It is not every day that you cancel a high-stakes, low-gravity spacewalk due to an issue more commonly found in leaky snorkel gear. Yet such was the case aboard the International Space Station this week when NASA was forced to scrub an eagerly anticipated extravehicular activity because of an unusual and somewhat damp development involving a spacesuit helmet.
Astronauts Tracy Dyson and Matt Dominick were all suited up and ready to dance among the stars Wednesday morning when NASA made the call to postpone the spacewalk. The culprit? A “spacesuit discomfort issue” that turned out to be more than just an unfortunate wrinkle in the fabric. NASA revealed that upon returning her gear to the rack after the aborted mission, astronaut Dyson discovered a bit more water inside her helmet than anyone likes in zero gravity. One might say the situation was a little… saturated.
To be clear and for the benefit of NASA’s lawyers, there was no immediate danger, no calls of “Houston we have a puddle,” and Dyson did not report the water until much later. Still, the agency takes the sudden appearance of water inside a helmet the way most people would treat an unexpected splash while holding a plugged-in hairdryer: very seriously indeed. The water will now be thoroughly investigated by the crack team of fluid detectives back on Earth who specialize in the complicated ballet of plumbing that is life in orbit.
The intended spacewalk was meant to last roughly six and a half hours and involved some routine maintenance tasks that sound delightfully mundane considering they were to be conducted while orbiting 250 miles above the Earth. Think of it as changing a tire, but while floating upside down with a magnificent view of Madagascar.
This is not the first time water has decided to join astronauts uninvited. In 2013 the world watched nervously as astronaut Luca Parmitano nearly drowned in his helmet, a scenario that made for great headlines and less-than-great confidence in the dryness of space gear. Since then, NASA has implemented a series of upgrades to prevent repeat performances of Helmets: The Splashening. These improvements have apparently not completely eliminated the occasional cameo from moisture.
NASA has not yet announced a rescheduled date for the spacewalk, although the astronauts remain ready and, we assume, slightly better toweled.
Because even in space, sometimes your helmet just feels a little too humid.