Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano gives a dramatic recounting of the nearly disastrous space suit water leak he experienced during his spacewalk on July 16th outside the International Space Station: EVA 23: exploring the frontier – Luca Parmitano
As I move back along my route towards the airlock, I become more and more certain that the water is increasing. I feel it covering the sponge on my earphones and I wonder whether I’ll lose audio contact. The water has also almost completely covered the front of my visor, sticking to it and obscuring my vision. I realise that to get over one of the antennae on my route I will have to move my body into a vertical position, also in order for my safety cable to rewind normally. At that moment, as I turn ‘upside-down’, two things happen: the Sun sets, and my ability to see – already compromised by the water – completely vanishes, making my eyes useless; but worse than that, the water covers my nose – a really awful sensation that I make worse by my vain attempts to move the water by shaking my head.
Last I heard, the leak problem has not been fully explained, though it is believe the water came from the coolant system. The suit will be brought back to earth by a Dragon capsule after SpaceX makes there next cargo delivery to the ISS, currently scheduled for next January.
