NASA greenlights spacewalks outside ISS again; next one in mid-November
NASA has resumed spacewalks outside the International Space Station (ISS) after a hiatus of seven months. The next one will occur in mid-November. To recall, such walks were halted on March 23, when ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer noticed that the water buildup within his helmet was higher than normal. A review of the issue back on Earth revealed that there was no hardware malfunction.
Why does this story matter?
This is not the first time that the buildup of water in an astronaut's helmet has become a cause of concern. A similar incident occurred with another ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano in July 2013, and spacewalks were halted back then as well. The space is vast and hostile. The tiniest mishaps can mean the difference between life and death.
How were the samples brought to Earth?
Some of Maurer's spacesuit hardware and water samples were brought back to Earth aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft on March 30. The Dragon capsule that flew SpaceX's Crew-3 mission also flew down some samples on May 6. However, the astronaut's extravehicular mobility unit (EMU) suit arrived aboard the Dragon that flew SpaceX's CRS-25 robotic cargo mission to the ISS. It landed on August 20.
What did the findings reveal?
An analysis by the space agency has revealed that the water accumulation in the helmet was because of the condensation caused by high levels of exertion (due to a roughly seven-hour excursion). The cooling setting on Maurer's EMU suit was also improper. NASA claims that it has "updated operational procedures and developed new mitigation hardware" to combat similar issues in the future.
What project was Maurer working on during his walk?
On March 23, Maurer was working with astronaut Raja Chari to prep the ISS for the installation of new ISS rollout solar arrays (iROSA). NASA has announced that work on this project will be resumed during the spacewalk next month, followed by two additional excursions.
