Video shows Starliner docking at ISS on June 6
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – NASA confirmed Wednesday night that there is “no emergency situation” at the International Space Station after simulation audio was accidentally played on a livestream.
The audio, which was a simulation meant for training, played at about 6:30 p.m. and stated that a crew member was experiencing decompression sickness.
Decompression sickness is when dissolved gasses, usually nitrogen, form bubbles in the bloodstream, and mostly happens to people who “experience rapid ambient pressure changes, such as scuba divers, high-altitude aviators, or individuals working in pressurized environments,” according to the National Institutes of Health.
The bubbles block blood vessels, leading to inflammation and potential damage to tissues, which can be life-threatening.
NASA said crew members and ground teams always train for various situations and the simulation is “not related to a real emergency.”
All crew members are safe and healthy, NASA said, and were in their sleep period at the time.
A spacewalk planned for 8 a.m. Thursday was also canceled, NASA said, due to a “spacesuit discomfort issue.”