NASA was forced to deny there was an emergency aboard the International Space Station (ISS) after an official live broadcast mistakenly broadcast a medical drill simulating a crew member in severe medical distress, sparking concern on social media. .
“There is no emergency aboard the ISS. The audio was inadvertently distorted from an ongoing simulation as crew members and ground teams rehearse various scenarios in space,” NASA’s ISS account posted on X.
At 5:30 pm CST (10:30 pm GMT) on Wednesday, footage appeared from Live broadcast from NASA’s International Space Station It was replaced with a message that the stream had been “temporarily interrupted” and that the video would return when the connection was “reestablished.”
Shortly after, someone who appeared to be communicating with the crew aboard the International Space Station began issuing an advisory regarding a serious emergency involving a “commander” who was suffering from decompression sickness.
“Therefore, if we are able to return the Commander to his suit, we must seal it… for proper hyperbaric treatment… Before sealing, closing the visor and pressurizing the suit, I would like you to check his pulse again,” the spokesman said. , who identified herself as a flight surgeon who works at SpaceX’s mission control center in Hawthorne, California.
There is no emergency on board the International Space Station. At approximately 5:28 PM CDT, audio was broadcast on NASA’s live feed from a simulated audio channel on Earth indicating that a crew member was experiencing decompression-related effects…
– International Space Station (@Space_Station) June 13, 2024
According to NASA, flight surgeons are doctors who have specialized training in aerospace medicine at mission control centers.
Hundreds of people were watching NASA’s popular live broadcast on YouTube, as the simulation continued and the “commander”‘s condition appeared to deteriorate.
“I’m concerned there are some severe DCS [decompression sickness] “The strikes…unfortunately, the commander’s prognosis is relatively poor,” the unnamed flight surgeon said.
Several popular satellite accounts quickly drew attention to the incident on social media, with one user describing it as “weird and disturbing.”
Eric Berger, space editor at tech magazine Ars Technica, described the broadcast as “downright scary,” while many others were quick to determine it was likely a training exercise.
SpaceX It was clarified later that what viewers heard was a test apparently conducted in California and that all the training staff were “safe and well”.
NASA said the simulation was not related to any real emergency, and that the ISS crew members were actually in their “sleep period” at the time the drill was inadvertently broadcast.
“Everyone remains healthy and safe, and the spacewalk will begin tomorrow at 8 a.m. EST as planned,” NASA said in its statement.