A Space Jam-packed capsule - ISS completes first medical station evacuation

By Rachel Renton

Image via Unsplash by Nicketh Vellanki

Today, four astronauts (Crew-11) completed a 10-and-a-half-hour journey home in a SpaceX capsule. They began their descent at 10:30pm, over 400km above Australia, then landed on the coast of California this morning at 8:41am (12:41am PST). 

Originally, they were supposed to complete their six-month journey in late February but due to a crew member’s medical condition, they were told to evacuate the station. 

Crew-11 consists of American astronauts Mike Fincke and Zena Cardman, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov and Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui. We currently do not know what the medical condition is or who was affected due to privacy reasons.  

NASA administrator, Jared Isaacman, said: “The crew are all safe, in good spirits and are undergoing medical examinations following splashdown this morning. The crew member of concern is doing fine.”  

He also added that they will give updates on the astronaut’s health as soon as it is appropriate to do so. 

Image via Unsplash by Olu Gbadebo.

Due to safety procedures, all the crew members had to return instead of just the affected member. This is to ensure that if another medical problem occurred in the station, they would be able to return in a capsule rather than waiting for help. 

For minor medical issues, astronauts are typically well-trained, having enough knowledge to use the medical equipment on board such as ultrasound scanners and medical supplies. They also check-in with doctors daily through their communications with space agencies ‘just in case’. Being in space for an extended period time can cause several medical problems, especially when arriving back to earth. 

Nasa had only prepared for them to come back down a week prior, and the team went through various processes to make sure it was safe for the astronauts to return in the capsule.  

Another crew of four, Crew 12, will be heading to the space station next month to continue Crew-11’s duties. The group is formed from three different space agencies and are set to leave no later than the 15th of February, consisting of pilot Jack Hathaway and spacecraft commander Jessica Meir (Nasa), as well as European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Sophie Adenot and cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev (Roscosmos).