An unexpected event shook the space community when audio from an Earth simulation was mistakenly broadcast on NASA’s livestream, leading people to believe that the commander of the International Space Station (ISS) was in grave danger due to decompression sickness. The confusion arose when a surgeon, stuck in traffic, gave live advice on how to deal with the alleged emergency in space.
NASA denies: no real emergency on the ISS, just a simulation
NASA officials quickly clarified the situation via a statement on X (formerly Twitter), specifying that there was no real emergency on the ISS. At 5:28 pm CDT, audio from an Earth simulation channel was mistakenly broadcast on NASA’s livestream. This audio, which described a case of decompression sickness, was part of an exercise and did not reflect a real situation.
In the simulation, which lasted about 8 minutes, a surgeon was heard advising on how to treat an astronaut with decompression sickness, including the need to quickly put the astronaut back in the spacesuit and administer pure oxygen. Furthermore, emergency hypobaric treatment was mentioned to be carried out in a hospital in Spain after returning to Earth.
Decompression sickness represents a real risk for astronauts who operate in pressurized environments in space. During spacewalks, astronauts must go through phases of depressurization and repressurization, and any mistake can lead to serious physical consequences. Simulations, therefore, are essential to prepare the crew to handle any emergencies.
NASA officials reiterated that no part of the simulation was real and that current ISS crew were not part of the exercise. The crew, consisting of 3 Russian cosmonauts and 6 NASA astronauts, were sleeping at the time of the accident.
Preparation for a new spacewalk
Despite the misunderstanding, the ISS crew continues with its scheduled activities. NASA astronauts Tracy Caldwell Dyson and Matthew Dominick are set for a 6-plus hour spacewalk to replace a faulty radio communications unit and collect samples for a study of microorganisms in extreme space environments.
The safety of astronauts is a top priority for NASA, which adopts strict protocols to prevent and manage decompression situations. These protocols include preventive measures such as prebreathe, i.e. breathing pure oxygen before extravehicular activities (EVA), to reduce the risk of gas bubbles forming in the tissues.
