Lest we forget – space is a harsh frontier, warns astronaut
An astronaut recounts the terrifying moment his helmet began filling up with water during a spacewalk and issues a stark warning: “we are explorers, not colonisers.”
In a blog post, 36-year old Luca Parmitano, vividly recalls his mission with partner Christopher Cassidy on 16 July, when he felt “the unexpected sensation of water” at the back of his neck.
As I turn ‘upside-down’, two things happen: the Sun sets, and my ability to see completely vanishes – Luca Parmitano
“At first, we’re both convinced that it must be drinking water from my flask that has leaked out through the straw, or else it’s sweat.
“But I think the liquid is too cold to be sweat, and more importantly, I can feel it increasing.”
With something obviously going wrong, the spacewalk was already being aborted, but the situation for Parmitano was getting worse:
“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.
“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. To make matters worse, I realise that I can’t even understand which direction I should head in to get back to the airlock.”
Actively considering the “last resort” of opening a safety valve – despite being out in space – to let out some water before it freezes and blocks again, Parmitano realises that he can use the recoil mechanism of his saftey cable to return him to the airlock:
“I move for what seems like an eternity (but I know it’s just a few minutes).
My experience of our second spacewalk: a reminder we are exploring the frontier http://t.co/pI5ORYtHcF
— Luca Parmitano (@astro_luca) August 20, 2013
“Finally, with a huge sense of relief, I peer through the curtain of water before my eyes and make out the thermal cover of the airlock: just a little further, and I’ll be safe.”
Once inside and re-pressurised, opening the helmet is no longer a danger:
“I’ll probably lose consciousness, but in any case that would be better than drowning inside the helmet. At one point, Chris squeezes my glove with his and I give him the universal ‘ok’ sign with mine. The last time he heard me speak was before entering the airlock.”
Summing up his chastening experience, Mr Parmitano concludes:
“Space is a harsh, inhospitable frontier and we are explorers, not colonisers,”
“The skills of our engineers and the technology surrounding us make things appear simple when they are not, and perhaps we forget this sometimes”.
Under investigation
NASA has traced the problem to his spacesuit backpack but the precise cause is still unknown as the investigation continues.
The Russians, however, will stage their second spacewalk in under a week, on Thursday. The two countries’ suits are completely different.