--- title: "NASA Worried Astronauts Could Spread Coronavirus on Space Station" description: "NASA is taking many precautionary measures to ensure that the coronavirus outbreak doesn't have a chance to spread among its employees and astronauts." date: "2020-03-16" modified: "2020-03-16" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/nasa-astronauts-spread-coronavirus-space-station" categories: - "Developments" - "Health & Medicine" - "Medical" - "NASA" - "Pathogens" - "Space" - "Viruses" tags: - "coronavirus" - "covid-19" - "interational space station" - "iss" --- # NASA Worried Astronauts Could Spread Coronavirus on Space Station ![NASA is taking many precautionary measures to ensure that the coronavirus outbreak doesn't have a chance to spread among its employees and astronauts.]() *\Image: NASA/Victor Tangermann\* NASA is reevaluating its standard pre-launch precautionary measures to ensure that the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus doesn't have a chance to spread among its employees — and to stop the deadly virus from reaching orbit, [according to *Space.com*](). NASA astronauts already go through "health stabilization," a two week quarantine that ensures they are not incubating any illnesses before blasting off into space. Once in space, any astronaut's ability to fight off diseases is compromised as microgravity has been shown to [affect the immune system]() — which could make a COVID-19 outbreak on board the space station a potentially life-threatening situation. Meanwhile, [*SpaceNews* reports]() that Russia is considering extending this pre-flight quarantine. Nonetheless, an April 9 launch to the ISS with US astronaut Chris Cassidy and Russian cosmonauts Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner is still approved for liftoff. "We expect them to take additional measures to make sure that quarantine is a little tighter," NASA's ISS program manager Kirk Shireman told *SpaceNews*. "We’re ready to deal with that if it happens." Russian space agency Roscosmos has already felt the affects of the coronavirus outbreak. Due to measures decided by the French government to protect the health of employees and locals, the [agency said]() it had to suspend launch campaigns under way at the Guiana Space Center in French Guiana. For now, NASA is following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) protocols to combat the coronavirus outbreak. "This includes cleaning of surfaces, social distancing, emphasizing hand hygiene, encouraging NASA team members who are sick to stay home and limiting contact with crew members," Brandi Dean from NASA's Public Affairs Office told *Space.com*. The news comes after an employee at NASA's Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley [tested positive]() for COVID-19 last week, causing the center to mandate strict work from home measures. **READ MORE:** [With coronavirus spreading, NASA may tweak astronaut prelaunch quarantine plans]() \[*Space.com*\] **More on the virus:** *[Around the World, People Are Grocery Shopping in Hazmat Suits]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()