The International Space Station has encountered a rather unusual problem. Two American astronauts have had to leave their base because of a problem in their spacesuits. Holes in them could have caused malfunctions that would have been dangerous for the lives of these space adventurers.
NASA has been forced to cancel one of its space missions, according to American media outlet CNN. Two astronauts were in danger due to malfunctions in their spacesuits. Holes have appeared in this protective garment, causing a potential water leak into the unit used to cool the suit.
The worst was narrowly avoided, since the leak, present on the suit of theastronaut Tracy Dyson, started when the panoply was put into operation. The young woman had not yet left the international station. Her teammate Mike Baratt, was affected by the same problem.
A large cooling unit
But how could this malfunction be dangerous for astronauts? The cooling unit plays an essential role in maintaining the temperature in the suit and avoiding the risk of overheating or even suffocation.
The two astronauts had to act quickly to avoid any risk to their safety. They removed the faulty electronic box in the communications antenna outside the space station extremely quickly. Why? To prevent the water leak from reaching the electrical equipment and touching the electrical connectors.
Spacewalk Cancelled
“I’m comfortable at the moment, but I’m a little warm,” Dyson said. But his concern about the risks of a short circuit was well and truly characterised.“We can assume that water got into this connector, this electrical connector,” she complained.
The spacewalk, which was supposed to last more than six hours, had to be canceled. This is not the first time that such a phenomenon has occurred. According to CNN, this type of event has even become quite frequent in recent weeks. The next spacewalk, on July 2, will therefore be closely scrutinized.
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