spacetoday.net: Board to investigate spacewalk mishap

Posted: Wed, Jul 24, 2013, 6:06 AM ET (1006 GMT)
NASA announced Tuesday that it has created a mishap board to investigate why a European astronaut's spacesuit filled with water during a spacewalk last week. The five-person board, chaired by International Space Station chief engineer Chris Hansen, will start their work early next month in parallel with an ongoing investigation into the water leak. Shortly after the July 16 spacewalk started, ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano reported water was leaking into his helmet; flight controllers aborted the planned six-and-a-half-hour spacewalk. Up to 1.5 liters of water leaked into Parmitano's helmet, making it difficult for him to see or hear. The cause of the leak has yet to be identified. The members of the mishap investigation board include astronaut Mike Foreman and other NASA experts.