European Space Agency astronaut Tim Peake stepped outside the International Space Station on Friday, becoming the first to walk in space wearing the British flag.
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NASA on Friday cut a spacewalk short after astronaut Tim Kopra reported water had formed inside his helmet.
New flight rules were brought into effect after a similar incident took place in 2013, when Luca Parmitano had a large amount of water fill his helmet.
A NASA report about the incident said 1-1.5 liters of water had entered Parmitano’s helmet, causing “impaired visibility and breathing with water covering his eyes, nose, and ears”.
NASA said it ended the spacewalk two hours early – cancelling several additional maintenance chores – as a precaution.
Kopra said the water, which tends to glob together in space, was about 10cm by 5cm.
Live footage showed them safely returning to the ISS’s airlock area and the thermal cover being closed behind them.
Their crewmates inside waited anxiously with towels to mop up the water, believed to have leaked from the cooling loop in Kopra’s suit.
The crew was never in any danger and returned to the airlock in an orderly fashion.
Tim Peake, 43, began the momentous spacewalk early Friday morning to fix a broken electronic device on the exterior of the ISS called a voltage regulator.
Nasa will examine the suit and the water to find out what went wrong.
The outing was historic for Mr Peake, the first Briton to walk in space.
His daring six-hour mission, which involved carrying out key repairs to the International Space Station (ISS), was a success as Britain swelled with pride watching from Earth. Space station commander Scott Kelly reported he filled a syringe with about 1cu cm of water.
He will work in total darkness for roughly half the time, because the ISS takes 90 minutes to orbit the Earth, so the sun’s light will be blocked for 45 minutes at a time.
Writing in his blog, Major Peake said he felt “exhilarated” by the prospect of walking in space, but said: “I have no time to dwell on these emotions”.
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Peake, a helicopter pilot chosen by the European Space Agency, is Britain’s first official astronaut. “Wishing you a happy stroll outdoors in the universe”, British musician Paul McCartney said on Twitter.
