spacetoday.net: NASA postpones ISS spacewalk because of medical issue

Posted: Wed, Dec 11, 2002, 7:30 AM ET (1230 GMT)
ISS spacewalk by Onufrienko and Walz (NASA)

NASA has postponed until next month a spacewalk by members of the International Space Station Expedition Six crew because of an undisclosed medical problem. Astronaut Ken Bowersox and cosmonaut Nikolai Buderin were scheduled to perform a spacewalk Thursday to complete the installation of a truss segment added to the station during the STS-113 shuttle mission, with crew member Don Pettit observing the EVA from within the station. However, NASA announced late Monday that the spacewalk, and a briefing scheduled for Tuesday about the EVA, were postponed. A NASA spokesperson told reporters that a "minor" medical problem prompted the delay. Citing privacy issues neither the crew member affected nor the specific medical problem were disclosed. NASA is now planning to conduct the EVA next month.