Luca Parmitano, Italian astronaut whose second spacewalk was cut short after his helmet was reportedly leaking water, posted a blog of his terrifying experience.
Parmitano, 36, is a major in the Italian Air Force, was on a mission to repair parts of the International Space Station (ISS) with his fellow spacewalker, American Christopher Cassidy.
The Italian astronaut first became uneasy when he could no longer hear Cassidy or Mission Control via a radio in his helmet. He believed the level of water was increasing and that he could possibly drown in space.
Here's snippet of Parmitano's blog post:
At this exact moment, just as I'm thinking about how to uncoil the cable neatly (it is moving around like a thing possessed in the weightlessness), I 'feel' that something is wrong. The unexpected sensation of water at the back of my neck surprises me - and I'm in a place where I'd rather not be surprised. I move my head from side to side, confirming my first impression, and with superhuman effort I force myself to inform Houston of what I can feel, knowing that it could signal the end of this EVA. On the ground, Shane confirms they have received my message and he asks me to await instructions. Chris, who has just finished, is still nearby and he moves towards me to see if he can see anything and identify the source of the water in my helmet.
At first, we're both convinced that it must be drinking water from my flask that has leaked out through the straw, or else it's sweat. But I think the liquid is too cold to be sweat, and more importantly, I can feel it increasing. I can't see any liquid coming out of the drinking water valve either. When I inform Chris and Shane of this, we immediately receive the order to 'terminate' the sortie. The other possibility, to 'abort', is used for more serious problems. I'm instructed to go back to the airlock. Together we decide that Chris should secure all the elements that are outside before he retraces his steps to the airlock, i.e. he will first move to the front of the Station. And so we separate.
The astronaut did eventually make his was back into the ISS safely. Parmitano wrote his crew was waiting from him, and they quickly unfasten his helmet. They handed him towels to help him relieve the water out of his nose and ears.
The experience surely must have been frightening for Parmitano, but it likely cannot compare to the excitement he felt being the first Italian man to make his way onto the ISS.
