NASA astronaut Mike Fincke, the commander of the International Space Station, revealed that he was the crew member whose medical issue required a group of space station fliers to cut short their mission and return early to Earth in January.
Fincke, 58, did not provide details about the medical issue nor his current health status, although he called out his colleagues and others involved in his care for their “professionalism and dedication,” which “ensured a positive outcome” for him.
“On Jan. 7, while aboard the International Space Station, I experienced a medical event that required immediate attention from my incredible crewmates. Thanks to their quick response and the guidance of our NASA flight surgeons, my status quickly stabilized,” Fincke said in a statement, which NASA shared on Wednesday.
“After further evaluation, NASA determined the safest course was an early return for Crew-11 — not an emergency, but a carefully coordinated plan to be able to take advantage of advanced medical imaging not available on the space station,” Fincke added. He and three other members of Crew 11 landed in a splashdown Jan. 15 off the coast of San Diego, concluding what he described as “an amazing five-and-a-half-month mission.”
Fincke expressed gratitude for his fellow crew, including commander Zena Cardman, Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov, who returned with him, and Chris Williams, Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikayev, who did not. He also thanked NASA, SpaceX, which operated the recovery ship where the four of them received medical checks after landing, as well as Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla, where he had additional treatment.
“I’m doing very well and continuing standard post-flight reconditioning at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston,” Fincke said, adding: “Spaceflight is an incredible privilege, and sometimes it reminds us just how human we are. Thank you all for your support.”
