NASA denies hole on Space Station was confirmed to be deliberate

NEW YORK - NASA is disputing media reports that a hole on the International Space Station that caused an oxygen leak was an act of sabotage.

The small hole that was discovered on Aug. 29 resulted in a pressure leak before it was fixed by the space station crew.

On Wednesday, NASA issued statement noting that a Russian investigation ruled out that the whole was caused by a manufacturing defect.  NASA says that simply indicates that this is an isolated issue which does not categorically affect future production.

The conclusion does not necessarily mean the hole was created intentionally or with mal-intent. NASA and its Russian counterparts are continuing to investigate the incident to determine the cause.

The International Space Station Program is tentatively planning a spacewalk in November to gather more information.

On October 11, American Astronaut Nick Hague and Russian Cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin will launch to the International Space Station on a Russian Soyuz MS-10 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.