Nasa Astronaut Medical Emergency prompts historic evacuation from ISS
NASA has disclosed details of a nasa astronaut medical emergency that unfolded on 7 January and led to the first medical evacuation in the International Space Station's 25-year history. The incident prompted an early return for Crew-11 so the affected astronaut could receive advanced imaging not available on the station, and it temporarily altered station operations.
Nasa Astronaut Medical Emergency on 7 January: what crew did
On 7 January, astronaut Mike Fincke experienced a medical event aboard the International Space Station that required immediate attention from his crewmates. Fincke wrote that, thanks to the quick response of his crewmates and the guidance of NASA flight surgeons, his status quickly stabilized. He described the decision to bring the crew home as "not an emergency but a carefully coordinated plan" to allow for advanced medical imaging unavailable on the station.
Who returned: Crew-11 members and timeline
NASA determined that the safest course was an early return for Crew-11. Fincke and the other three Crew-11 members — fellow NASA astronaut Zena Cardman, Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov — splashed down on 15 January after spending five and a half months on the space station. The splashdown occurred off the coast of San Diego.
Expedition 74 colleagues and public thanks
NASA shared at Fincke's request, he expressed deep gratitude to his Expedition 74 colleagues and a long list of teams and medical staff. He thanked Zena Cardman, Kimiya Yui, Oleg Platonov, Chris Williams, Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikayev by name, and he acknowledged the NASA team, SpaceX and his doctors. He singled out medical professionals at Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla near San Diego for their role in his care.
Recovery and where care continued in Houston and La Jolla
Fincke said he is doing "very well and continuing standard post-flight reconditioning" at NASA's base in Houston. In a separate passage of the released text he specified post-flight reconditioning at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. The statement thanked medical personnel and teams involved in both the return and subsequent care.
Operational ripple effects on the station and follow-up
The evacuation left only three crew members on board the space station — one American and two Russians — and prompted NASA to pause space walks and reduce research output. After the January return, NASA administrator Jared Isaacman described the situation in orbit as "a serious situation" but said the crew member in question had been safe and stable ever since. The station was later joined by four new astronauts in February and normal service has resumed.
Fincke closed his message with a reflection on the nature of human spaceflight: "Spaceflight is an incredible privilege and sometimes it reminds us just how human we are, " he wrote.
