NASA
NASA freaked people out after accidentally broadcasting a simulation of astronauts being in an emergency situation out in space — but turns out … it was just a false alarm.
The federal agency’s YouTube channel went live this week with audio of a female guiding crew members on what to do in an emergency — with lines like “get the commander back in his suit,” “check his pulse, give him oxygen,” etc.
There is no emergency situation going on aboard the International Space Station. At approximately 5:28 p.m. CDT, audio was aired on the NASA livestream from a simulation audio channel on the ground indicating a crew member was experiencing effects related to decompression…
— International Space Station (@Space_Station) June 13, 2024
@Space_Station
Other remarks that were aired hinted at this would-be astronaut’s health being tenuous — specifically, going through decompression sickness on the International Space Station.
Several space enthusiasts shared the audio link online, claiming a serious emergency was going down on the ISS … but NASA swooped in and shut it down in an X post, clarifying, “There is no emergency situation aboard the International Space Station.”
The ISS account post explained, “This audio was inadvertently misrouted from an ongoing simulation where crew members and ground teams train for various scenarios in space and is not related to a real emergency.”
They added that all the ISS crew members remain healthy and safe — and were catching some Z’s at the time the audio was recorded. In other words … everything was alright.
The fact everyone is A-OK is undoubtedly a relief — especially with Boeing’s Starliner crewed mission finally blasting off into orbit last week for its first piloted test flight to the ISS.
A sigh of relief, indeed.
