NASA announced the cancellation of a spacewalk from the ISS. The reason was health problems of one of the crew members.
The spacewalk was scheduled for January 8. Station commander Mike Fincke and flight engineer Zena Cardman were to take part in it. The duo’s main task was to install a modification kit and lay cables for a future deployable solar array. Secondary tasks included installing connecting cables, photographing equipment, and collecting microorganism samples.
However, the launch was then postponed for a certain period of time. The reason for this was the deterioration in the health of one of the ISS crew members, which occurred on January 7. His name was not disclosed due to NASA’s policy of not disclosing confidential medical information.
NASA subsequently reported that the crew member’s condition remains stable. At the same time, the option of an early return to Earth for the Crew-11 mission is being considered. Additional information about the incident is expected to be released within the next 24 hours.
The Crew-11 mission consists of four people: NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Michael Fincke, JAXA astronaut Kimiya Yui, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov. In the event of its early return to Earth, three crew members who arrived on the Soyuz MS-12 spacecraft will remain on board the ISS. The launch of the next Crew-12 mission is scheduled for February 15.
It is worth noting that the Shannon, which is used to pick up Dragon spacecraft returning to Earth, remains in the port of Long Beach for now. This suggests that NASA has not yet decided to bring forward the return of the Crew-11 mission.
