A NASA astronaut said Tuesday that he pulled out of a spacewalk this week
because of a pinched nerve in his neck.
NASA canceled Tuesday's spacewalk at the International Space Station less
than 24 hours in advance, citing "a minor medical issue" with Mark Vande Hei
but didn't elaborate.
The retired Army colonel, who's 54, is one-third of the way through an
anticipated yearlong mission. He said he's grateful for all the concern and
tweeted: "Today just wasn't the right day" for a spacewalk.
NASA said it will reschedule Vande Hei's excursion—which will be conducted
alongside Japanese astronaut Akihiko Hoshide—after an upcoming SpaceX cargo
delivery and pair of Russian spacewalks. There is no urgency attached to
their outdoor work, which involves installing a bracket for new solar panels
due to arrive next year.