TORONTO – Following the aborted July 16 spacewalk, NASA has created a Spacewalk Mishap Investigation Board.
NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy and European Space Agency astronaut Luca Parmitano were an hour into the spacewalk outside the International Space Station (ISS) when Parmitano reported a buildup of water inside his helmet. The spacewalk was scheduled to last for six-and-a-half hours.
Initially, Parmitano thought that it was a buildup of sweat after exertion during the work. However, Cassidy said that it looked like half a litre of water had leaked out inside his helmet. Parmitano needed assistance returning to the safety of the ISS.
The board will start its investigation on Aug. 2 and will work with a NASA engineering team which is already investigating the suit. The spacesuit trouble is believed to be somewhere in the cooling system.
Meanwhile, NASA is rushing to get spacesuit repair tools on a launch to the ISS. The Russian supply ship is scheduled to launch on July 27.
–with files from The Canadian Press
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