Minutes of life and death of astronauts in the universe

An astronaut almost lost his life in the universe recounts the most horrifying moments of his life outside the ISS International Space Station.

Luca Parmitano, the Italian astronaut who nearly died from choking on his helmet during a spacewalk trip last month, shared these horrifying moments online.

Writing on his personal blog on Tuesday, Parmitano said he could see nothing when the water began to surround the spherical helmet as he walked outside the ISS International Space Station.

Astronaut walking outside ISS International Space Station

He wrote: 'But worst of all, the water started to cover my nose - an unpleasant feeling that I made the situation worse when I tried to shake my head desperately to push the water out. At the moment, the top of the helmet is full of water and I am not sure if the next breathing in my lungs will still be inhaled. "

Now the Italian Air Force Major Parmitano does not know which direction to go to return to the entrance of the space station. He tried to get in touch with his companion, American astronaut Christopher Cassidy and the Control Center. Their voices faded, and no one could hear his voice.

He wrote: 'I am completely alone. I frantically thought of a solution. The important thing is that samsara is that I have to get inside the station as quickly as possible. "

Parmitano knew that Cassidy was on his way back to the station in a different direction that could come to help him, but he did not know how much time he had left.

That's when Parmitano suddenly remembered his safety cable. He used the cable's recoil mechanism and used its traction to bring him back to the station. On the way back, he wondered what to do if the water reached his mouth. The only idea he could think of was to open the safety valve on the helmet to allow water to escape.

Parmitano almost suffocated because of the water in his helmet

But 'opening a hole' on my astronaut suit is just the last solution , ' he said. Parmitano felt that the time of a few minutes seemed to be endless until he saw the entrance to the space station through the 'dense water curtain in front of his eyes'.

Astronaut Cassidy is right behind him. The teammates inside quickly opened the pressurized room to let the two astronauts enter the station. At that time, water poured into Parmitano's ears and he heard nothing.

He tried to keep himself as alert as possible so that the water did not continue to flow inside the helmet. He knew that during the pressure drop, he could open his helmet if the water filled the inside of the hat. He wrote: 'I may be unconscious, but it is better than drowning in my helmet anyway.'

Cassidy grabbed his gloves, and Parmitano tried to signal that he was fine. Eventually, Parmitano saw the door inside the pressurized compartment opened, and his teammates tried to remove the helmet from his head.

He remembers that he thanked his teammates 'without hearing anything from them because his ears and nose were still full of water for a few minutes later.'

Astronaut Luca Parmitano

NASA delineated the cause of this incident because the backpack was filled with his rescue equipment. However, they have not found the exact cause when the investigation continues. NASA has now suspended all walks out of the US country until the problem is resolved.

Meanwhile, the Russian side continues to make their second space walk for a week next Thursday to prepare for a new lab later this year. The astronaut's protective gear is completely different.

More than a month has passed since that terrifying walk on July 16, and Parmitano has enough time to reflect on the dangers lurking around. This astronaut will return to Earth in November here.

He confided: 'The universe is a harsh and hostile frontline, while we are adventurers and not conquerors. The talents of engineers and technology around make things simpler in the most complex situations, and sometimes we forget that. Better never forget. "