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CAPE CANAVERAL - A riskier-than-usual spacewalk outside the international space station was cut short Thursday night because of a malfunction that left one crew member with a warm, damp suit.
Russian cosmonaut Alexander Kaleri made it safely back inside despite the problem.
Kaleri and American astronaut Michael Foale had left the space station empty when they ventured out, the first time the 5-year-old outpost had ever been unattended during a spacewalk. It was necessitated by the grounding of NASA's shuttle fleet in the wake of the Columbia accident.
Everything went well until three hours into the job, when Kaleri reported that the inside of his helmet was wet. He said the device that regulates temperature and removes condensation was not working right.
"It's strangely warm," Kaleri said. A few minutes later, he radioed: "It's amazing. I have rain inside the helmet. I have water on the visor."