--- title: "NASA Apologizes for Broadcasting Emergency on Space Station" description: "NASA accidentally broadcasted the audio of an emergency simulation over a routine ISS livestream, causing alarm among viewers." date: "2024-06-13" modified: "2024-06-13" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/nasa-apologizes-emergency-space-station" categories: - "NASA" - "Space" tags: - "international space station" - "iss" - "NASA" - "the digest" --- # NASA Apologizes for Broadcasting Emergency on Space Station ![NASA accidentally broadcasted the audio of an emergency simulation over a routine ISS livestream, causing alarm among viewers.]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* ## False Alarm If you heard that emergency alarm on the International Space Station (ISS), no you didn't! As [*NBC* reports](), NASA was forced to issue an apology after it accidentally broadcasted the audio of an emergency drill yesterday — which was actually taking place during a training simulation back on Earth — over a routine ISS livestream. "There is no emergency situation going on aboard the International Space Station," NASA tweeted last night from its official space station account, noting that all NASA astronauts onboard the ISS were safely sleeping at the time of the accidental alarm. "This audio was inadvertently misrouted from an ongoing simulation," the post continued, "where crew members and ground teams train for various scenarios in space and is not related to a real emergency." In a word: oops! https://twitter.com/Space_Station/status/1801043194253127963 ## The Bends According to *NBC*, the mistakenly telecasted simulation was designed to replicate an emergency health crisis, giving listeners the impression that one of NASA's ISS crewmembers may have been experiencing [decompression sickness]() (DCS). Commonly associated with scuba diving, DCS — or the bends, as it's colloquially known — can occur when the environment around a human loses pressure very quickly, in turn causing small bubbles of depressurized gas to develop in their blood. This can cause blockages in the bloodstream, which can quickly turn deadly. So, yes, if this were to happen to someone onboard the ISS, it would warrant emergency action. And the alarm itself — a piece of it can be heard here in a clip [shared by *Space.com*]() — is undeniably spooky. "Check his pulse one more time," urged the voice narrating the drill, as quoted by *NBC*. She then advised other crewmembers to get the injured person into a suit full of pure oxygen as soon as possible, ominously reporting that she was concerned there were "some severe DCS hits." "Unfortunately, the prognosis for Commander is relatively tenuous," the voice added, according to *NBC*. At one point, she suggested that the crew might need to make an emergency evacuation back to Earth in order to get "Commander" to a hyperbaric chamber — basically, a pressurized tube chock-full of pure oxygen, beloved by [biohackers](), [professional athletes](), and [astronauts experiencing DCS](). In sum? No need to worry, folks. The ISS crew is safe and sound, and in the last 24 hours, the only emergency onboard the station was a "[spacesuit discomfort issue]()" that postponed this morning's [scheduled spacewalk](). **More on recent ISS emergencies:** [*Boeing Starliner Stuck on Space Station as More Leaks Discovered*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()