Space walk aborted after water leaks into astronaut’s helmet

A SPACE walk was terminated early after water leaked into an astronaut’s helmet, in a scarey repeat of a near-drowning two years ago.

IN SPACE - JANUARY 15: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY) (NO SALES) In this handout image supplied by the European Space Agency (ESA), ESA astronaut Tim Peake seen on his first-ever spacewalk after having replaced a faulty voltage regulator on the International Space Station on January 15, 2016. This image comes from his colleague spacewalker Tim Kopra's helmet-mounted camera. Astronaut Tim Peake ventured outside of the International Space Station together with NASA astronaut Timothy Kopra to replace a failed voltage regulator to return power to one of eight power channels. The spacewalk is expected to last 6.5 hours. (Photo by ESA via Getty Images)

TWO astronauts aborted their space walk and hurried back into the International Space Station after water leaked into one of the men’s helmets in a scarey repeat of a near-drowning two years ago.

The trouble cropped up after the astronauts — including Britain’s 1st spacewalker — successfully restored full power to the space station on Friday.

NASA astronaut Timothy Kopra took everyone by surprise when he reported a small water bubble and then a film of water inside his helmet.

Mindful of another spacewalker’s close call in 2013, Mission Control terminated the planned six-hour space walk at the four-hour mark.

It turns out Kopra was wearing the same spacesuit involved in the earlier incident.

“So far, I’m OK,” Kopra assured everyone.

Later, he said the water bubble was four inches long and getting thicker.

“I’m doing good,” he repeated on his way back inside.

Brave man ... Astronaut Timothy Kopra.

Safety first ... Tim Kopra checks his wrist-mounted checklist with a picture of his family, left.

Lead flight director Royce Renfrew, who called an early end to the space walk, stressed that the situation was not an emergency and insisted neither spacewalker was in danger.

Indeed, Kopra took time to thank everyone for their help as the airlock was pressurised.

An hour later, Kopra was safely inside his orbiting home, along with Timothy Peake, who attracted his own headlines by becoming Britain’s first spacewalker on Friday.

The astronauts waiting anxiously inside pulled off Kopra’s helmet, then measured the water that had leaked, presumably from the suit’s cooling system. That was the source of the leak last time.

Space station commander Scott Kelly reported that he filled a syringe with about 15 cubic centimetres of water.

That’s nothing, NASA officials pointed out, compared with the 1 litres of water that escaped into Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano’s helmet and suit in July 2013.

Kopra’s suit was the same one Parmitano was wearing when his helmet flooded. This suit was refurbished following the 2013 incident.

Historic moment ... Tim Peake seen on his first-ever space walk after having replaced a faulty voltage regulator on the International Space Station. Picture: European Space Agency

NASA said Kopra used the same suit for a space walk last month without any problem, and it had been used previously as well.

Despite the considerably smaller leak, the cap that Kopra wore on his head, under his helmet, was moist, as were other parts of his suit.

As for Peake’s suit, a quick look showed it to be dry save for a bit of moisture around the wrists.

Kopra and Peake completed their No. 1 job early on in the space walk.

The pair quickly removed the voltage regulator that failed two months ago, slashing station power by one-eighth.

The breakdown did not disrupt work 402km up, but NASA wanted the power grid fixed as soon as possible in case something else failed.

Working in darkness to avoid electrical shock from the solar power system, the astronauts quickly removed the bad unit and popped in a spare, both about the size of a 30-gallon aquarium.

All smiles ... Tim Peake aboard the International Space Station during preparations for a space walk. Picture: NASA/Tim Peake

They had just 31 minutes to complete the job, the amount of night-time on that particular swing around the world.

Following tests, Mission Control said the spare — dubbed Dusty for its 17-year tenure in orbit — appeared to be working properly.

Engineers suspect the original electronic unit suffered an internal electrical short. In the meantime, the station relied on the seven other power channels.

The action unfolded on the far reaches of the space station. The work site is about 60 metres from the astronauts’ exit, about as far as spacewalkers safely can go.

Peake, in particular, received a bounty of well wishes — from space as well as Earth. He became the first spacewalker to wear the Union Jack on the shoulder of his suit.

“We’re all watching, no pressure!” former Beatle Paul McCartney said via Twitter.

Good luck @astro_timpeake we're all watching, no pressure! Wishing you a happy stroll outdoors in the universe. All the best, PMc #spacewalk

— Paul McCartney (@PaulMcCartney) January 15, 2016

Earlier, as Peake floated out, space station commander Scott Kelly called, “Hey Tim, it’s really cool seeing that Union Jack go outside. It’s explored all over the world. Now it’s explored space.”

Replied Peake: “It’s great to be wearing it, a huge privilege, a proud moment.”

Peake, a helicopter pilot chosen by the European Space Agency, is Britain’s first official astronaut.

A handful of previous spacewalkers held dual US-English citizenship, but flew as Americans for NASA.

Today’s exhilarating #spacewalk will be etched in my memory forever – quite an incredible feeling! pic.twitter.com/84Dn3gHA70

— Tim Peake (@astro_timpeake) January 15, 2016

The first British citizen to fly in space, chemist Helen Sharman, visited Russia’s old Mir space station as part of a private competition in 1991.

Peake and Kopra, a former Army aviator and attack helicopter platoon leader, rocketed into orbit exactly one month ago aboard a Russian spacecraft.

After Parmitano’s leak, NASA added absorbent pads to the helmet and put in place other precautions for future spacewalks. Those pads and safety procedures came in handy on Friday.

Parmitano’s spacewalking partner that day, NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy, was in Mission Control in Houston on Friday and offered assistance.

Now chief of NASA’s astronaut corps, Cassidy said at least everyone now has “a good grasp” of what to heed and what to do.

Engineers will scour the data in the weeks ahead to figure out what happened. Unlike last time, NASA did not immediately call for a halt to non-emergency spacewalks.

Parmitano was at the European Astronaut Center in Cologne, Germany, during Friday’s space walk, answering questions about spacewalking. He had to cut the session short - “for good reasons.”

“Happy to see (at)astro-timpeake and (at)astro-tim safe inside,” Parmitano said via Twitter.

“This is how I measure success: 1)crew-safe 2)main objective-completed.”