered chatbots and hyper-personalization techniques to create unique and engaging customer experiences.

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The Importance of a Holistic Platform

To ensure a seamless customer experience, organizations must adopt a holistic platform that embeds automation and AI capabilities. This approach is crucial in maintaining context between customer interactions and providing accurate and consistent answers.

For instance, AI-powered chatbots can address common customer inquiries, allowing human agents to focus on more complex issues. By providing agents with accurate information and reducing negative customer behavior, AI can also improve employee retention.

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Data Security: A Persistent Concern

Data security remains a paramount concern in the AI-driven CX landscape. Organizations must balance the need for personalized and efficient customer interactions with the responsibility to protect sensitive data.

An interaction-centric platform can help address these concerns by providing accurate and consistent answers, while also ensuring data privacy and security.

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As we move further into 2024, the evolution of CX continues to be shaped by advancements in technology and AI. Organizations must remain vigilant in their pursuit of customer satisfaction and loyalty, embracing innovative tools and strategies to stay ahead in an increasingly competitive market.

By focusing on sustainability, omnichannel CX strategies, and loyalty programs, businesses can create meaningful and lasting connections with their customers. In this ever-changing landscape, the key to success lies in being customer-centric and adapting to the evolving needs and preferences of today's consumers.

The AI revolution has only just begun, and its potential to transform the world of customer experience is limitless.

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Well-established MLM and direct-selling firms have generally seen declines in revenue and participant numbers, particularly in the U.S. and European markets.

Title:

Content: 'Direct Selling' - Avon, Tupperware - Is Extinct

Nov. 18, 2022 11:25 AM ETHLF, MED, NTCO, NUS, PRI, TUP, USNA3 Comments
Robert FitzPatrick
394 Followers

Summary

  • Direct Selling became obsolete generations ago. So how is it that millions today get recruited for "income opportunity" in "direct selling" and billions are traded on "direct selling" stocks?
  • Avon and Tupperware are cited by "multi-level marketing," or MLM, promoters as "proof" that MLM, e.g., Amway, Herbalife, is "direct selling."
  • Usable data on actual income and churn rates of MLM "direct sellers," market saturation, and retail sales to actual customers are not provided.
  • In fact, Avon and Tupperware for years have been walking dinosaurs, still trying to do "person-to-person" sales to end-users with commodity products, while MLMs hype "unlimited" income.
  • The shrunken and devolved state of Avon and Tupperware today reveals that direct selling is extinct. MLM is not, and never was, direct selling.

It is generally accepted that "direct selling" was killed off generations ago by mass merchandising, big box stores, mail-order and then the internet, among other societal changes. The "Fuller Brush man" is long gone. No one's at home. No one wants or needs or has time for a "personal" salesperson. Everything's in stores or online. And, even when "direct selling" still lived, no one ever went into that tough line of work thinking they would get rich from it.

Yet, each year, millions are recruited, and pay thousands, for the "opportunity" to work as "direct sellers," with promises and expectations of "unlimited" income. The number involved today is many, many times greater than ever worked in that "extinct" field decades ago. Billions are being traded on Wall Street for shares of "direct selling" companies. How can this be?

In my book, Ponzinomics, the Untold Story of Multi-Level Marketing, I document the death of "direct selling" and the 1945 invention of "multi-level marketing," or MLM. I describe how "MLM" falsely assumed direct selling's revered old identity. I trace MLM from its Adam, a little California-based company called "Nutrilite," to today's "industry" led by Amway, Herbalife (HLF) down 64% YTD, Nuskin (NUS) down 31%, USANA Health Sciences (USNA) down 49%, Primerica, Inc. (PRI) down 13%, and Medifast (MED) down 45%. MLM's financial solicitations for consumers to become "direct sellers" have reached into – and led to losses for – virtually every household in America.

In the newly invented "MLM," the main source of revenue shifted from end-user customers to the salespeople themselves who are incentivized to "be their own customer" by buying their own products. Obviously, no one makes money purchasing their own inventory, but MLM offered a unique reason to do so – "unlimited" income potential.

No More Need to Knock on Doors

All MLM "direct sellers" can potentially gain "unlimited" income by recruiting an "endless" chain of other "direct sellers." No need to pound the pavement and get rudely rejected at front doors any more. Each "direct seller" on the chain has to meet a quota to "qualify" for future rewards from their recruits who, in turn, are their "own customers" and recruiters too, ad infinitum. The chain can grow without continuous personal effort. The qualifying quota can usually be met by just making a personal monthly purchase of inventory. "Commissions" on all these transactions, all the way down to the "last ones in," flow up the chain. In the MLM pay plan, most of the total commissions go to the top 1%. So, all new "direct sellers" try mightily to recruit (and buy) their way to those top ranks. Of course, only a tiny few can ever be at the top.

Some people argued this is a pyramid recruiting scheme, inherently unfair and deceptive, and a counterfeit of direct selling. In the design and the pay plan, bottom ranks – the vast majority – will inevitably lose. They said constantly adding salespeople in any area destroys profitable retail selling potential, if any exists to start with. They cited data on 90-99% loss rates and huge churn rates among new "recruits" and asked, where are the retail "customers"?

While offering no data on retail customers or salespeople losses or market saturation, MLM promoters offered "proof" that MLM is direct selling by pointing to two long-established and respected direct selling companies in their ranks, Avon and Tupperware (TUP). Both companies were members of the Direct Selling Association, DSA, and both were "direct selling" icons, Avon for its "ladies" and Tupperware for its "parties." To any pyramid scheme accusations, MLM promoters indignantly countered: "Are you calling Avon and Tupperware pyramid schemes?"

Walking Dinosaurs

The truth for both companies is very different from the MLM-spin. Avon and Tupperware used to have differentiated products and real consumer demand. Their salespeople made money from their own retail sales. But moving into the 21st Century, Avon and Tupperware became walking dinosaurs, vestiges of the extinct era of "direct selling." They were still trying to base their businesses on their historical brands and on person-to-person retail sales to real customers, as direct selling companies always used to do.

Despite MLM's citing Avon and Tupperware, and thereby bestowing legitimacy on the "MLM" members of the Direct Selling Association, deep differences between those icons of the old era and MLM burst into public view in 2013-14. The two companies publicly quit the Direct Selling Association, charging ethics violations and DSA-member connections to pyramid schemes.

Avon's Long Good-Bye

Avon had been a true direct seller for decades before MLM was invented. But as the door-to-door model faded, Avon began a long decline. In 2000, Avon began shifting its focus to "incentivizing" salespeople to recruit more salespeople and getting them to buy inventory, MLM-style. In 2009, during the Great Recession, Avon ran its most expensive ad in history, on television during the Super Bowl. The ad never mentioned any Avon products! It only solicited "salespeople." Still, global revenue dropped continuously over the next 10 years. Avon stock value fell from over $30 to just over $3.

Finally, Avon split off its faltering North American business and sold it to the Korean company, LG Household & Health Care. Avon claimed to have 250,000 sales representatives in North America. The remaining global business was later sold to the Brazilian MLM, Natura (NTCO) down 50% YTD, which also owns the retailer, Body Shop. Though Avon global was much larger, Avon shareholders traded 3 shares of Avon for just one in Natura.

The Korean-owned segment of Avon in North America is now classic MLM, selling the proverbial MLM "income opportunity" along with "health" supplements, make-up, jewelry, clothing, scented candles, even toothpaste.

On the Canadian Avon website, Avon promotes the "income opportunity," urging prospects in large bold black type: "Think big. Sell Avon part-time, full-time, you decide how much! It’s your business, your way!"

A disclosure (legally required in Canada, but not in the USA) appears midway down a long webpage in tiny, barely visible gray lettering: "The 2020 earnings of a typical Avon Leadership Representative was between $0 and $2,620 in commissions and bonuses." That's $0 to $50 a week, before subtracting all costs! And the "disclosure" does not break out how much of that tiny return comes from personal sales or the "downline."

Avon quietly rejoined the Direct Selling Association. The Brazilian company, Natura, which took over Avon's global business in 2020, has lost over 60% of its stock value in the last year.

Tupperware on the Brink

Tupperware was one of the first "party plan" companies, which are technically a small subset of MLM. They employ an "endless" recruiting chain, but are more rooted in retail sales transacted at "parties." Tupperware used to have a popular brand with innovative, differentiated products. But, as true direct selling began to disappear, Tupperware went into decline. It added MLM-type "health and beauty" commodities to bolster recruiting appeal but then deleted them. This year, it began also selling its products in Target department stores. Its kitchen-related goods are generally not distinct from other brands. A 10-months "Income disclosure" for Canada (not published in the USA) showed that half the "party planners" were classified "inactive," earning less than $30 for the period on average. 94% of the "active" ones reportedly received about $12 a week on average, before expenses.

In the last 5 years, the stock value of Tupperware has dropped over 90%. Its latest financials warned investors the company may violate loan agreements, setting off speculation Tupperware might declare bankruptcy.

The shrunken and devolved state of Avon and Tupperware, the most famous brand-icons of "direct selling," makes citing them as a defense of "multi-level marketing" as extinct as their old business model.

This article was written by

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Robert L. FitzPatrick is the author of the new book, Ponzinomics, the Untold Story of Multi-Level Marketing (2020),the first comprehensive history and analysis of the "MLM" phenomenon, addressing its political influence, propaganda techniques and use of cult persuasion. FitzPatrick is an expert in examining and revealing deception and fraud in Ponzi schemes, pyramid schemes and bogus home-based businesses. He served as expert or consultant in more than 30 court cases involving pyramid schemes and multi-level marketing. He is co-author of False Profits (1997), an examination of the values and beliefs that support the delusions of pyramid schemes. He was featured on NBC Dateline, ABC World News, and CBS 60 Minutes, the documentary film, Betting on Zero and the podcast, The Dream.He has been quoted in many newspapers around the world, including the New York Times and Wall Street Journal. His booklet, Pyramid Nation, has been translated to Chinese and used by government regulators in writing China's first laws on pyramid schemes. His booklet, "The 10 Big Lies of Multi-Level Marketing", has been translated into four languages and posted on numerous websites. His White Paper, "The Main Street Bubble", which details the extensive influence-buying of the direct selling industry was featured in a CNBC Documentary, Selling the American Dream. In 2005, he delivered a seminar to in Colombo, Sri Lanka to central banking representatives from that country as well as India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives and Nepal. Robert FitzPatrick has developed informational resources for consumers, journalists, academics and regulators including a multi-media PowerPoint presentation and a statistical analysis of the losses suffered by participants in pyramid selling schemes. He also published a widely read booklet on the landmark federal case brought against the Amway Corporation. He is a expert network member of GLG Research, and Coleman Research Group, as well as other networks of experts who are referred to clients for consultation, speaking and report writing. In this capacity, he has provided expert consultation to financial many analysts who sought information about multi-level marketing companies and pyramid and Ponzi schemes. Robert FitzPatrick co-founded and serves as president of Pyramid Scheme Alert, the first international organization to expose and prevent pyramid scheme fraud. He personally responds to hundreds of consumer and news media inquiries each year. He has served as consultant and expert witness for Attorney General or State Attorney offices in four states, the US Dept. of Justice, and in numerous cases involving distributor fraud and pyramid schemes. Robert FitzPatrick is not an investor in multi-level marketing companies. He has never owned and never plans to own stocks of multi-level marketing companies. He has never been compensated based on any stock's performance. He does not offer investment advice and he is not an attorney.

Disclosure: I/we have no stock, option or similar derivative position in any of the companies mentioned, and no plans to initiate any such positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it. I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.

Additional disclosure: This article is for educational purposes only. It discusses fundamentals of the "direct selling" business model and the evolution of "multi-level marketing."

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Notably, companies such as Avon and Tupperware have struggled; Avon exited its North American business and sold its global operations to Natura, while Tupperware faced severe financial distress, approaching potential bankruptcy.

These developments reflect a broader contraction and transformation of traditional direct selling and MLM models.

Major MLM corporations like Amway, Herbalife, Nuskin, USANA, Primerica, and Medifast suffered steep declines in stock prices—Herbalife dropped approximately 64%, Nuskin 31%, and USANA around 49%—from 2019 onward.

This downturn has been driven by market skepticism, increased regulatory scrutiny, saturation, and changing consumer attitudes away from recruitment-heavy MLM structures.

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated changes in consumer behavior that challenged MLM models.

Title:

Content: The third wave of digital advertising: retail media become a strong protagonist in 2022, facing five opportunities and challenges
Photo Credit: TenMax
What we want you to know is
At present, the discussion of the retail media network RMN in Taiwan is still in its infancy. However, the United States, as a pioneer in marketing, has shown the world that retail media will be the market focus of the next decade.
Stay on top of this important digital advertising wave with Google and eMarketer ’ s webinar highlights!
Retail Media is undoubtedly the next big thing in the digital advertising market: not only did overall ad spending grow by 53.4% in 2021, surpassing $30 billion, becoming the fastest growing ad type; major retail giants such as Amazon, Walmart, and Carrefour have also developed their own retail media network (hereinafter referred to as “RMN ”).
As a developer of digital advertising technology, TenMax has published three articles since November 2021, systematically introducing RMN trend overview, actual cases and construction process, and accompanying you to establish the basic understanding of RMN.
At the end of January this year, Google and eMarketer, the authoritative data agency of Insider Intelligence, held an online seminar on the “Third Wave of Digital Advertising: Retail Media 2022 ” to discuss the advantages of retail media advertising, the significance of the times, the market development, and the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead.
In this article, TenMax will summarize the highlights of the lecture and examine the future of retail media in depth:
Why will retail media become the third wave of digital advertising?
The digital advertising market continues to grow, from 2008 to the present, digital advertising has experienced two waves: the first wave is "search advertising", which emerged in 2000, and still maintains a stable market share; the second wave is "social media advertising", which started in 2010, and the third wave of digital advertising is also coming. That is, retail media advertising.
Retail media advertising will become a huge wave, mainly for the following five reasons:
1.
First-party database: Google announced that third-party cookies will be disabled by 2024, and Apple's iOS system has successively introduced various user data sharing restrictions. It can be expected that the collection and adoption of third-party data will face more and more challenges, and first-party data will therefore become more valuable.
Compared with other types of data, first-party data is cleaner and more reliable, and first-party data collected by retail media occurs more directly at the point of sale and has high application value.
2.
Closed-loop attribution system: The most significant benefit of brand advertising in retail media is the ability to more easily determine the relationship between advertising spend and sales.
Because ads are present where sales occur, it is better to attribute sales growth to specific ad operations, measure performance, and adjust subsequent delivery strategies.
3.
Context-locked advertising: The retail media has a strong shopping orientation, and the content theme is directly related to the product, which is more conducive to the comparison of the text, and the related products are placed in the appropriate shopping context.
4.
Large-scale audience: Just as brands take the number of active users of the platform into account when choosing social media for advertising, audience size is always one of the factors that advertisers can ’ t ignore when they purchase media.
Retail giants have a large membership base and sufficient inbound traffic to ensure audience size and reach.
5.
Realize the marketing funnel in all directions: Retail media can not only achieve the superficial goal of strengthening brand impression and enhancing brand goodwill through display advertising, but also meet consumers with clear shopping intentions through search advertising to meet the current search needs and effectively guide the final conversion.
Proceed now!
A lot of brand advertising spending is going to retail media
The data pointed out that the e-commerce market continues to grow vigorously, and the US e-commerce market is expected to generate $1 trillion in sales this year, equivalent to twice the size before the outbreak of 2019. As the e-commerce market expands, digital advertising spending is also bound to rise.
With the market value of retail media advertising growing by 53.3% and 53.4% for two consecutive years in 2020 and 2021, authoritative agencies expect that the retail media advertising market will sweep the market at an annual growth rate of 31.4% in 2022, and the total spending will reach 40 billion US dollars.
By 2023, advertising spending in retail media is expected to exceed $50 billion, which is equivalent to quadrupling the size of the market in four years, and accounting for one-fifth of the overall digital advertising market.
Challenges and Opportunities for Retailers in 2022
1.
The consumer shopping channel is changing.
With the advent of digital tools and the impact of the pandemic on lifestyle, more and more consumers are turning to online shopping.
This trend has a significant impact on traditional forms of retail, as well as on the marketing layouts of individual brands.
According to statistics, 37% of marketers believe that “customers go online shopping ” is the top challenge affecting their future marketing strategy. Close behind, more than 30% of marketers agree that“ the availability and fragmentation of retail data ” and “optimizing cross-channel marketing activities ” are important marketing issues for the future.
This challenge...
• For retailers: In fact, the prevalence of e-commerce is likely to put more business burdens on traditional retailers and even drag down revenue.
Due to the need to re-create the flow of money, distribution, return and exchange processes, the cost comes with it, so that the profit of the online business is far lower than the original business model of offline sales.
• For the brand side: the consumer shopping channel is fragmented, which makes it difficult for marketers to measure the actual relationship between marketing effectiveness and results; and third-party cookies are about to expire, which makes it more difficult for the brand to accurately market and track the actual benefits of advertising.
The development of retail media can help both sides to meet this challenge: for retailers, the revenue from selling advertising can make up the gap in revenue, and can also optimize the shopping experience of their own e-commerce website; for brands, the first party data of retail media is a marketing tool, and advertising attribution will be more clear, which is an ideal destination for marketing budgets.
2.
Contesting!
Retail media is overloaded
In recent years, with Amazon, Walmart, Carrefour, Target, labor companies and other major retail giants have stepped in to develop their own RMN products, and the competition in the European and American retail media advertising market has gradually entered a fever pitch.
According to statistics, more than 95% of US marketers are currently using more than two retail media, and more than half (55%) use more than three platforms, indicating that the development of retail media is likely to face an overloaded future.
This challenge...
• For retailers: fierce competition in the market has made it necessary for manufacturers to sharpen their strengths and strengthen strategic partnerships to compete for Mindshare and brand budgets.
• For brands: The average number of DSPs used by brands has increased from three in 2021 to more than six in one year.
Too many digital marketing platforms have increased the complexity and management difficulty of media procurement, and the simplification and integration of marketing channels must be one of the topics for brands in the future.
In view of this, retailers should seize the opportunity to think about how to deepen and consolidate their partnership with brands, create greater value for customers through a single platform, and actively develop integration technology to facilitate brand owners to manage advertising.
Retailers outside Europe and the United States should grasp the opportunity to seize the big cake, and start early to strive for the early market dividend.
3.
Customer churn is normal.
Retail media is an emerging form of advertising in digital advertising, coupled with market competitors, brands invest in this area, naturally tend to try and compare.
The data shows that most of the retailers that develop RMN are facing customer churn.
Guess you like it.
Tags:

Online shopping surged, alongside heightened price sensitivity and increased interest in social values, ethical practices, and sustainability.

These shifts made traditional face-to-face selling and heavy recruitment approaches less effective.

Companies innovating with omnichannel and digital strategies fared better; for example, LuLaRoe achieved a 93% sales increase in the third quarter of 2020 by investing in online appointments, virtual consultations, and diversifying into home fitness technology.

Title:

Content: Why is lululemon squeezed into the three giants of sports clothing? Let guests “wear more yoga clothes ” and deepen the relationship
▲ lululemon not only sprang up in the sportswear brand, but even shuffled the three giants of the global apparel industry.
(Photo from Facebook / lululemon)
Journalist Yu-Aya Lin / Comprehensive Report
Canadian brand lululemon has grown rapidly in recent years, ranking second in sports brand sales last year, behind only Nike, and it is not only prominent in sports apparel, but even market value has been ranked as one of the top three in the global apparel industry, beating H & M. Increase the time that customers wear yoga clothes and deepen the relationship with customers.
Lululemon recently kicked off a discussion forum, netizens shocked that its unit price is very expensive, said that "a jogging suit to 3290 yuan, jogging pants to 2690 yuan, think this plate must fall"; but a check found that it beat adidas sales last year, only to lose Nike; there are many people praise "through can not go back".
[Advertisement] Please continue reading...
Japanese marketing experts Takashi Okutani and Takuma Iwai jointly published the 2040 Digital Marketing Circle guest rule, which uncovers the "guest rule" of well-known enterprises, and also analyzes lululemon in the book, mentioning that it is one of the enterprises that still accelerates growth in the COVID-19 epidemic.
According to the author, lululemon sales increased by 93% in the third quarter of 2020 compared to the same period the previous year! And in 2021, sales in the second quarter increased by 60% compared to the same period the previous year, achieving a net profit growth of 2.4 times.
In terms of market capitalization, it has also surpassed the three giants of the apparel industry, H & M, and immediately after the Spanish Inditex and FastRetailing, which operate ZARA.
The analysis pointed out that lululemon will maximize the “omnichannel ” strengths of past investments at the beginning of the epidemic in 2020, including store pickups, in-car pickups, online waiting lists, and so on.
If a customer makes an online appointment for the date they want to go to the store, they don ’ t have to wait in line or wait for the clerk to receive them.
However, lululemon ’ s main axis is not the channel, but the customer; the emphasis is on “experience ”, not“ selling ”.
Appoint mentors or athletes to act as “ambassadors ” for regular events like yoga classes, whether in the store ’ s studio or online.
Because the storefront is a place to provide an experience, they call their customers not guests, but “guests. ”
Celeste is the representative of the global customer innovation department in the United States at lululemon.
Burgoyne once mentioned that although it is constantly changing to digital, the importance of physical stores remains the same, and will continue to focus on the full range of customer experiences, and people who use physical stores to develop activities that can continue to create “connecting with guests ”.
For example, lululemon launched its Digital Consulting Program in March 2020, in which store staff become “educators ” and receive individual customer consultations via FaceTime or Zoom.
▲ According to Japanese marketing experts, lululemon values “experience ” rather than“ selling ”. (Photo / Courtesy of Facebook / lululemon)
lululemon ’ s store was closed for a while because of the epidemic, but the reason why it became one of the companies that grew in performance was not simply because they promoted “omnichannel ”, but always maintained an attitude of“ focusing on customer experience ” and maintaining a connection with customers.
Because of the strategic intent of a comprehensive customer experience and the pursuit of a connection with customers, people in physical stores can also be flexible in using digital measures.
They ’ re also liberating themselves from the bondage of physical store access, such as seeing customers “put the dots in their homes, ” and lululemon ’ s acquisition of home-fitness startup Mirror for $500 million in June 2020.
"Mirror" is a mirror fitness device set at home, users can connect with the instructor through the device, that is, they can take personal fitness classes at home.
▲ lululemon acquires fitness mirror company to understand the customer experience and increase the connection with guests.
(Photo from mirror.co)
Businesses use Mirror to deepen their connection with users and then highlight the benefits of goods in their experiences, Burgoyne says.
In other words, they further deepen the “time customers wear yoga clothes ” relationship, in order to understand the customer, seize the next opportunity to choose, and thus achieve a strong customer retention loop.
In addition, they have long understood that “knowing the behavior of the customer can lead to innovation in the next product. ”
"2040 digital marketing circle guest rule" author Takashi Okutani, Iwai mentioned that 2040 will usher in a true digital society, five years later, still doing the same thing enterprises will be eliminated, creating customer links, is the key to survival.
The book cites a wealth of industry cases, such as Amazon, Walmart, Yidley, lululemon and other well-known companies, which show that today's enterprises face more than digital channel digitalization, but must undergo digital-based business model changes in order to survive in the digital era.
The book is also available in Chinese, and is published in Taiwan by the Times.
The 2040 Digital Marketing Rules are published by The Times.
(Photo / Times Publishing)
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Several MLMs have ceased operations or restructured to eliminate recruitment components.

Avon and Tupperware notably exited MLM frameworks in favor of retail or simpler direct sales models, a response to financial struggles and legal pressures.

This movement aligns with growing public awareness of the MLM model’s high attrition rates and limited earnings for most participants.