NASA delays space walk over astronaut's undisclosed 'minor medical issue'

Mark Vande Hei and Japanese astronaut Akihiko Hoshide were supposed to venture out Tuesday to install a bracket for new solar wings but NASA said the work can wait.

|Aug 25, 2021, 09:57:08 IST

NASA is delaying a spacewalk at the International Space Station this week because of an undisclosed medical issue involving one of its astronauts.Officials announced the postponement Monday, less than 24 hours before[caption id="attachment_9910751" align="alignnone" width="1280"]

ISS crew member Mark Vande Hei of NASA won't be able to conduct spacewalk due to a medical issue. Image credit: NASA[/caption]was supposed to float outside.Vande Hei is dealing with “a minor medical issue,” officials said in a statement. It’s not an emergency, they noted, but didn’t provide any further details.Vande Hei, 54, a retired Army colonel, has been at the space station since April and is expected to remain there until next spring for a full one-year mission. This is his second station stay.He and Japanese astronaut Akihiko Hoshide were supposed to venture out Tuesday to install a bracket for new solar wings. NASA said the work can wait.The spacewalk will be rescheduled after this weekend’s planned supply run by SpaceX and a September series of spacewalks on the Russian side of the orbiting lab, according to NASA.

Careless Whispers: Scientists discover that plants can 'talk' to each other using smells

Japanese scientists have recorded a video that shows plants, in certain conditions, communicate with each other using mists that carry smells. The discovery, reveals that plants release a fine mist of airborne compounds, to warn nearby plants of potential dangers

Life on Mars? European Space Agency’s Orbiter discovers ice water deposits at equator

European Space Agency's Mars Express Orbiter has identified massive ice and ice water deposits beneath the surface of Mars. The Mars Express orbiter was also the first to confirmed the presence of ice on Mars in 2004

Microsoft briefly overtakes Apple as the most valuable company, Apple back on top again

At its peak during the session, Microsoft's value reached $2.903 trillion, with a 2% surge. As of writing this article, Apple closed at $2.89 trillion, whereas Microsoft closed at $2.86 trillion

Even NASA is facing a tough time, starts layoffs following major budget cuts

NASA is facing some massive budget cuts, because of which, it has been forced to postpone some upcoming missions. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory has been hit hard by recent federal budget cuts, resulting in the layoff of 100 contractors last week

ISRO, NASA's NISAR satellite to get ready by Jan-end, will monitor Earth's snow-covered regions

The NISAR satellite which has been developed jointly ISRO and NASA, should be ready for launch by the end of January 2024. The collaboration between NASA and ISRO on NISAR is the first time the two agencies have cooperated on hardware development for an Earth-observing mission

Up Next