Nasa Astronaut Medical Emergency: nasa astronaut medical emergency prompts early Crew-11 return and historic ISS evacuation
NASA has released new details about a nasa astronaut medical emergency that occurred aboard the International Space Station on Jan. 7 and triggered the first medical evacuation in the outpost’s 25-year history. The agency and the affected astronaut say the coordinated early return allowed access to advanced medical imaging not available on the station and that station operations have since resumed.
Mike Fincke’s Jan. 7 medical event and his statement
Astronaut Mike Fincke, 58, said he "experienced a medical event that required immediate attention from my incredible crewmates" while aboard the station on Jan. 7, and that "thanks to their quick response and the guidance of our NASA flight surgeons, my status quickly stabilized. " NASA shared Fincke’s statement at his request. He added, "[It was] not an emergency but a carefully coordinated plan. " Fincke also wrote that "spaceflight is an incredible privilege and sometimes it reminds us just how human we are. "
Why NASA opted for an early Crew-11 return and imaging off station
After further evaluation, NASA determined the safest course was an early return for Crew-11 so Fincke could receive advanced medical imaging not available on the ISS. Top agency officials and the chief health and medical officer chose to bring the four-person Crew-11 home about a week after the incident rather than keep the original schedule. The four astronauts departed the station on Jan. 14, undocking in the same SpaceX Dragon capsule that had flown them to the orbiting outpost.
Splashdown, timeline and mission length
The Crew-11 capsule completed a nearly 11-hour return journey and splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego in the early morning hours of Jan. 15. The four had spent five-and-a-half months on the space station; they had been living and working aboard since early August and were originally expected to stay until late February.
Nasa Astronaut Medical Emergency halts spacewalks and reduces research output
The episode prompted the cancellation of a planned spacewalk on Jan. 8 and left only three crew members on the station — one American and two Russians — while operations were scaled back. NASA paused spacewalks and reduced research output during the period of reduced staffing. Four new astronauts arrived in February and normal service on the station has resumed.
Crew gratitude, colleagues left on station and post-flight condition
In his statement Fincke thanked his Crew-11 colleagues Zena Cardman, Kimiya Yui and Oleg Platonov, and he also expressed gratitude to fellow Expedition 74 members Chris Williams, Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikayev, who were aboard the station at the time and remained in space. Fincke thanked the teams at NASA, SpaceX and the medical professionals at Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla near San Diego for their roles in the coordinated return.
Following splashdown, NASA’s administrator Jared Isaacman described the situation in orbit as a "serious situation" but said the affected crew member had been safe and stable ever since. Fincke said he is doing "very well and continuing standard post-flight reconditioning" at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston and thanked those who supported him.
