NASA's spacesuit situation on the International Space Station is turning bleak

Two NASA astronauts were preparing to exit the International Space Station (ISS) for a second attempt at a spacewalk, but it was canceled again due to a worrying spacesuit malfunction.

NASA had to cancel a spacewalk on Monday due to a water leak in the service and cooling module of astronaut Tracy Dyson's spacesuit. “There's water everywhere,” Dyson can be heard saying during the live broadcast from the International Space Station, referring to a troubling malfunction in old space station suits that has put other astronauts at risk in the past. NASA desperately needs new space suits for its astronauts, but in a worrying development, the company it contracted to design the suits has just withdrawn from the agreement.

The astronauts, Dyson and Mike Barratt, had not yet left the airlock when the problem arose. However, the airlock had to be repressurized as the pair were on their way out into the vacuum of space. Fortunately, the astronauts were safe.

This was the second postponement of the spacewalk in a week due to a spacesuit problem; On June 13, another spacewalk was canceled due to “spacesuit issues,” according to NASA.

The astronauts on board the International Space Station are Run procedure reviews for space suit malfunctionTroubleshooting and inspecting suit components. An upcoming spacewalk is scheduled for July 2, pending an ongoing investigation.

Clearly, NASA astronauts need some new suits; Spacesuits currently in use are more than He is 40 years old I was late in making a major upgrade. The space agency also appears to be running out of fully functional spacesuits aboard the International Space Station, with only 18 usable modules currently available for use by astronauts on the space station, according to a 2017 report. a report.

NASA in May 2022 Suspension of spacewalks outside the International Space Station After a series of incidents of life-threatening water leaking into astronauts' helmets while they were walking in space. NASA astronaut Raja Chari and ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer were installing hoses on a cryogenic beam valve module outside the space station on March 23, 2022 when Maurer — who was venturing out on his first spacewalk — noticed some water and moisture inside his visor toward him. The end of a seven-hour spacewalk.

“NASA is thinking about putting risks into these suits that are becoming obsolete [spacesuit] “Planned EVA projects are not currently permitted pending investigation into what they discover,” Susan Helms, a former NASA astronaut who serves on NASA's Aerospace Safety Advisory Committee, said at the time. Space agency Resuming spacewalks aboard the International Space Station Shortly after investigating the leaks.

This was not the first incident involving excess water. Back in 2013, ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano noticed a water leak inside his helmet Which forced an early end to the spacewalk. Parmitano was able to return to the ISS's airlock, but he had difficulty breathing as 1.5 liters of water formed inside his helmet. “I feel like it's covering the sponge on my headphones and I wonder if I'm going to lose audio connectivity. Water also covered almost the entire front of my eyebrow, sticking to it and blocking my vision,” Parmitano recounted in a chilling voice. Blog post Later.

The same suit worn by Parmitano nearly drowned another astronaut two years later. NASA astronaut Terry Virts, wearing space suit number 3005, Notice the free floating water droplets And a damp absorbent pad in his helmet when his spacewalk is over.

NASA is working with commercial partners to develop new spacesuits for its astronauts aboard the International Space Station, but it is taking longer than expected. In June 2022, the space agency awarded Contracts with Axiom Space and Collins Aerospace To build spacesuits with a potential total value of $3.5 billion. The suits were supposed to debut in 2025, but Collins Aerospace is looking to pull out of the contract, SpaceNews mentioned Wednesday.

“After a comprehensive evaluation, Collins Aerospace and NASA have mutually agreed to unveil Extravehicular Exploration Services (xEVAS) mission orders,” the company wrote in a statement to SpaceNews. It's not clear how NASA will go from here.

in a report Released in January 2019, NASA's Aerospace Safety Advisory Committee reviewed the growing challenges spacesuits face. “It is an undeniable fact that the 40-year-old EMUs used for ISS operations have reached the end of their useful lives,” the report said. “NASA cannot maintain necessary, sustained operations in low Earth orbit without fully functional EVA suits.”

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