--- title: "Cosmonaut Told to “Drop Everything” and Return to Airlock" description: "During a spacewalk outside of the ISS, cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev was instructed by mission control to \"drop everything and start going back right away.\"" date: "2022-08-17" modified: "2022-08-17" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/cosmonaut-drop-everything-end-space-walk-early" categories: - "Off-World" - "Space" tags: - "cosmonauts" - "international space station" - "NASA" - "the digest" --- # Cosmonaut Told to “Drop Everything” and Return to Airlock ![During a spacewalk outside of the ISS, cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev was instructed by mission control to "drop everything and start going back right away."]() *\Image: NASA\* ## Drop Everything During a spacewalk outside the International Space Station, cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev was abruptly instructed by mission control to "drop everything and start going back right away" two and a half hours into a planned [six and a half hour space walk](). The culprit, [according to NASA Houston control commentary](), was a "slight fluctuation in the battery power of his suit." "Oleg, you must return to the airlock as soon as possible because if you lose power, it is not only the pumps and the fan, you will lose comm," the mission's flight controller could be heard saying. "You have to go back." Fortunately for Artemyev, who has [spent over 41 hours]() across six previous space walks, he was able to safely return to the Russian segment's Poisk airlock and was "never in any danger," according to NASA mission control. The cosmonaut was able to hook up to space station power and had to await further instructions — a potentially hairy situation that played out like a horror movie, as both cosmonauts were operating in the pitch black of outer space, with only their space suit lights illuminating the scene in eerie video. https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/1559939482564141058 ## Standing By Before the incident, the two cosmonauts had been installing a pair of cameras on the space station's European Robotic Arm. "Artemyev's suit is not showing normal power levels; it's clear there's no emergency, but not yet clear if today's spacewalk will continue; standing by for updates," CBS space reporter William Harwood [tweeted](). The story is still developing, so stay tuned. **More on the space station:** *[Plans Announced for Full Greenhouse on International Space Station]()* ## 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]()