NASA has temporarily suspended all spacewalks due to a problem with the spacesuits aboard the International Space Station, reports SpaceNews† A helmet worn by an astronaut filled with a layer of water earlier this year.
The leak originated during the most recent spacewalk on March 23 by astronauts Raja Chari and Matthias Maurer. At the end of the nearly seven-hour hike, Maurer reported that there was water in his helmet.
Because it was a small layer of water, there was no immediate danger for him. Yet NASA is not reassured. The space agency wants to solve the problem before new spacewalks are made. Until then, the suits should only be used in emergency situations.
NASA said earlier this week it had no idea how the water got into the helmet. The space agency is currently investigating this. However, that is only really possible when the suits have returned to Earth. That is expected to happen in early June.
This is not the first time that water has ended up in an astronaut’s helmet. That also happened to Luca Parmitano in 2013. The astronaut was not injured, but after the walk, NASA said his vision and breathing were impaired. Parmitano survived the incident at the time because he remained calm, the space agency said earlier.