No Emergency Situation Aboard the International Space Station

NASA has confirmed that there is "no emergency situation aboard the International Space Station" (ISS).

Earlier today, at approximately 5:28 p.m. CDT, audio was mistakenly aired on the NASA livestream indicating that a crew member was experiencing decompression sickness (DCS). This incident was the result of a misrouted audio feed from a simulation exercise and not an actual emergency.

The misleading audio was part of a routine simulation conducted by ground teams and crew members. These simulations are designed to prepare for various scenarios that could potentially occur in space.

During this particular exercise, the audio, which should have been confined to the simulation channel, was inadvertently broadcasted on the public livestream.

At the time of the broadcast, the actual ISS crew members were in their scheduled sleep period.

"NASA has confirmed that all crew members are healthy and safe." - NASA

NASA has also reassured the public that tomorrow’s planned spacewalk will proceed as scheduled. The spacewalk is set to commence at 8:00 a.m. EDT.

In addition to the reassurance about the ISS crew, SpaceX confirmed that the team involved in the simulation exercise in Hawthorne, California, is also safe and healthy. The Dragon spacecraft, currently docked at the ISS, is functioning correctly with no issues reported.

This incident highlights the importance of continuous training and simulation exercises for space missions. Such exercises are crucial for ensuring that both ground teams and astronauts are well-prepared to handle real emergencies, should they arise. However, it also underscores the necessity of maintaining strict controls over simulation feeds to prevent similar incidents in the future.

Listen to live station to ground comms on ISS 24/7 : https://youtube.com/live/SNjeCngOoa8?feature=share