Nasa's First-Ever Medical Evacuation from ISS Ends in Successful Splashdown
In a historic first for the US space agency, four astronauts returned to Earth earlier than planned after one developed a serious medical condition onboard the International Space Station. The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, carrying American astronaut Zena Cardman, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov, Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui, and veteran US astronaut Mike Fincke, splashed down off the coast of San Diego at 12:41am local time on Tuesday.
The crew was brought home after a month-long stay on the ISS due to a "serious medical condition" that required treatment on Earth. NASA officials confirmed that the affected astronaut is now in stable condition but refused to disclose their identity for privacy reasons.
"This is exactly why we train and this is Nasa at its finest," said Jared Isaacman, head of the agency, in a post-splashdown press briefing. "Spaceflight will always carry some degree of uncertainty, that's the nature of exploration. We prepare for the unexpected so we can respond decisively and safely."
The medical issue did not involve an injury that occurred during space operations, and the crew was given several days to train Chris Williams, the only remaining NASA astronaut on the station, on the operations he would take over.
A planned spacewalk by Cardman and Fincke, the ISS's commander, was cancelled due to the medical evacuation. However, officials said the spacewalk will be rolled over to the next mission. With reduced crew numbers at the station, Nasa astronauts will need to stand down from routine or emergency spacewalks that require two people.
The successful medical evacuation marks the first time NASA has cut short a mission due to health concerns since the agency began sending humans to space in 1961. In contrast, other space agencies like the Soviet Union have performed similar evacuations over the years.
Isaacman hinted at the possibility of training physicians on future Mars missions, where the human body is more susceptible to breakdown than the technology supporting it. However, he said that decision-making would not be changed in this instance.
After an overnight stay in hospital, the crew is expected to return to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston on Friday, where they will reunite with their families and begin post-flight reconditioning and evaluations. As Cardman quipped upon splashdown, "It's good to be home."
In a historic first for the US space agency, four astronauts returned to Earth earlier than planned after one developed a serious medical condition onboard the International Space Station. The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, carrying American astronaut Zena Cardman, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov, Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui, and veteran US astronaut Mike Fincke, splashed down off the coast of San Diego at 12:41am local time on Tuesday.
The crew was brought home after a month-long stay on the ISS due to a "serious medical condition" that required treatment on Earth. NASA officials confirmed that the affected astronaut is now in stable condition but refused to disclose their identity for privacy reasons.
"This is exactly why we train and this is Nasa at its finest," said Jared Isaacman, head of the agency, in a post-splashdown press briefing. "Spaceflight will always carry some degree of uncertainty, that's the nature of exploration. We prepare for the unexpected so we can respond decisively and safely."
The medical issue did not involve an injury that occurred during space operations, and the crew was given several days to train Chris Williams, the only remaining NASA astronaut on the station, on the operations he would take over.
A planned spacewalk by Cardman and Fincke, the ISS's commander, was cancelled due to the medical evacuation. However, officials said the spacewalk will be rolled over to the next mission. With reduced crew numbers at the station, Nasa astronauts will need to stand down from routine or emergency spacewalks that require two people.
The successful medical evacuation marks the first time NASA has cut short a mission due to health concerns since the agency began sending humans to space in 1961. In contrast, other space agencies like the Soviet Union have performed similar evacuations over the years.
Isaacman hinted at the possibility of training physicians on future Mars missions, where the human body is more susceptible to breakdown than the technology supporting it. However, he said that decision-making would not be changed in this instance.
After an overnight stay in hospital, the crew is expected to return to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston on Friday, where they will reunite with their families and begin post-flight reconditioning and evaluations. As Cardman quipped upon splashdown, "It's good to be home."
. I'm not gonna lie, when I first heard the news that an astronaut had a serious medical condition on board the ISS, I was like what's going to happen next? 
But NASA is all about being prepared for the unexpected, and they totally pulled it off here.
. It just goes to show that space travel isn't all glamour and glory; there are risks involved, but with a solid team and plan, you can mitigate those risks. And let's be real, it's a good thing NASA has a top-notch medical team on standby - who knows what could've happened if they hadn't been ready? 
. With the human body being more susceptible to breakdown in space, having trained physicians on board could be game-changing. But I guess that's a whole different can of worms - NASA's gotta weigh the pros and cons before making any big decisions.
. And yeah, it's good to have astronauts back home safe and sound - we've all been there when we're feeling under the weather 
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! i mean, space travel is super cool and all, but if one of the astronauts on board gets a serious medical condition, you gotta prioritize their health first 
. nasa did a great job in responding quickly and getting them the treatment they needed ASAP. it's not like they just left the astronaut up there to die 
. also, glad no one got hurt during the spacewalk cancellation - safety always comes first! 
. I mean its always been about pushing the limits but this is on another level...I kinda feel bad for the astronaut who had to deal with that medical crap in space tho 
. But lets be real, Nasa's response was top notch 
. And yeah, reduced crew numbers is a bummer for future missions...but hey at least they got the guy back home safe and sound 
. And Mars? huh, that's an interesting idea 
. Do you think its gonna be all snot noses and space germs in there?
The fact that they're already thinking about training physicians for future Mars missions is mind-blowing – I guess we'll be seeing some serious astronauts-turned-doctors soon! 
This is soooo cool!! I was literally watching the live stream of the splashed down and it was like wowww! 
it's always a bit scary when you hear they're dealing with a medical issue in space. But NASA is literally the best and Jared Isaacman is soooo inspiring 
his message about preparing for the unexpected is EVERYTHING 
. But seriously, it's great that NASA has a solid plan in place for situations like this - it shows they're really thinking about the safety of their astronauts 
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i was reading about how they trained Chris Williams to take over some of their tasks but still had to cut short a spacewalk 
is it because of some rule or something? 
just thinking about this NASA mission is crazy... i mean, a month up in space and one of the astronauts has a serious medical issue that needs treatment ASAP... its a huge relief they were able to evacuate her safely 
Like, yeah NASA's always pushing the boundaries, but this is some next-level stuff 
Can't wait for more updates on what happens next with Zena and the rest of the crew 
. And the fact that the crew was able to get the astronaut treated and back on track so quickly is a testament to their training 
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. It's like NASA is saying, "Hey, we've got this! We can handle whatever comes up."