Spacewalk canceled due to water leak in spacesuit

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida. – For the second time this month, NASA has canceled a spacewalk due to spacesuit problems the astronauts have already encountered.

On Monday morning, Mike Barratt and Tracy Dyson were preparing to float outside the International Space Station when one of their suits leaked water.

“Oh, my God,” Dyson told mission control. “My helmet was fogged up.”

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The veteran spacewalker then added, “I think we need to turn off the water.” There is water everywhere.

On June 13, other problems with bulky old spacesuits also canceled a spacewalk.

On Monday, as Barratt and Dyson turned around, Dyson told mission control that she was very cold.

“I have a frozen finger, so if I could turn on my heated gloves, that would be great,” she said.

As Dyson and Barratt headed back inside, fellow astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams from Boeing’s Starliner capsule were there to take photos.

Wilmore photographed Dyson’s cold gloves.

“They are working to gather additional images to really determine the cause of the leak,” a NASA commentator said on the broadcast.

NASA said the astronauts were safe.

As for the return of Wilmore and Williams to Earth, NASA just announced to us Friday that it was once again delaying their undocking and landing, partly because of spacewalks, but also because of engine problems on the Starliner and helium leaks.

CBS space expert Bill Harwood said there was no reason to panic about the crew returning home safely.

“They are allowed to go home in an emergency,” Harwood said. “If they really needed to come home now, they could. It’s not like they’re stuck on the space station, but NASA just wants to get as much information as possible before the crew goes home.

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