'Cable Guys' Get Set for Spacewalk After Helmet Scare

A pair of NASA spacewalkers worked outside the International Space Station on Sunday to finish installing hundreds of feet of cable, four days after water pooled up in the helmet of one of the astronauts at the end of the previous spacewalk.

The water issue sparked concern because a much bigger buildup of water almost drowned a spacewalker in his helmet in 2013 but mission managers said the problem encountered last Wednesday by NASA astronaut Terry Virts was manageable. They said Virts' spacesuit was known to release a small amount of water condensation into the helmet when the suit is repressurized after a spacewalk.

After 2013's scare, astronauts inspected the spacesuits' water cooling systems, and corroded components were replaced. Spacewalkers also wear absorbent pads on the backs of their necks as a safety measure.

The suits' performance is being monitored closely during Sunday's spacewalk. If a problem comes up, the spacewalk would be terminated, and the two astronauts would get back inside the station immediately.

Sunday's operation the last of three orbital outings conducted over the past eight days calls for Virts and fellow NASA astronaut Barry "Butch" Wilmore to install communication antennas and run about 400 feet of cable along the station's main truss over the course of about six hours and 45 minutes.

The wiring job sets the stage for the installation of new docking mechanisms later this year mechanisms that would be used by the commercial spaceships now being developed by Boeing and SpaceX to carry crew, starting as early as 2017. In the meantime, NASA is paying the Russians more than $70 million a seat to transport astronauts to and from the station.

First published March 1 2015, 3:22 AM

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'Cable Guys' Get Set for Spacewalk After Helmet Scare