The University of Hawaii at Manoa says it plans a new call for applicants once an investigation is completed following the cancellation of its Space Exploration Analog and Simulation (HI-SEAS) Mission VI last week after a crew member voluntarily withdrew from participation in the study.
“Regrettably, it is not possible to perform a mission with a crew of three,” the university said in a statement. “Further, an investigation is ongoing into an incident which occurred on February 19, 2018, temporarily suspending the mission. After a full safety inspection of the habitat has been performed, a new call for applicants will be released to compose a new crew for another mission based on a review by the institutional review board.”
UH is not naming the crew member who voluntarily withdrew.
KAUAI
Man, 53, dies after being found unconscious on building steps
Kauai police are investigating the death of a 53-year-old man found unconscious Monday morning on the front steps of a county building in Lihue.
A Kauai County worker found the man, who has no permanent address, at about 5:45 a.m. Monday along the front stairs of the County Building Annex.
Police, fire personnel and medics responded, but the man could not be revived, the Police Department said in a news release.
The man was taken to Wilcox Medical Center 2 where he was pronounced dead.
The man’s identity was withheld pending notification of next of kin.
An autopsy is pending. Police do not suspect foul play.
Couple escapes unhurt from burning Lawai house
A couple managed to escape uninjured from their burning Lawai house early Monday morning, the Kauai Fire Department said.
Fire inspectors said the house is considered a total loss, and the estimated damage to the structure and its contents is about $700,000, the Fire Department said in a news release.
The American Red Cross is assisting the couple.
The fire broke out at about 1:10 a.m. Firefighters, upon arrival, found the two-story residence on Wawae Place fully engulfed in flames.
The fire is thought to have originated on the first floor, but the cause remains under investigation.
The fire was brought under control at about 2:20 a.m., but fire officials remained until 7:40 a.m.