Russian Spacecraft Delivers Spacesuit Repair Kit to ISS After Terminated Spacewalk

The International Space Station and the astronauts there are getting a few more supplies, which will hopefully allow them to fix the leaky spacesuit that caused so many problems during a spacewalk last week. A Russian Soyuz rocket launched an unmanned resupply ship into space on Saturday, July 27, carrying food, supplies and a repair kit that should allow the astronauts to repair the spacesuit.

The ISS soars 250 miles above the planet, which means that any type of potential hazard has to be deal with swiftly and efficiently. Otherwise, it's possible for the danger to grow even greater. So when Luca Parmitano's space helmet began to flood with water during his spacewalk on July 16, NASA officials quickly cancelled the mission. By the time he returned to the ISS and his helmet was removed, about 1 to 1.5 liters of water had collected inside his suit. In fact, the astronaut could have been at risk of drowning in his own suit if he had continued with the mission, according to Reuters.

Walking out into space is one of the most dangerous things an astronaut can do while in orbit. They have to face the harsh conditions of space, knowing that if anything goes wrong, it could be complicated by the fact that they're not in a location that can easily receive help. 

"You know, you are embarking in your own little spaceship, and so it has to be fully operational and as safe as the one you are leaving before you commit to it," said Tom Jones, a former astronaut and veteran of four shuttle flights and three spacewalks, in an interview with USA Today. 

Fortunately, the spacesuit may soon be fixed with the help of the resupply trip. The mission itself was quick; it took just six hours to dock after four orbits of the planet. These faster resupply trips, which are a sharp contrast to past missions that took several days, are an effort to save both time and money, according to Space.com.

While the repair kit may be delivered, though, investigations are still ongoing as to exactly what caused the leak in the spacesuit.

"The investigation is ongoing, troubleshooting is ongoing to try to isolate the exact cause of the water intrusion into Luca Paritano's helmet," said Rob Navias, a NASA spokesman, in an interview on NASA TV.

The resupply ship officially docked at the ISS's Docking Compartment-1 (DC-1) "Pirs" port at 2:26 AM GMT on Sunday.