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Astronauts Explain Emergency Spacesuit Helmet Leak During ISS Work

Zero-gravity conditions can present disorienting, sometimes dangerous, challenges for astronauts conducting a spacewalk. In 2013, ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano and NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy were hard at work outside the International Space Station (ISS), when water started to leak into Luca Parmitano's space suit helmet, immediately resulting in the duo heading back to the Quest Airlock to terminate the EVA. Now, in collaboration with NASA, researchers from the Cambridge, MA-based nonprofit Draper are developing a new kind of spacesuit with a backup capability that secures a safe trip back to the space station.

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    Transcript

    00:00:01 [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] it's hard to tell but it feels like a lot of water I feel a lot of water on the back of my head but I don't think it SED from my back are you sweating are you working

    00:00:28 hard um I am sweating but feels like a lot of water I see it now weing all right Chris and Luca just for you guys u based on what we heard with Lucas saying that uh water is in his eyes now and it seems to be increasing uh we think we're going to terminate Eva case for ev2 so Luca we'll have you head back to the airlock Chris we'll get a

    00:00:52 plan for you to uh clean things up here and then join him here in a [Music] minute hatch is open Shane [Music] for I think that for a couple of minutes there maybe more than a couple of minutes I experienced what it's like to be a goldfish in the Fishbowl from the point of view of the of the Goldfish uh

    00:01:18 so about half an hour into the Eva 45 minutes maybe uh Chris and I were were ahead on our task so uh we were starting our our third task and I felt some water on the back of my head and I realized that it was cold water it it it it was a it was not a normal feeling so I I I told ground Chris came came by to to give to give it a look he couldn't see anything he took some pictures of it but

    00:01:43 it wasn't until a couple of minutes later that we actually saw the water trickling in the front of the helmet and then I felt it covering my ears and uh at that point we called the terminate for the Eva I started going back to the airlock and uh um the water kept trickling until it completely covered my eyes and my nose um it was really hard to see I I couldn't hear anything it was

    00:02:07 really hard to communicate uh I just I went back using just uh um just memory basically going back to the airlock until until I found it and then went inside and uh Chris was there in in in Split seconds to come inside close the close the airlock and repressurize Karen was already there ready to repressurize our Russian colleagues uh were all there to help and they as soon as the as the

    00:02:33 two compartments were equalized uh they duffed uh meaning they took off my helmet wiped my face from all the water about uh three p three lounds of water I would say and uh and that was the end of it this is Lucas helmet and the uh the ventilation air comes into the helmet through this port right here and then goes behind the uh crew member's head

    00:03:01 and then blows the air across the front of your face well with water a mixture of water and air getting into this vent Port the water bubble started to build up behind his behind this white plastic um piece once the water got big enough that it went all the way around and started coming outside the edge of the white plastic then it it saturated his communication cap and

    00:03:30 sort of capillary flow just brought the water all to the all around his head and he had uh water on his and filled up in his ear cups and it started to creep into his eyes and covered covered his nose scary situation um the ground teams worked really well to give us some direction and as a team we got everybody back and everything was fine um for me the worst part uh as as um Chris

    00:03:59 mentioned I was I was was miserable but okay uh it's just imagine walking around with your eyes closed in a fishball really that that that what was going on at the at the p and the M moment it's just a very uncomfortable feeling to to be with your with your face underwater for all for all that time uh but the reaction of the crew was outstanding I think the crew on the ground and the

    00:04:20 crew on board uh Chris really supported me and I was just uh lucky to uh to be back inside in no time work is complete and we'll continue on with the [Music] rest