NASA astronauts Tracy C. Dyson and Mike Barratt had their spacewalk plans cut short today when Dyson’s spacesuit decided to add an unexpected water feature to the whole event. Mission control was treated to a surprise spray when Dyson reported, “There’s water everywhere,” shortly after they opened the hatch.
The duo was aiming for a leisurely stroll in space, a six-and-a-half-hour promenade, but things took a soggy turn just 31 minutes in. As soon as the ISS hatch swung open, Dyson’s suit decided to make a splash, literally, with water gushing from the service and cooling umbilical unit.
NASA’s quick response team explained, “This watery conundrum stemmed from a pesky leak in Tracy Dyson’s spacesuit cooling unit. No cause for alarm, but with uncertain water levels left, the astronauts wisely decided to abort the spacewalk.”
After hastily repressurizing the hatch, Dyson and Barratt managed to ditch their soggy suits and retreat to the cozy confines of the ISS. This unscheduled aquatic adventure echoes past incidents, like Matthias Maurer’s surprise helmet pool party in 2022, and the nerve-racking episode with Luca Parmitano’s near-drowning in 2013.
With both NASA and ESA using the same Extravehicular Mobility Units (EMUs), these watery mishaps are taken seriously. NASA’s now on the case to drain more info on this watery mystery before they get back on the spacewalk bandwagon.
