NASA has been forced to delay its planned spacewalk on Thursday due to a medical issue affecting an astronaut on board the International Space Station (ISS). The agency is now considering bringing the crew home early.
A health concern arose in the afternoon of Wednesday, and NASA is actively evaluating all options, including an earlier end to the Crew-11 mission. However, no details have been disclosed about the nature of the issue or which astronaut is affected.
The space station's commander, Mike Fincke, was set to perform his 10th spacewalk, alongside flight engineer Zena Cardman, who would have been making her first. Instead, both astronauts will now remain on the ISS while their crewmates prepare an alternative plan.
This decision has sparked a rare medical delay in spacewalk operations at NASA. In the past, similar issues with minor concerns such as spacesuit discomfort or pinched nerves led to brief delays, but never resulted in the cancellation of an entire mission.
To mitigate this situation, NASA's emergency contingency plan is being considered, which would involve bringing the Crew-11 crew back home early. The Dragon spacecraft is still docked to the ISS, allowing for a relatively straightforward departure.
A SpaceX recovery vessel based in Southern California could then retrieve the spacecraft and crew. Although this would not leave the ISS uncrewed, NASA astronauts Chris Williams and two Russian cosmonauts - Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergey Mikayev – who launched to the space station in November, will remain on board.
A second spacewalk has also been scheduled for January 15, but its status remains unclear. If this medical issue affects another astronaut, it could potentially delay this mission as well.
A health concern arose in the afternoon of Wednesday, and NASA is actively evaluating all options, including an earlier end to the Crew-11 mission. However, no details have been disclosed about the nature of the issue or which astronaut is affected.
The space station's commander, Mike Fincke, was set to perform his 10th spacewalk, alongside flight engineer Zena Cardman, who would have been making her first. Instead, both astronauts will now remain on the ISS while their crewmates prepare an alternative plan.
This decision has sparked a rare medical delay in spacewalk operations at NASA. In the past, similar issues with minor concerns such as spacesuit discomfort or pinched nerves led to brief delays, but never resulted in the cancellation of an entire mission.
To mitigate this situation, NASA's emergency contingency plan is being considered, which would involve bringing the Crew-11 crew back home early. The Dragon spacecraft is still docked to the ISS, allowing for a relatively straightforward departure.
A SpaceX recovery vessel based in Southern California could then retrieve the spacecraft and crew. Although this would not leave the ISS uncrewed, NASA astronauts Chris Williams and two Russian cosmonauts - Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergey Mikayev – who launched to the space station in November, will remain on board.
A second spacewalk has also been scheduled for January 15, but its status remains unclear. If this medical issue affects another astronaut, it could potentially delay this mission as well.
This is getting serious, crew members shouldn't be put in a position where they're waiting around because of some dodgy health check, gotta make sure those astronauts are safe and sound back on Earth ASAP 
I mean, can you imagine if it was a high-profile politician who needed to be brought back home due to health concerns? The drama would be all over the news and social media! 
But seriously, this delay could have huge implications for NASA's mission and reputation. What if this becomes a recurring issue with other astronauts? Will they need to start bringing back entire crews early every time there's a medical concern? It's like we're playing a game of space station roulette! 
That being said, I hope the astronaut recovers quickly and safely. This is just one of those unpredictable moments in space exploration that requires flexibility and backup plans. Let's keep our fingers crossed for a successful recovery mission! 
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... that's just weird 
... i'm not sure if NASA should prioritize the safety of their astronauts over their spacewalk plans, idk 
... bringing them back early might be a good idea though, at least they'll be safe 
... but it's also kinda bummer for those who were supposed to perform the spacewalk 
... fingers crossed everything gets sorted out and they can get back to spacewalking soon! 
and now they gotta cancel it too?!?! 
that's so not good for the crew or mission goals... what about zena tho? her first spacewalk just got cancelled 
hoping everything works out though! 
anyway, hope they get everything sorted out ASAP so they can get back to their regular spacewalks 
But seriously, I hope they figure out what's going on ASAP. And if they do need to bring them back early, oh man, that would be a total bummer 
. Hopefully they can get to the bottom of it and get everyone back home safely 
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So a spacewalk is getting postponed due to an astronaut's medical issue... that's gotta be tough for the crew and NASA 
. Normally, these issues don't cause major delays but this one seems more serious 
. Hope everyone on board is okay! The fact that they're considering an emergency plan is good tho, it shows they're thinking of safety first 
and my mind is totally blown! Can you even imagine having a health concern in space?! It's so crazy that they're considering bringing the crew home early because of it 
. I mean, spacewalks are already super intense, but adding a medical issue to the mix? No thanks, fam 
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. But if it does delay the whole Crew-11 mission, that would be a bummer 
. Fingers crossed for everyone involved! 
... I mean, I guess it's better to be safe than sorry, right? 
A medical issue on the ISS is like, super serious. They need to make sure that astronaut is okay before they do anything else. I'm not even surprised, though - space travel is crazy hard on your body, and you never know what's gonna happen up there 
. Anyway, this delay is probably due to NASA wanting to ensure the safety of everyone on board - I mean, it's way better to err on the side of caution when you're working in zero gravity 
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. Fingers crossed everything goes smoothly from now on 
. It's not all glamour and excitement - there are real risks involved, and NASA has to be prepared for anything 
. Here's hoping for a smooth recovery and no further delays 
hopefully everything works out and the crew member recovers ASAP 
Can NASA really make the necessary adjustments to avoid a longer stay on the ISS? 
. would hate to see a mission cancelled due to something that could've been prevented 
. Either way, NASA's emergency plan kicks in and they'll get the crew back safely – fingers crossed