Astronauts are conducting a “space overhaul” in orbit after a coolant leak canceled a planned excursion on Monday (June 24), NASA officials said in an update.
NASA astronauts Tracy Caldwell Dyson and Mike Barratt stopped their spacewalk while still on the International Space Station (ISS) hatch due to a spacesuit coolant leak in Dyson’s suit. Today (June 25), NASA said the crew is considering what to do next, in consultation with Mission Control. “Barratt began Tuesday morning troubleshooting Dyson’s spacesuit and inspecting suit components,” NASA officials wrote in a brief update that mentioned a “spacewalk review” in the title. “Then, [Barratt] joined Dyson for ongoing reviews of procedures with fellow astronauts Matthew Dominick and Jeanette Epps for future spacewalks.”
For now, NASA’s next spacewalk is still scheduled for July 2, after Monday’s aborted 31-minute excursion that was supposed to last 6.5 hours. What happens next will be determined by the investigation, which is still ongoing. After past coolant leaks in orbit, spacewalks have sometimes been suspended for months.
The ISS crew reported “literally water everywhere” on the hatch and a “blizzard” with ice flakes visible just outside, but everyone dealt with the situation in moments. The astronauts were never in any danger, NASA officials repeatedly emphasized during the live broadcast on NASA television.
Investigating the cause may take some time. Astronauts were seen on air yesterday photographing the two spacesuits, including the service and cooling umbilical (SCU) area on Dyson’s suit where water appeared to be coming out. The SCU is designed to attach to the ISS airlock as the astronauts are in the hatch preparing for the final stages of detachment for the EVA.
Coolant leaks have occurred several times in recent years. In March 2022, for example, NASA put a seven-month hiatus on spacewalks after water was found in a spacesuit helmet.
A more serious incident occurred in 2013 when Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano’s helmet filled with water during an extravehicular activity (EVA), requiring a quick return to the pod. A subsequent investigative report by NASA suggested some means to prevent this from happening again, which agency officials began implementing in future spacewalks.
The Boeing Starliner spacecraft was expected to leave the ISS sometime after July 2, completing its first mission with astronauts that launched on June 5, in part because of the spacewalk planned for that day. However, Starliner remains docked pending overhaul and testing of its propulsion and helium supply systems after problems were discovered on June 6 that delayed its arrival at the ISS. NASA Starliner astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams participated in that test and are now on other ISS maintenance duties, according to NASA’s update on Tuesday.
Starliner’s roughly 10-day mission to the ISS has now lasted nearly three weeks and counting, though both Boeing and NASA point out that the nature of development missions is that they often fall off schedule due to the unexpected. Part of the rationale for extending the mission is to observe the behavior of the service module, since that part (with most of the fuel and power) will be detached during landing.
The spacecraft is technically rated to stay at the station for 45 days, according to comments made by NASA commercial crew manager Steve Stich. NASA has promised a full update in the near future regarding the Starliner. That said, the Starliner crew can still deorbit in it if necessary; NASA states that the spacecraft is rated to leave quickly if an emergency arises on the ISS that requires evacuation.