--- title: "NASA Cancels Spacewalk With Cryptic Announcement About “Spacesuit Discomfort”" description: "What was set to be NASA's 90th spacewalk at the ISS was called off just an hour before the astronauts were scheduled to egress." date: "2024-06-14" modified: "2024-06-14" authors: - name: "Frank Landymore" job_title: "Contributing Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/flandymore" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/nasa-cancels-spacewalk-spacesuit-discomfort" categories: - "NASA" - "Space" tags: - "astronauts" - "international space station" - "NASA" - "the digest" --- # NASA Cancels Spacewalk With Cryptic Announcement About “Spacesuit Discomfort” ![What was set to be NASA's 90th spacewalk at the ISS was called off just an hour before the astronauts were scheduled to egress.]() *\Image: NASA\* ## Fit Check Ever have a wardrobe malfunction so bad you wish you could skip work? Well, if you were a [NASA astronaut](), that's a privilege you could take advantage of — if you are willing to put up with the arduous experience of living in orbit. Case in point: on Thursday, NASA was forced to call off a planned spacewalk outside the [International Space Station]() due to "spacesuit discomfort" — and what that specifically means or entails remains unclear. According to an [update]() from the agency, the astronauts scheduled for the excursion, Tracy C. Dyson and Matthew Dominick, had fully suited up before the mission was called off just an hour before the spacewalk, set to be NASA's 90th at the ISS, was supposed to commence. ## Comforting News So far, NASA hasn't divulged any further details, but *Reuters* [reported]() that just minutes before the spacewalk was called off, another NASA astronaut, Mike Barratt, was heard asking flight controllers for a private line to discuss a medical issue. It's unclear if this pertained to the cancellation, and we also don't know which astronaut was having the discomfort problem. At the very least, it doesn't sound like it was anything too severe. In its update, NASA said that all "crew members on the station are healthy, and spacesuits are functioning as expected." It has not said whether there will be a make-up spacewalk, but the space agency did confirm that the next one will take place on June 24. ## Nagging Issue This is not the first time that extravehicular activity at the ISS was called off due to suit issues. In 2019, NASA's [first all-female spacewalk]() was somewhat embarrassingly postponed when one of the astronauts discovered that her spacesuit didn't quite fit. More harrowingly, in 2022, the agency had to suspend almost all scheduled spacewalks after [water was found in the helmet of an astronaut]() that had just completed an excursion. This latest incident isn't quite as dramatic as those past two, but perhaps it'll reignite discussion on when NASA will [finally update its astronauts' iconic outfits](). **More on the ISS:** *[NASA Apologizes for Broadcasting Emergency on Space Station]()* ## Author At Futurism, my work has often centered on bringing a sense of clarity and insight to complex topics ranging from the regulation of emerging technologies to the esoteric ideologies of Silicon Valley executives, while striving not to lose the poetic sense of awe inspired by often-obscure fields like astrophysics and quantum computing. I broke the story of CNET using AI to produce articles that turned out to be riddled with factual errors and plagiarism — a dam-breaking inflection point, as I've reported, that's inspired copycats and endless discourse while beguiling stakeholders ranging from tech giants to purveyors of spam around the web. My work at Futurism has been cited by publications including CBS News, the Los Angeles Times, Vice, Gizmodo, Engadget, the Verge, and Vanity Fair. I grew up in locales ranging from India to China, and now live in the exotic suburbs of Virginia. In my free time, I'm an avid reader of weird sci-fi literature, an aficionado of East Asian cinema, and, regrettably, a relapsed gamer. Allegedly, I’m working on a debut novel, currently untitled. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()