http://www.popsci.com/article/science/nasa-couldve-prevented-near-drowning-astronaut
During a routine spacewalk outside the International Space Station in July of last year, Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano's helmet began filling with water. "[T]he water covers my nose--a really awful sensation that I make worse by my vain attempts to move the water by shaking my head. By now, the upper part of the helmet is full of water and I can't even be sure that the next time I breathe I will fill my lungs with air and not liquid," he wrote about the ordeal in a blog post.
A review of the incident by NASA's Mishap Review Board was ordered. Released today, the report details what happened, and how it might've prevented what the board's chair, Chris Hansen, told reporters was one of the most dangerous spacewalk incidents ever. "This is probably the most serious one that we've encountered," he said.
The report has yet to determine what the definite cause of the problem was--a more technical review of the hardware is still in progress--although the board and NASA engineers have singled out a buildup of aluminum silicate as a likely culprit. The material may have blocked the suit's water-separating system, causing it to spill out into the helmet.
During a routine spacewalk outside the International Space Station in July of last year, Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano's helmet began filling with water. "[T]he water covers my nose--a really awful sensation that I make worse by my vain attempts to move the water by shaking my head. By now, the upper part of the helmet is full of water and I can't even be sure that the next time I breathe I will fill my lungs with air and not liquid," he wrote about the ordeal in a blog post.
A review of the incident by NASA's Mishap Review Board was ordered. Released today, the report details what happened, and how it might've prevented what the board's chair, Chris Hansen, told reporters was one of the most dangerous spacewalk incidents ever. "This is probably the most serious one that we've encountered," he said.
The report has yet to determine what the definite cause of the problem was--a more technical review of the hardware is still in progress--although the board and NASA engineers have singled out a buildup of aluminum silicate as a likely culprit. The material may have blocked the suit's water-separating system, causing it to spill out into the helmet.
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