NASA clarified that there is no emergency situation on the International Space Station (ISS) following the unintentional broadcast of audio from a medical drill on an official live stream. The audio, which portrayed crew members in distress, was actually from an ongoing simulation.
During a NASA live stream on YouTube, a woman identifying herself as a flight surgeon can be heard instructing crew members on the ISS to take certain medical actions. She advised putting the commander back in his suit, checking his pulse, and administering oxygen due to concerns about decompression sickness (DCS).
DCS is a serious condition caused by dissolved gases forming bubbles in the bloodstream and tissues. The flight surgeon mentioned finding a hospital in Spain with hyperbaric treatment facilities for potential treatment.
NASA later clarified on social media that the audio was mistakenly routed from a simulation scenario, emphasizing that there was no real emergency on the ISS. The crew members were in their sleep period during the broadcast and were safe and healthy.
SpaceX also confirmed that the audio was part of a test and that the crew training in Hawthorne and the Dragon spacecraft docked at the ISS were safe and in good condition.
The Dragon spacecraft, developed by SpaceX, is responsible for transporting crew to and from the ISS.
