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Houston, we have a jetpack problem

An astronaut on a spacewalk was forced to return to the Inte..

An astronaut on a spacewalk was forced to return to the International Space Station after mission control decided his jetpack was not safe.

Joe Acaba was five hours into a six-hour maintenance operation on an exterior robotic camera, when Houston decided the handles on the safety unit had 'popped out' once too often.

The jetpack itself is a back-up safety measure, designed to be used should any or all of the astronaut's multiple 'tethers' work themselves loose.

Image:International Space Station crew member Joe Acaba was making adjustments to an external camera when Houston advised him to go back inside

There is no suggestion that this had happened, but mission control's prime concern was for the safety of their colleague.

Joe Acaba, a teacher-turned-spacewalker, had already accomplished most of the task at hand – the replacement of a blurry camera which will be used to monitor the arrival of a supply ship, due in a few weeks.

Mission control in Houston were unhappy with their man's jetpack and advised him to return inside the ISS. Pic: NASA
Image:Mission control in Houston were unhappy with their man's jetpack and advised him to return inside the ISS. Pic: NASA

By the time his jetpack was deemed unusable, the new camera was in place and he was making adjustments to the robotic housing in which it sits.

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