Astronaut tells his story of saving himself from drowning in space

Drowning in Space? How One Astronaut Saved Himself

Drowning in Space? How One Astronaut Saved Himself

The Slatest
Your News Companion
Aug. 20 2013 8:40 PM

The Ultimate Phobia? Astronaut Recounts How He Nearly Drowned in Space

Russia's Soyuz TMA-09M spacecraft blasts off from the Russian leased Kazakh Baikonur cosmodrome early on May 29, 2013.


In July, Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano and an American colleague set out to make repairs to the exterior of the International Space Station. It was supposed to be a six-hour job or so. But, things went terribly wrong. 

In a blog post today on the European Space Agency website, Parmitano describes the harrowing experience of nearly drowning in space. While outside the space station, his helmet begins to fill up with water. Frantic, and feeling completely alone, Parmitano says he tried to come up with a plan. His last resort? Making a hole in his space suit. Instead, he describes his race to get back inside the space station before his helmet is completely full of water.



Soon, things get worse.


Parmitano is able to make his way back to the airlock just in the nick of time.

It's still unclear the cause of the water leak, reports CNN.
