NASA is suspending non-emergency spacewalks aboard the International Space Station while it investigates what caused water to leak into an astronauts helmet during a walk in March.
The deputy manager of the program said that they are no-go for nominal spacewalks until they understand what happened during the last one.
It was important for NASA to address the recent incident and rule out major system failure modes.
The spacewalk conducted by NASA and European Space Agency astronauts took place outside the International Space Station on March 23. Water was found to be pooling inside Maurer's helmet after he returned to the station. Up to 50% of the visor had been coated in water, with more found in an absorption pad at the rear of his space helmet.
Maurer's case wasn't considered an emergency situation at the time, but it had alarming echoes of a more serious, life-threatening episode at the space station. NASA is not taking any chances.
Luca Parmitano came close to death during a spacewalk when his helmet began to take in water.
Parmitano said that blobs of water got into his nose, mouth, and eyes while he was working outside the station. His breathing began to be affected by the amount of liquid.
Parmitano made his way back to the airlock and safety despite having poor vision and breathing problems. He had an issue with a contaminated fan pump in his spacesuit.
Since the station went into operation more than two decades ago, no astronauts have died or been badly injured during hundreds of excursions outside.
Check out this gallery of images showing astronauts working in space over the years.
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