On Aug. 5 local time, CNN reported that NASA called off all spacewalks on the International Space Station because water leaked into the helmet of an astronaut working outside the space station. It’s not the first time that water has gotten into an astronaut’s helmet, and such accidents have happened during extravehicular activities in March, which could have endangered the astronaut’s life. The spacesuits NASA is now using have been around for more than 40 years, raising concerns about the safety of decades-old suits.
Back in 2013, European Space Agency astronaut Luca Palmitano was forced to end his spacewalk mission early due to difficulty breathing as 1.5 liters of water entered his helmet. in 2015, the same aging spacesuit was used for a spacewalk and nearly drowned another astronaut. after completing his spacewalk in spacesuit 3005, NASA astronaut Terry Virts found the helmet filled with free-floating water droplets.
It is understood that in 2019, NASA introduced the new spacesuit and used it for the agency’s upcoming Artemis mission to the moon, but the deployment of the suit was delayed due to funding shortages. As a result, NASA now hopes to extend the life of the spacesuit until 2028.
