NASA brings astronauts home safely in first-ever space medical evacuation
What's the story
NASA has successfully completed its first-ever medical evacuation from the International Space Station (ISS). The Crew-11 Dragon spacecraft, Endeavour, carrying four astronauts, undocked from the ISS at 3:30am IST on January 15. The multinational crew included NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, a Japanese astronaut from JAXA Kimiya Yui, and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov. They returned about a month early after a "controlled medical evacuation" was ordered due to a serious but stable health issue of one crew member.
Health concerns
Astronaut's health issue remains undisclosed
NASA has not revealed the identity or details of the astronaut who needed medical attention, citing privacy and confidentiality. However, outgoing ISS commander Mike Fincke assured that the ailing astronaut is "stable, safe and well cared for." He added that this was a deliberate decision to ensure proper medical evaluations could be conducted on Earth where comprehensive diagnostic capabilities are available.
Mission interruption
Crew's early return prompts pause in spacewalks
The early return of the crew has interrupted their mission by over a month. NASA has now put all spacewalks on hold until a new crew arrives in mid-February. The decision was made as it was deemed riskier to keep the astronaut in space without proper medical attention for another month than to temporarily reduce the size of the ISS crew by more than half.