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ISS Spacewalk to Go On As Planned Sunday: Leak in Astronaut's Helmet Minor, Not Threatening

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After some time and deliberation, NASA has decided to proceed as scheduled Sunday with the third spacewalk in less than a week outside the International Space Station (ISS).

According to the Associated Press, NASA astronaut Terry Virts reported a water leak in his helmet after performing a spacewalk Wednesday. The space agency found Virts' helmet leaked when he was safely inside the ISS and in an amount that was not threatening.

By comparison, Luca Parmitano experienced a water leak in his helmet in 2013 mid-spacewalk and the amount was nearly enough to drown him. The cause of the leak in Virts' helmet was also determined to be different from what caused the leak in Parmitano's helmet.

"They're very different occurrences," Alex Kanelakos, a spacewalk officer in Mission Control, told the AP. "It's a known feature."

NASA also took into consideration that Butch Wilmore's tour on the ISS is ending March 11. Wilmore conducted the first two spacewalks meant to reconfigure wiring to make room for a second docking station to be installed later this year.

"During Sunday's spacewalk, Virts and Expedition 42 Commander Barry Wilmore will deploy 400 feet of cable along the truss of the station and install antennas as part of the new Common Communications for Visiting Vehicles (C2V2) system that will provide rendezvous and navigational data to visiting vehicles approaching the station, including the new U.S. commercial crew vehicles," NASA said in a statement. "It will be the 187th spacewalk in support of station assembly and maintenance, the fourth for Wilmore in his career and the third for Virts."

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