Oh come on, mods, editing the title added ZERO value in this case. Why replace a title that describes what's interesting about the post content with a generic one that doesn't?
"It's not yet clear what caused the leak. NASA spacesuits feature a built-in 32-ounce drink bag filled with potable water and more than a gallon of water used in the suit's cooling system. Engineers do not believe the drink bag was the culprit, but they do not yet know exactly where the leak originated."
"Engineers are still evaluating root cause, but noted the potential for what Luca classed as “funny tasting” water was because it may have mixed with the anti-fogging material on his visor. However, where the water came from is still unknown."
Yikes. When I read the part about him trying to decide what to do if it covered his mouth, I thought 'drink it!', but it appears that might not be the best course of action after all....
The ability to think quickly during a crisis seems to be this universal, superhuman trait of astronauts. It's why the kid in me will always see them as heroes and an inspiration.
How frightening what a bit of water can become inside your helmet in zero gravity due to surface adhesion. I was thinking of Chris Hadfield's water wringing experiment while reading. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8TssbmY-GM
There's also a video of the EVA itself, but it was cut a bit short and when watching EVA, the impression that I got was nowhere near as serious as the situation really was.
Would it have been possible for him to drink the water? Water going near the nose should be close enough to the mouth. Hopefully the fluids around the helmet are also non-toxic.
I think with the quantity of water involved and how water works in zero-g, you would be at a high risk of drowning if you attempted it. It isn't particularly easy to swallow multiple times in a row when you can't breath in and out (Just tried it with a water bottle while holding my nose. Possible though not easy) and if you failed to clear all the water then you probably only succeeded in pulling a giant blob of water over your mouth.
