“On July 16, 2013, NASA astronaut Christopher J. Cassidy and Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano representing the European Space Agency began a planned 6-hour spacewalk outside the International Space Station,” NASA History says. A week before, “On 9 July 2013, he became the first Italian to take part in a spacewalk as he and Chris Cassidy conducted an EVA out of the ISS’s quest airlock,” Wikipedia says.
Then, “at 44 minutes EVA elapsed time, Parmitano reported to Cassidy and Kimbrough, ‘FYI, I feel a lot of water on the back of my head, but I don’t think it’s leaked from my [drink] bag.’” He described it “as cold and as tasting funny or metallic, ruling out the drink bag.” “I think the liquid is too cold to be sweat, and more importantly, I can feel it increasing,” he wrote later in his ESA blog. “Cassidy told Parmitano to drink the remaining water in the drink bag to eliminate it as a source of the leak. But the amount of water increased even after Parmitano drank the drink bag dry.” NASA History gives the cause: “a buildup of inorganic material caused blockage of the drum holes in the suit’s fan pump separator, resulting in water spilling from the cooling loop into the ventilation loop, and ultimately into the helmet.”
“Concerned about Parmitano’s safety, Mission Control terminated the spacewalk.” “One of the last instructions I received was to go back inside immediately, without waiting for Chris,” he wrote. “At that moment, as I turn ‘upside-down’, two things happen: the Sun sets, and my ability to see – already compromised by the water – completely vanishes, making my eyes useless.” The motion “caused the water to shift from the back of his head to his face, covering his eyes, ears, and nose,” NASA History says. “By now, the upper part of the helmet is full of water and I can’t even be sure that the next time I breathe I will fill my lungs with air and not liquid,” he wrote.
“I try to contact Chris and Shane: I listen as they talk to each other, but their voices are very faint now: I can hardly hear them and they can’t hear me. I’m alone.” “Because their tethers anchored them back to the airlock, each astronaut had to retrace the steps he took at the start of the EVA, meaning Cassidy could not help Parmitano find his way.” “Then I remember my safety cable.” “It’s not much, but it’s the best idea I have: to follow the cable to the airlock. I force myself to stay calm and, patiently locating the handles by touch, I start to move.” “In darkness and with blurred vision, Parmitano used his tether to feel his way to the airlock,” NASA History says.
In the airlock, “At one point, Chris squeezes my glove with his and I give him the universal ‘ok’ sign with mine,” he wrote. “Russian cosmonaut Fyodor N. Yurchikhin opened the hatch and he, Nyberg, and cosmonaut Pavel V. Vinogradov pulled Parmitano into the equipment lock.” “Karen unfastens my helmet and carefully lifts it over my head,” and “the estimated 1.5 liters of water in the helmet caused intermittent failure of the communications system.” “NASA classified the incident as a High Visibility Close Call.” ESA announced that he was “set to become the third European and first Italian commander of the International Space Station,” and on November 15, 2019, “Expedition 61 Commander Luca Parmitano of ESA (European Space Agency)” went outside again, on a spacewalk to repair a cosmic particle detector; NASA noted that “Parmitano has now conducted three spacewalks in his career.” In 2013 he had written, “Space is a harsh, inhospitable frontier and we are explorers, not colonisers.”
Fact check
The facts and where they come from
- He was in space, but his helmet was filling with water. Wikipedia: “His second EVA on 16 July 2013 was terminated after only 1 hour and 32 minutes, when the helmet of his Extravehicular Mobility Unit suit started filling with water.” NASA History: “the situation changed when Parmitano reported feeling water inside his suit’s helmet.” 51
- His name is Luca Parmitano, an astronaut of the European Space Agency. NASA History: “Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano representing the European Space Agency.” 1
- In July 2013, he went outside the space station. NASA History: “On July 16, 2013, NASA astronaut Christopher J. Cassidy and Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano representing the European Space Agency began a planned 6-hour spacewalk outside the International Space Station.” 1
- Then he felt cold water on the back of his head. NASA History: “at 44 minutes EVA elapsed time, Parmitano reported to Cassidy and Kimbrough, ‘FYI, I feel a lot of water on the back of my head, but I don’t think it’s leaked from my [drink] bag’”; he described it “as cold and as tasting funny or metallic.” His blog: “I think the liquid is too cold to be sweat, and more importantly, I can feel it increasing.” 12
- It wasn’t his drinking water, and it kept coming. NASA History: “ruling out the drink bag”; “But the amount of water increased even after Parmitano drank the drink bag dry.” The cause: “a buildup of inorganic material caused blockage of the drum holes in the suit’s fan pump separator, resulting in water spilling from the cooling loop into the ventilation loop, and ultimately into the helmet.” 1
- Mission Control told him to go back inside. NASA History: “concerned about Parmitano’s safety, Mission Control terminated the spacewalk.” His blog: “One of the last instructions I received was to go back inside immediately, without waiting for Chris.” 12
- Then the Sun set, and everything went black. His blog: “At that moment, as I turn ‘upside-down’, two things happen: the Sun sets, and my ability to see – already compromised by the water – completely vanishes, making my eyes useless.” NASA History: “the space station at that moment entered into orbital night, and Parmitano could only see the small area illuminated by his headlamps.” 21
- Water covered his eyes, ears and nose. NASA History: “the motion caused the water to shift from the back of his head to his face, covering his eyes, ears, and nose.” 1
- He couldn’t be sure his next breath would be air, and not water. His blog: “By now, the upper part of the helmet is full of water and I can’t even be sure that the next time I breathe I will fill my lungs with air and not liquid.” 2
- The voices in his ears faded, and they couldn’t hear him. His blog: “I try to contact Chris and Shane: I listen as they talk to each other, but their voices are very faint now: I can hardly hear them and they can’t hear me. I’m alone.” NASA History: “The water in his communications cap resulted in intermittent contact with Cassidy and with Mission Control.” 21
- But he remembered his safety cable. His blog: “Then I remember my safety cable.” NASA History: “Because their tethers anchored them back to the airlock, each astronaut had to retrace the steps he took at the start of the EVA, meaning Cassidy could not help Parmitano find his way.” 21
- Feeling for handles in the dark, he followed it to the airlock. His blog: “It’s not much, but it’s the best idea I have: to follow the cable to the airlock. I force myself to stay calm and, patiently locating the handles by touch, I start to move.” NASA History: “In darkness and with blurred vision, Parmitano used his tether to feel his way to the airlock.” 21
- Inside, his partner squeezed his glove, and he gave the OK sign. His blog: “At one point, Chris squeezes my glove with his and I give him the universal ‘ok’ sign with mine. The last time he heard me speak was before entering the airlock!” NASA History: “squeezing Parmitano’s hand, reported that ‘he looks miserable but ok.’” 21
- They pulled off his helmet. It held about a liter and a half of water. His blog: “Karen unfastens my helmet and carefully lifts it over my head.” NASA History: “they removed his helmet and began to towel him off”; “the estimated 1.5 liters of water in the helmet caused intermittent failure of the communications system.” 21
- Six years later, he went outside again, as the station’s commander. NASA (November 15, 2019): “Expedition 61 Commander Luca Parmitano of ESA (European Space Agency)”; “Parmitano has now conducted three spacewalks in his career.” ESA: “ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano is set to become the third European and first Italian commander of the International Space Station following an official change of command ceremony on Wednesday 2 October 2019.” 34
Sources
- 10 Years Ago: EVA 23 – How a High Visibility Close Call Cut Short a Spacewalk (Uri, 2023) NASA History
- EVA 23: exploring the frontier (Luca Parmitano’s blog, August 20, 2013) ESA
- Spacewalkers Complete First Excursion to Repair Cosmic Particle Detector (November 15, 2019) NASA
- Luca takes leading role for Europe in space ESA
- Luca Parmitano Wikipedia
Notes
How much water: NASA History gives “the estimated 1.5 liters”; other accounts give 1 to 1.5 liters. The Short says “about a liter and a half.”
The order: NASA History has the water move onto his face as he turned back, then orbital night; his blog has both happen at once (“two things happen”). The Short tells them in two lines, one after the other.
“Almost drowned”: NASA and his blog describe the danger of drowning, so the page keeps to his own words, that he couldn’t be sure his next breath would be air and not liquid.
How long: Wikipedia says the spacewalk was “terminated after only 1 hour and 32 minutes”; NASA History has him reach the airlock at 72 minutes and the helmet come off at 100 minutes. The Short gives no duration.
Left out: the water found in his helmet at the end of his first spacewalk, a week earlier, and the investigation that followed; they would need a story of their own.
Luca Parmitano is alive. The page uses only the mission facts that NASA, ESA and Wikipedia published and his own words from his ESA blog. The other crew members are named only as NASA named them.
Pictures: all are NASA photos and video frames, in the public domain. The portrait in his spacesuit was taken on January 25, 2013, before the flight. He is shown suited in the Quest airlock before the spacewalk on July 16, 2013, and outside the station during EVA 23 that day, with Chris Cassidy outside on the same spacewalk. The helmet with water drops on its visor is the same EVA 23 helmet, photographed during a test on August 27, 2013, not on July 16. The helmet-camera frames are from the spacewalk: Cassidy’s camera as he checks the water in Parmitano’s helmet and as Parmitano does a reach test, and Parmitano’s own camera back at the airlock, lit only by his headlamps, and about to enter the crew lock; an external camera shows him entering head first. Mission Control is shown during the incident; the controllers are not named. Cassidy (left) and Parmitano are in the equipment lock before the spacewalk, not after it. Karen Nyberg and Fyodor Yurchikhin are with him seconds after his helmet came off, and the water drops are in his helmet after EVA 23. The last two photos, on Canadarm2 and his space-selfie, are from his spacewalk of November 15, 2019, not 2013.
Photo credits
The archive photos in this story
All the photographs and illustrations in this story are in the public domain. Tap one to enlarge it, or follow the link to its archive page for the full record. The narration, captions and graphics in the Short are our own; its music and sound effects are credited below.
Music and sound effects
Music: Schumann, Kinderszenen, Op. 15: No. 1 'Of Foreign Lands and Peoples' (Musopen, public domain); Mussorgsky, Pictures at an Exhibition: IV. Bydlo (piano) (Musopen, public domain); Dvorak, Symphony No. 9 'From the New World': II. Largo (Musopen, public domain).
Sound effects: Freesound, CC0.
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