“The audio recording was accidentally misplayed.”
NASA says there was no emergency on board the ISS after a “disturbing” medical drill was accidentally aired. NASA's live broadcast from the International Space Station accidentally showed a running simulation, briefly causing concern to the crew.
NASA was forced to deny claims there was an emergency on board the International Space Station (ISS) after an official livestream accidentally showed a medical training session that left a crew member in critical condition, sparking alarm on social media. , writes The Guardian.
“There are no emergencies occurring aboard the International Space Station,” NASA said on the ISS Platform X website. “The audio was accidentally misplayed during an ongoing simulation in which crew and ground crews are training for various scenarios.” in space.
On Wednesday at 5:30 pm ET (10:30 GMT), footage from NASA's live broadcast from the ISS was replaced with a message that the broadcast had been “temporarily interrupted” and that the video will return when “the connection is restored”.
Shortly thereafter, a person who apparently communicated with the crew aboard the ISS began giving advice related to a serious emergency involving a “commander” who was experiencing decompression sickness.
“So , if we could get the commander back into his suit, seal him… for a suitable hyperbaric treatment … «Before pressurizing, closing the visor and pressurizing the suit, I would like you to check his pulse one more time,» said a person who identified himself as a flight surgeon working at SpaceX's mission control center in Hawthorne, California.
According to NASA, flight surgeons are doctors who have received specialized training in aerospace medicine at mission control centers.
Hundreds of people watched NASA's popular YouTube livestream as the simulation continued and the situation with the “commander” , was getting worse, writes The Guardian.
“I am concerned that there are several serious cases of decompression sickness… Unfortunately, the prognosis for the commander is relatively poor,” said the unnamed flight doctor.
Several popular space accounts quickly drew attention to the incident on social media, with one user calling it «bizarre and disturbing.»
Eric Berger, space editor for tech publication Ars Technica, called the broadcast «downright scary.» while many others quickly determined that it was most likely a training exercise.
SpaceX later clarified that what viewers heard was a test that apparently took place in California, and that the entire training crew was “safe and healthy”.
NASA said the simulation was not associated with any actual emergency and the ISS crew members were actually in “sleep” ; at the time the exercise accidentally went live.
“Everyone remains healthy and safe, and tomorrow's spacewalk will begin at 8 a.m. ET as planned,” the statement said American space agency.