Space station astronaut recounts moment crew put on evacuation alert

Nasa astronaut Chris Williams spent eight months aboard the space station (Roscosmos space corporation via AP) - (AP)

A Nasa astronaut has said it was “not a great feeling” when he and his crew mates were ordered to prepare for a possible evacuation from the International Space Station (ISS) during an attempt to fix an air leak.

Describing it as a “very unusual day” aboard the orbiting outpost, Chris Williams said he and his colleagues immediately fell back on their training and “knew exactly what to do”.