What To Know
- Tracy Dyson and Matt Dominick, members of the Expedition 71 crew on the International Space Station (ISS), were already preparing for the spacewalk when the decision to postpone the extravehicular activity (EVA) was made.
- The cancellation of the EVA also affected the return to Earth of Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, NASA astronauts who arrived at the ISS aboard Boeing‘s Starliner spacecraft as part of the crewed flight test (CFT) of the capsule.
- This incident occurred after an error during a live NASA broadcast on Wednesday night caused a stir by mistakenly airing audio of a medical emergency drill on the ISS.
The spacewalk planned by two NASA astronauts on June 13 was postponed due to a “spacesuit discomfort issue,” according to the space agency. Tracy Dyson and Matt Dominick, members of the Expedition 71 crew on the International Space Station (ISS), were already preparing for the spacewalk when the decision to postpone the extravehicular activity (EVA) was made.
The Events
NASA had already started the live broadcast of the EVA procedures when the announcement was made. “Spacewalkers Tracy Dyson and Matt Dominick were preparing for the U.S. EVA 90, but today’s spacewalk will not proceed as planned,” said a NASA commentator during the broadcast. The space agency did not disclose which astronaut experienced the spacesuit issue.
Delayed Return to Earth
The cancellation of the EVA also affected the return to Earth of Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, NASA astronauts who arrived at the ISS aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft as part of the crewed flight test (CFT) of the capsule. Their return, originally scheduled for June 13, had been postponed to June 18, partly to allow for the EVA. It is not yet clear if this new postponement of the EVA will further affect Wilmore and Williams’ return date.
Live Broadcast Incident
This incident occurred after an error during a live NASA broadcast on Wednesday night caused a stir by mistakenly airing audio of a medical emergency drill on the ISS. NASA clarified that there was no real emergency aboard the space station.
NASA has not yet provided further details on the spacesuit issue or the new scheduled date for the EVA. The space agency is expected to release more information in the coming hours.
