ISS Expedition 36/37

Mission Profile

Overview

Italian ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano made his debut on this expedition pairing, flying his Volare mission aboard Soyuz TMA-09M with Soyuz commander Fyodor Yurchikhin and NASA's Karen Nyberg. Parmitano became the first Italian to perform a spacewalk, but his second EVA on 16 July 2013 turned into one of the most harrowing close calls in ISS history: water from a faulty cooling system flooded his helmet, drifting over his eyes, ears and nose and threatening to drown him before the spacewalk was aborted and he was pulled to safety. The frightening incident triggered a NASA mishap investigation and redesign of spacesuit procedures. The crew also took part in the Olympic torch relay later in 2013. Parmitano and his crewmates returned safely on 11 November 2013 after 166 days in space.

Crew

Key Milestones

1. 2013-05-28

   Soyuz TMA-09M launches Yurchikhin, Nyberg and Parmitano on the Volare mission

2. 2013-07-09

   Parmitano becomes the first Italian to perform a spacewalk (EVA-22)

3. 2013-07-16

   EVA-23 aborted when water floods Parmitano's helmet in a near-drowning incident

4. 2013-11-11

   Yurchikhin, Nyberg and Parmitano land safely after Parmitano's 166-day flight

Key Achievements

• Luca Parmitano became the first Italian astronaut to perform a spacewalk

• EVA-23 water-leak near-drowning prompted a NASA mishap investigation and spacesuit redesign

• Parmitano's Volare mission — first long-duration flight by an Italian (166 days)

• Crew participated in the Olympic torch relay aboard the station in 2013

Related Missions

Sources

1. Wikipedia — Expedition 37
2. Wikipedia — Soyuz TMA-09M
3. NASA — Tuesday Spacewalk Ended Early