A NASA astronaut becomes upset when water starts pouring out of her suit

“I can see ice crystals flowing down there.”

Explosion in the Arctic

A NASA astronaut, who was about to leave the airlock to embark on a spacewalk outside the International Space Station, was alarmed to discover water pouring out of her spacesuit and covering her visor with ice.

as The New York Times ReportsAstronaut Tracy Dyson discovered the leak just moments after converting her suit to battery power. A secret cooling unit attached to her suit began leaking water, forcing NASA to cancel her impending flyby with fellow astronaut Mike Barratt.

The accident occurred immediately after the couple opened the station’s airlock hatch. According to NASA.

“There’s water everywhere,” Dyson told mission control. “I’ve got arctic blowout all over my eyebrows.”

This is the second time that NASA has had to cancel a spacewalk mission this month. Dyson was scheduled to perform a separate spacewalk, but crewmate Matthew Dominic reported a “spacesuit discomfort issue,” forcing the agency to cancel it.

The latest leak must have led to a terrifying discovery.

“I could see the ice crystals flowing down there,” Dyson said. “Just like a snow cone machine, there was ice forming in that harbor.”

Drowning in space

Aside from the two canceled spacewalks, NASA and Boeing also struggled to investigate several helium leaks that affected the space giant’s stricken Starliner spacecraft, which was supposed to return two astronauts to Earth several weeks ago.

Boeing and NASA The return mission was postponed for the third time on Friday eveningextending the stay of crew members Butch Wilmore and Sonny Williams on board the International Space Station by weeks.

Earlier this month, NASA was also forced to issue an apology after it mistakenly broadcast an audio recording of an emergency drill.

In the case of the latest water problem, Dyson plugged the leak by reconnecting the umbilical unit. The pair were able to get into the station and out of their suits in just 45 minutes The New York Times.

They were originally tasked with removing a faulty electronics box and collecting samples of microorganisms from the outside of the station.

This is not the first time astronauts have experienced leaky spacesuits. In 2022, crew members aboard the International Space Station noticed that their helmets kept filling with water, putting them in a potentially life-threatening situation.

In 2013, European Space Agency astronaut Luca Parmitano nearly drowned while venturing outside the International Space Station when his helmet collided. Filled with water“Covering his eyes, nose, and ears” and forcing NASA to interrupt the spacewalk.

It is unclear whether the next spacewalk, scheduled for July 2, will take place now. Given the optics and risks involved, NASA will likely play it safe for now.

More about the International Space Station: NASA apologizes for broadcasting the emergency on the space station