MOSCOW. Dec 13 (Interfax) - The theory about a space origin of the hole in the upper orbital module of the Soyuz MS-09 spacecraft has yet to be proved, micrometeorite protection may have been installed over an airtight-sealed hole, a source familiar with the inquiry told Interfax.
"Based on the images send to the Earth one can only draw a preliminary conclusion, which will be either confirmed or dismissed after a physical examination of the samples taken during the spacewalk. For now there is no visual proof to the theory about an impact on the orbital module wall from inside. It looks like micrometeorite protection may have been mounted over an already existing hole which was hermetically coated," the source said.
This makes the theory of a ground origin of the hole a priority, he said. "It could be down to negligence or, in theory, it could be malicious intent. This will probably be established by the results of the investigation," the source said.
These conclusions are preliminary, he said.