NASA delays spacewalk just hours before astronauts were due to leave the ISS
Two NASA astronauts were scheduled to perform a six-and-a-half-hour spacewalk on Jan. 8, but the agency postponed it indefinitely.
NASA astronaut Mike Finke poses in the airlock chamber of the International Space Station next to his spacesuit.
NASA on Wednesday postponed a planned spacewalk from the International Space Station (ISS) just hours before two astronauts were scheduled to leave the orbiting laboratory.
The agency reported this in a message statement that The reason for the delay was “a medical problem with a crew member that arose on Wednesday afternoon.” The announcement came just four hours after NASA reported that the space station crew has completed preparations for the expedition, which is more formally known as a spacewalk or spacewalk. NASA did not provide any details about which astronaut was injured or the nature of the situation, citing medical confidentiality.
“The situation is stable,” the message said. “NASA will share additional information, including a new date for the upcoming spacewalk, at a later date.”
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NASA astronauts Mike Finke and Zena Cardman were scheduled to leave the station around 8 a.m. EST on Jan. 8 for a six-and-a-half-hour project installing and preparing new hardware for a future solar array. If time allowed, they would also photograph the equipment and samples of microorganisms living outside the station.
Other current ISS crew members include NASA astronaut Chris Williams, Russian cosmonauts Sergei Kud-Sverchkov, Oleg Platonov and Sergei Mikaev, and Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui. All seven crew members spent more than five months in space.
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