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Updated at 7.52pm
THE DISCOVERY OF water in a US astronaut’s helmet brought an early end today to the first ever galactic walkabout by his British colleague, astronaut Tim Peake, Nasa said.
“A small water bubble” in American Tim Kopra’s helmet led mission control to wrap up about two hours early out of an abundance of caution, Nasa commentator Rob Navias said.
The situation brought back memories of a harrowing emergency in 2013 when Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano’s helmet began rapidly filling with water and risked drowning him.
“This is nowhere near as severe as that incident was,” said Navias, as he narrated Kopra’s return to the airlock live on Nasa television.
NASA / TwitterSpacewalk Fact: @Astro_Timpeake first "official" British astronaut to #spacewalk. Watch now: https://t.co/KX5g7yYnYG pic.twitter.com/VxxxVbQ1YU
— NASA (@NASA) January 15, 2016
“The crew was never in any danger.”
Kopra, 52, had reported a high carbon dioxide reading in his spacesuit earlier in the outing, but felt no symptoms, and mission control decided the alarm was due to a faulty sensor.
The liquid showed up about four hours into the six-and-a-half-hour spacewalk.
Kopra said the water, which tends to glob together in space, was about 10 by five centimeters.
“The size was a concern,” NASA chief astronaut Chris Cassidy said, after the crew was safely inside.
The pair had been planning to replace a failed power unit on the space station.
Hoisting a rectangular voltage regulator that would weigh 200 pounds on Earth, Peake had to manoeuvre more than 200 feet out of the International Space Station airlock to the worksite.
In his blog ahead of today’s excursion, he said:
Although I am exhilarated by tomorrow’s spacewalk I have no time to dwell on these emotions. The six hours and thirty minutes we will work on the Space Station’s hull are meticulously planned and Tim and I need to execute each step methodically.
The pair have been training for months for this specific walk.
“However, to undertake an EVA actually takes several years of training,” added the Briton. “We have spent many hours working in our spacesuits, ‘floating’ in the largest swimming pool on Earth with a Space Station mockup.
We have used virtual reality headsets to re-enact our operations and trained for the worst case scenario of becoming detached from the Space Station but I guess nothing can fully prepare for the feeling of being outside of a spacecraft in the vacuum of space.
With reporting by AFP. Originally published 1.13pm
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Quick,take our cue from the Brits and claim him as Irish!
Tim Buaic
Shur he has the red hair.Thats enough.
If he was Irish, he would be among plenty of fellow nationals who have served in the British military with distinction.
No need – we own Hadfield
Funny the way the Irish in the British army and their families are ashamed to mention it, except on the internet. Not so tough after all.
Hey Leo, seeing as former colony India have one.
Where’s Britain’s space programme?
Oh that’s right, you guys are too busy pretending you still have a proper army.
Brave stuff no matter the nationality, considering a single fleck of paint from space garbage can blow a big hole straight through you. That in itself is a scarily interesting subject.
This photo of American Astronaut Bruce McCandless going untethered from the shuttle in 1984 still blows my mind.
http://cdn.ebaumsworld.com/mediaFiles/picture/2115436/82190776.jpg
Thats my screen saver for years. Amazing.
One of the most iconic photos ever taken. That, and the Earth rise in lunar orbit. Incredible photos.
Will the British now claim space as theirs or are they too busy holding onto the penguins in the Malvinas?
Well done Tim – proud day
Sky News are reporting he has become the first British national to pass wind in space…..amazing.
Is a space fârt called a shart too ?
Good stuff
Any sign out there of starman he headed out your way last Monday on his way up to heaven? Being an extraterrestrial he didn’t require a funeral here on earth so he ascended up from New York at around 1600 local time That’s for you major Tim? What’s the read?
6.5 hours of serious concentration.They will sleep well tonight.
Must be the most mesmorising, terrifying and exhilarating experience of your life all at once. Incredible when you think the are outside hanging on to something thats orbiting the Earth at huge speed.
This is ground control to major Tim. ..
How is this news in Ireland?
It’s interesting, I would like to see a weekly article keeping us updated with astronomical stuff.
Absolutely Phil, totally agree!
Why is your profile pic American?
Hi Paddy,
It’s marked in our International and Science sections. A lot of our readers are interested in Nasa and other space stories.
Lots of stuff, as always, in our Irish and Politics sections for those not interested in what’s out there :)
Thanks
Sinead
News Editor
Fair enough. I’m also very interested in space and new discoveries in our galaxy and the next. I just feel that a british person walking on the moon is a bit irrelevant to me. The americans did it in 1969. Just my opinion of course
Just as well he’s not walking on the moon then Paddy.
spacewalk? ok, still call me when we discover something new or important
I doubt he’ll stumple across a new planet while out for his space stroll Paddy but the ISS have your mobile just incase.
Note. They are not affiliated in any way with ISIS. Different space cadets altogether.
Granted Paddy, a new manned mission to the moon would be pretty cool. Personally speaking, 6 human beings orbiting 250 miles above the earth in a man made structure is pretty impressive in itself, and everything they do up there is important.
Well I say its about time somebody addressed the threat posed by ISIS, well done to Tim Peek.
Don’t flippin’ read it then Paddy. Where do these people come from?
@Johnny. Mass
@Paddy. The ISS is basically a laboratory in space. During its time astronauts have performed ground breaking research into medicines and technology. Including cancer research, antibacterial medicine, protein chrystalisation research, providing cures for several diseases, they monitor weather and are essential in predicting natural disasters, and their research into dark matter is important as dark matter makes up approx 99% of all matter in the universe. Theres too much to list.
yes..a 160 billion dollar labratory. what cures for what diseases? as far as I know all of these breakthroughs are still in an experimental stage and all they have really found out is that dark matter exists, the pressure in space is bad for your health and how to maintain a big chunk of metal in space for many years. for 160 billion + id want a better return than that
@Paddy. Many experiments on the ISS could provide great advances in medicine. One such experiment performed in 2002 studied the delivery of anti-cancer drugs using microcapsules. By perfecting the production and delivery technique in the microgravity of the ISS, researchers found clues on how to replicate the process here on Earth. The capsules, akin to liquid-filled micro-balloons about the size of blood cells, are designed to deliver anti-cancer treatments to targeted areas. Thats just one example, there are far too many to post.
One more example Paddy – Crystalline structures can be grown on a larger scale in microgravity, allowing researchers to study them in greater detail. Research conducted into protein crystal growth on the ISS will help in the design of new drugs to combat cancer, muscular dystrophy and more. There are around 100,000 different proteins that are responsible for human life, but scientists do not fully understand the structures of many proteins simply because they cannot obtain large and organized crystal growths for study here on Earth. Its money well spent Paddy.
yes i realise all this but the magic word you used is “could” none of these therapies for cancer have been approved for humans by the fda so the jury is still out. I realise they are doing good work and that these things take time but where do you draw the line on budget. they estimated a cost of 100 billion..it’s goung to be over double that in the next few years id imagine
Paddy compare that to US military spending. Its actually not enough, the work they do is so important
Paddy..any fight against cancer, any research helps, and that includes any research 200 miles up. Dont be so quick to dismiss what you dont do, research, and what you cant to (be involved).
Paddy k. Your question is the wonderings of an earth bound peasent
~Paddy do you want a bigger shovel? I’m sure NASA could help you out.
Tim O’Peake sure if course hes Irish!
His grandmother is irish and hails from balkybackofbeyond and that qualifies him to play for the Irish international soccer team, and his second name is mick, and his confo name is paddy and he drinks guinness and hes definitely Irish and if the brits want him back, they may give us back most of our successful athletes and entertainers first. Starting with terry wogan.
Would the first traveller in space be known as a nackonaut
I doubt it would be on the news seeing as every satellite in space would stop working once the lad had stripped all of the gold plating off the solar panels.
Gipponaunt
@stephen devlin
Lol
What the fu(k are pounds and feet??
Can’t wait to read an article about this every time a Russian or American does the same!
#WestBrits
I believe his first words when he got outside were
“How`re Ye Bono”
Congrats to Irish astronaut Tim Peake on historic space walk. We can claim him as ours right.
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