After the water was found in an astronaut's helmet, NASA suspended all but the most urgent spacewalks.
Water was found in the helmet worn by astronaut Matthias Maurer after a spacewalk on March 23.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration has temporarily blocked the use of space suits known as Economic and Monetary Union (Out-of-vehicle mobility unit) after a water leak was found last March inside the suit worn by a German astronaut with the European Space Agency.
A similar incident actually happened to Luca Parmitano in 2013. Astronauts use these special spacesuits to perform extravehicular activities (EVA) outside the International Space Station (ISS).
The Emu space suit is currently under investigation and while the results are obtained, astronauts will be able to wear them to exit the International Space Station exclusively for emergency repairs or other obstacles.
This is what Dana Weigel, deputy director of the space station program at Johnson Space Center in Houston, explained during a press conference for the flight test of the Boeing Starliner capsule.
Deputy Director Weigel announced:
"We are looking for obvious signs of contamination, dirt or anything else that may have entered our system, but at the moment we haven't found anything yet."
From the last spaceflight on March 23, it was revealed that 50% of astronaut Maurer's mask was covered in a light layer of water and that the absorbent pad on the back of the helmet was wet.
The suit in question is still in orbit and is scheduled to return to Earth next July aboard a Dragon so that a more thorough investigation can be conducted.
This issue does not affect the extravehicular activities of astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, as she will be wearing the Russian Orlan suits, which she has used before.
The suits can only be fixed by engineers on Earth and thus NASA plans on sending the suits back during an upcoming SpaceX Dragon mission in June.
They highlight that as of now, with the faulty suits, spacewalks are too much of a risk. NASA had already showcased its new spacesuits that were going to replace the old ones in 2019.
They were also supposed to be used on the Artemis missions.
Sadly, due to funding shortages, there has been a delay in the deployment of those suits. The old suits have had their lifetimes extended to the year 2028. But if more such issues spring up, they'd be forced to decommission it sooner than that.
Effects of living in Space
There are many effects of living in space, both good and bad.
Some of the good effects include gaining a better understanding of other cultures, developing a greater appreciation for the Earth, and learning to cooperate with others.
Some of the bad effects include experiencing muscle and bone loss, developing vision problems, and suffering from mental health issues.
NASA has spent over five decades studying the effects of living in space on the human body under its Human Research Program (HRP) and has found some substantial evidence.
Over the years, scientists have noted that a lack of a proper diet and about two hours of regular exercise can cause a loss of muscle mass much faster in microgravity than on Earth.
Besides, fluid shifts in the body, specifically to the head puts pressure on the eyes and cause vision problems.
Recently, it was also concluded that a long-duration stay in outer space also causes significant changes in the human brain as it constantly keeps floating inside the skull due to lack of gravity.
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