NASA has announced the date of the world’s first medical evacuation from the ISS. The Dragon spacecraft with the Crew-11 mission team will undock from the station on January 14.
The medical issue aboard the ISS became known on January 7, when NASA canceled a spacewalk scheduled for the following day. Astronauts Mike Fincke and Zena Cardman were supposed to participate in the spacewalk.
Shortly thereafter, the aerospace administration announced that it would bring the Crew-11 mission team home early in order to better diagnose and treat this medical issue. NASA did not disclose which astronaut had fallen ill or what the problem was, citing privacy concerns. According to unofficial reports, it is 58-year-old Mike Fincke. This is his fourth flight into space and his third long-term assignment to the ISS.
At a subsequent press conference, NASA Chief Medical Officer James Polk declined to name the astronaut or disclose his diagnosis. However, he provided the following general description of the situation:
“This is not an operational issue. This was not an injury that occurred in the pursuit of operations,” Polk said. “It’s mostly having a medical issue in the difficult areas of microgravity, and with the suite of hardware that we have at our avail to complete a diagnosis.”
According to NASA’s plan, Crew-11 will leave the ISS on the evening of January 14. The next day, the spacecraft will splash down in the Pacific Ocean, where it will be picked up by the Shannon ship. Overloads during re-entry into the atmosphere can create additional risks for the astronaut — but NASA has well-developed scenarios for this case and instructions for ground crews.
After the departure of Crew-11, for the first time in many years, the ISS crew will be reduced to just three people. NASA astronaut Christopher Williams and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergei Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikayev will remain on board the station.
The launch of the next manned spacecraft to the ISS (Crew-12 mission) is currently scheduled for February 15. However, NASA is considering the possibility of postponing the date if possible.
According to Space
