---
title: "Astronaut Suffers Medical Incident on Space Station"
description: "According to NASA, Mark Vande Hei, a current crew member on board the International Space Station, has suffered a \"minor medical issue.\""
date: "2021-08-23"
modified: "2021-08-23"
authors:
  - name: "Victor Tangermann"
    job_title: "Senior Editor"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/astronaut-suffers-medical-incident-space-station"
categories:
  - "Health & Medicine"
  - "Medical"
tags:
  - "international space station"
  - "iss"
  - "NASA"
  - "the digest"
---

# Astronaut Suffers Medical Incident on Space Station

![According to NASA, Mark Vande Hei, a current crew member on board the International Space Station, has suffered a "minor medical issue."](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/astronaut-suffers-medical-incident-on-space-station.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: NASA\</em\>*

## Sick Day

According to NASA, Mark Vande Hei, an current crew member on board the International Space Station, has suffered a "minor medical issue." A scheduled extravehicular activity (EVA) or space walk had to be delayed as a result, [*CNN* reports](<https://www.wral.com/tuesday-spacewalk-postponed-due-to-minor-medical-issue/19839058/>).

NASA has [also said ](<https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/>)that the issue "is not a medical emergency."

## Walk It Off

The EVA was originally planned for Tuesday, but will now have to be rescheduled, according to *CNN* — suggesting that the issue is substantial enough that they can anticipate a day in advance that Vande Hei won't be up for the task.

The spacewalk will now occur after an upcoming SpaceX Dragon cargo resupply launch over the weekend.

Vande Hei traveled to the ISS on board a Soyuz spacecraft on April 9 alongside cosmonauts Oleg Novitskiy and Pyotr Dubrov.

This story is developing and will be updated.

**READ MORE:** [Tuesday spacewalk postponed due to 'minor medical issue'](<https://www.wral.com/tuesday-spacewalk-postponed-due-to-minor-medical-issue/19839058/>) \[C*NN*\]

**More on the ISS:** *[Russian Cosmonaut Shares Incredible View From New ISS Module](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/russian-cosmonaut-incredible-view>)*

## 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](<https://bsky.app/profile/vtanger.bsky.social>)