By any objective standard, it’s been an insane week in space….or at least far from “routine”. From a faux “ISS Emergency” to scuttled spacewalks to hints of yet more Starliner problems, the week’s news has been anything but boring.
The Emergency That Wasn’t
On Wednesday night, NASA somehow managed to inadvertently air about fifteen minute’s worth of radio traffic from an emergency exercise that was playing out between controllers and astronauts on the International Space Station.
NASA’s ISS Youtube livestream was interrupted at 6:28 p.m. ET by an unidentified woman, who seemed to be NASA flight surgeon stuck in traffic somewhere. The speaker, who was purportedly relaying directions via NASA from her cell phone, spoke of a distressing scenario involving a commander aboard the International Space Station (ISS) suffering from serious decompression sickness.
The interruption featured the speaker advising the ISS crew on emergency medical procedures. “Check his pulse one more time,” the speaker instructed, suggesting that the afflicted astronaut be placed in a suit filled with pure oxygen. “Any action would be ‘best effort treatment’ and better than doing nothing,” she emphasized.
The speaker provided a grim outlook on the situation, stating, “Unfortunately, the prognosis for the Commander is relatively tenuous.” Her concern deepened as she mentioned, “I am concerned that there are some severe DCS [decompression sickness] hits,” urging the crew to act quickly.
In a surprising twist, the speaker referenced a hospital in San Fernando, Spain, equipped with hyperbaric treatment facilities, implying the possibility of an emergency evacuation from the ISS.
The unexpected scenario quickly fueled alarm and concern among space enthusiasts listening to the livestream, and some media outlets quickly sprang into action proclaiming a crisis aboard the ISS.
A little more than an hour later, NASA took to X and other media platforms to clarify that the was not real. NASA said the ISS crew members were all safely asleep at the time of the broadcast, and the event was part of a routine training exercise.
Space Walk Scuttled
NASA astronauts Tracy C. Dyson and Matt Dominick were scheduled to exit the ISS’s Quest airlock at 8:00AM EDT Thursday morning to complete a spacewalk. The spacewalk was to allow astronauts to remove a faulty radio electronics box from a communications antenna on the starboard truss of the space station. The pair was also tasked with collecting samples for analysis to understand the ability of microorganisms to survive and reproduce on the exterior of the orbiting laboratory.
Thursday’s spacewalk was scuttled at the last minute, with NASA describing the reason only as “a spacesuit discomfort issue”. According to a NASA blog, the spacesuits had been “fit checked” on May 30th, so the exact reason for the newly discovered “discomfort issue” wasn’t exactly clear.
As of this writing, the next spacewalk is scheduled for Monday, June 24th, and will again focus on the removal of the faulty electronics box.
Starliner Calypso Departure Delayed
Today, NASA announced that Starliner would no longer depart the ISS as previously scheduled on June 18th, but instead would remain docked to the station until June 22nd. The delay effectively doubles the originally scheduled mission length for the problem-plagued Starliner, which has seen considerable problems with its’ thruster system and helium leaks.
This additional time allows the teams to finalize departure planning and operations while ensuring the spacecraft remains ready for crew emergency return scenarios within the established flight rules.
To discuss the new return target, flight status, and weather considerations for landing, NASA and Boeing leadership will hold a pre-departure media teleconference at 12 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, June 18. Details of the media teleconference will be provided by NASA in the coming days.
“We are continuing to understand the capabilities of Starliner to prepare for the long-term goal of having it perform a six-month docked mission at the space station,” said Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. “The crew will perform additional hatch operations to better understand its handling, repeat some ‘safe haven’ testing, and assess piloting using the forward window.”
In preparation for the mission’s return, NASA and Boeing teams have also planned a critical evaluation of Starliner’s thruster performance. The spacecraft will fire seven of its eight aft-facing thrusters while docked to the station, known as a “hot fire test.” This test will involve two bursts of the thrusters, each lasting about a second, to assess the spacecraft’s performance during future operational missions after being docked at the ISS for extended periods.
Additionally, the crew will investigate cabin air temperature readings across the cabin to correlate with the life support system temperature measurements. This effort aims to gather valuable data on the spacecraft’s environmental control and life support systems.
“We have an incredible opportunity to spend more time at the station and perform more tests, which provides invaluable data unique to our position,” said Mark Nappi, vice president and program manager of Boeing’s Commercial Crew Program. “As the integrated NASA and Boeing teams have said each step of the way, we have plenty of margin and time on station to maximize the opportunity for all partners to learn – including our crew.”
NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, serving as Starliner’s crew for this mission, arrived at the ISS on June 6. Since then, they have completed numerous flight objectives required for NASA certification of Boeing’s transportation system under the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. Over the past three days, Wilmore and Williams have actively participated in space station tasks, including installing research equipment, maintaining the lab’s hardware, and assisting station crewmembers Matt Dominick and Tracy Dyson in preparing for a spacewalk.
