Musk released a short series of tweets overnight, saying he had a “mild sniff,” a “cough” and a “slight fever” over the past few days. He added that he was expecting to get the result of the PCR exam – which was more accurate than the type of quick test, saying it took 24 hours.
Meanwhile, Musk’s tweets echoed across the country to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where four astronauts are preparing to go into space with the SpaceX Crew Dragon Capsule on Saturday.
NASA chief Jim Brydenstein, who was scheduled to hold a routine press conference Friday morning, said that according to NASA policies, Kasturi should be quarantined and SpaceX should try to find out who could come in contact with Musk. But it is not yet clear whether Saturday’s mission will be affected by the news.
The news broke just before the press conference, Brydenstein said, adding that he had last spoken to Musk two days earlier. “Unless with any contact [astronaut] Crew, I’m unaware of that. That contact tracing should be ongoing right now. “
When asked if the uncertainty surrounding Musk’s diagnosis could delay the SpaceX mission, Bridensta replied, “If there is a need to make adjustments, we will make it.”
It is not clear if SpaceX has already begun contact tracing efforts. The company did not respond to requests for comment from CNN Business, nor did SpaceX respond to email or phone inquiries from CNN Business in about six months.
Bridenstein added that astronauts flying on Saturday were not likely to be at risk. Even before the epidemic occurs, NASA has said that astronauts follow pre-flight quarantine rules to ensure no disease is carried into space, where viruses and bacteria spread rapidly among crew members aboard the spacecraft. NASA has also implemented strict measures in response to the Covid-19, but the astronauts have stayed with their family members and will have to stay close to some NASA and SpaceX employees on launch day.
But it is also unclear how a positive diagnosis of musk could affect the ground crew, which is required to oversee the launch over the weekend. Musk is frequently at SpaceX’s headquarters in Hthorney, California, which is also at SpaceX’s mission control center. It is not clear when Kasturi was last in contact with SpaceX or NASA personnel who will need to be notified for duty this week.
Why Musk’s tests may be wrong
According to Musk’s tweets, he expects to get his PCR test results on Friday night. He also noted that he is not currently experiencing symptoms, although he did take “Nyquil.”
Two NASA spokesmen declined to comment on the status of the SpaceX mission rather than what Bridenstein told reporters. SpaceX and NASA officials in Florida, however, are expected to hold another regular press conference this afternoon to share an update on what they are investigating on the SpaceX rocket and spacecraft.
.
