NASA cancels another spacewalk on the International Space Station due to a spacesuit leak

Certainly, the delays on the International Space Station seem to be many. Between Boeing, which is still delaying the return of its Starliner capsule to Earth after discovering malfunctions, and NASA, which has canceled two consecutive EVAs on June 13 and June 24, which were scheduled to take place at the International Space Station, we no longer really know where we are headed. .

Coolant leak involved

The EVA of astronauts Tracy Caldwell Dyson and Mike Barratt, scheduled for June 24, 2024, at approximately 2:52 p.m. French time, did not take place.

In fact, shortly before leaving the cockpit, the American astronaut and physicist from NASA reported, live on the US space agency channel, that there was “Water is literally everywhere“. It was canceled due to a leak from the spacesuit's cooling unit.

As mentioned spaceThis was an extremely dangerous situation, but it did not put the astronaut duo in danger.

” I can see ice crystals “

Shortly after the spacewalk was cancelled, Tracy Dyson spoke about what she saw in mission control, very shortly before leaving the station:

“I could see the ice crystals flowing, and like an ice machine, ice was forming in SCU Harbor [ndr, abréviation de Servicing and Cooling Umbilical – le système de refroidissement de la combinaison spatiale]”

space Determines that the leak occurred very shortly before the station hatch opened. Therefore, the leak was detected in a timely manner.

Another spacewalk was cancelled

On June 13, 2024, NASA canceled the extravehicular activity of astronauts Matt Dominik and Tracy Dyson, because the former felt uncomfortable and embarrassed in his spacesuit.

This is the second time in a row that the US Space Agency has canceled an extravehicular flight to the International Space Station within about ten days. However, in space, as elsewhere, safety will always take precedence over successful mission completion.

The next EVA is supposed to take place on July 2, 2024, and it will certainly be closely monitored by NASA engineers so that everything can happen in a safe manner.

Finally, in terms of Boeing and the return of the Starliner, the status quo is sound. In fact, at the moment, NASA's Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita Williams don't know when they will be able to return to Earth, as the capsule is still being analyzed. The return is scheduled no later than July 2.

Source: space