NASA forced to release statement after accidentally releasing audio of 'distressed astronauts'

NASA has been forced to confirm that there was no emergency situation after accidentally airing what sounded like 'distressed astronauts' on their official livestream.

The US space agency doesn't seem to have mastered the art of live streaming just yet, as it managed to spark panic across the globe by airing audio of what was believed to be astronauts in distress.

Earthlings who tuned into NASA's live YouTube channel were trying to determine if they could offer any help to those on the International Space Station (ISS) after hearing the sound of a serious commotion.

Viewers watched with bated breath as they heard a female voice instructing crew members to 'get commander back in his suit', before then telling the space cadets to 'check his pulse one more time', among other worrying comments.

The US space agency sparked panic with the contents of its YouTube livestream (Kenan Irtak/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

The commander's condition was then described as 'tenuous', leaving people presuming that their was a fella flying about the solar system in dire straits.

By this point, people were convinced the ailing astronaut was in the throes of decompression sickness, also known as the bends, which affects the central nervous system and can be deadly.

Space boffins sat at home who had been watching the livestream subsequently shared their thoughts, as well as snippets of the scary audio, on social media while under the illusion that a serious emergency was erupting on the ISS.

But it turns out that it was a false alarm - as what viewers were actually listening to was a medical drill meant for training purposes, rather than a live situation.

And after the audio started going viral, NASA decided to nip the speculation in the bud and shared a statement on X clarifying the situation.

People were watching NASA's livestream of the ISS on YouTube when they heard the alarming comments (YouTube/NASA)

The American space agency confirmed that there was 'no emergency situation' going down on the ISS and that all crew members were 'healthy and safe' - and were actually snoozing away while people on Earth were panicking about them.

The statement explained: "There is no emergency situation going on aboard the International Space Station.

"At approximately 5:28 p.m. CDT, audio was aired on the NASA livestream from a simulation audio channel on the ground indicating a crew member was experiencing effects related to decompression sickness (DCS).

"This audio was inadvertently misrouted from an ongoing simulation where crew members and ground teams train for various scenarios in space and is not related to a real emergency.

"The International Space Station crew members were in their sleep period at the time. All remain healthy and safe, and tomorrow’s spacewalk will start at 8 a.m. EDT as planned."

Space X also shared a statement on X: "This was only a test. The crew training in Hawthorne is safe and healthy as is the Dragon spacecraft docked to the @space_station."