NASA has ordered the controlled medical evacuation of four crew members on board the International Space Station (ISS) due to a "medical situation" one of them experienced earlier this week. The decision was made by NASA officials, who cited privacy concerns and a desire to err on the side of caution.
The crew member, whose identity has not been disclosed, is part of the Crew-11 mission, which launched in August and was set to return to Earth in February. Instead, the entire crew will depart the ISS in the coming days, with SpaceX's recovery ship dispatched from Southern California to sail for the splashdown zone in the Pacific.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said that while the astronaut is "absolutely stable," the agency decided to bring them home early due to a "lingering risk" of their health if they remained in orbit. The decision was made after discussions with NASA's chief health and medical officer, Dr. JD Polk, who confirmed that the crew member did not require an emergent evacuation.
This is the first time NASA has cut short a human spaceflight mission for medical reasons, although the agency has previously experienced medical evacuations in the past. In 1985, the Soviet Union ended an expedition to the Salyut 7 space station due to its commander falling ill in orbit.
The early departure of Crew-11 means that NASA will be unable to perform spacewalks and may face a "slightly elevated risk" of responding to a major hardware failure that might require a spacewalk. The agency has never before performed a controlled medical evacuation from the vehicle, according to Dr. Kshatriya.
The ISS serves as a testbed for learning how to live and work off the planet, and NASA will use this experience to inform future on-orbit operations, including its pursuit of a lunar base and deep space missions to Mars.
The crew member, whose identity has not been disclosed, is part of the Crew-11 mission, which launched in August and was set to return to Earth in February. Instead, the entire crew will depart the ISS in the coming days, with SpaceX's recovery ship dispatched from Southern California to sail for the splashdown zone in the Pacific.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said that while the astronaut is "absolutely stable," the agency decided to bring them home early due to a "lingering risk" of their health if they remained in orbit. The decision was made after discussions with NASA's chief health and medical officer, Dr. JD Polk, who confirmed that the crew member did not require an emergent evacuation.
This is the first time NASA has cut short a human spaceflight mission for medical reasons, although the agency has previously experienced medical evacuations in the past. In 1985, the Soviet Union ended an expedition to the Salyut 7 space station due to its commander falling ill in orbit.
The early departure of Crew-11 means that NASA will be unable to perform spacewalks and may face a "slightly elevated risk" of responding to a major hardware failure that might require a spacewalk. The agency has never before performed a controlled medical evacuation from the vehicle, according to Dr. Kshatriya.
The ISS serves as a testbed for learning how to live and work off the planet, and NASA will use this experience to inform future on-orbit operations, including its pursuit of a lunar base and deep space missions to Mars.
just when you think space travel is all about adventure & discovery... 
it's real-life medical emergencies that can get in the way 
can't say I'm surprised tho, NASA's always prioritizing safety 
especially with a medical situation like this... what are the chances of something going wrong in orbit? 
hopefully the crew member recovers fully & doesn't have any lingering issues 
just wondering why they can't do a remote check in or something 
they're literally gonna fly all the way back from space just to make sure one person is stable 
it's like having a super expensive ambulance service in orbit 
y'know i've been thinking about nasa's decision & it seems kinda extreme? like, if there's no emergent situation they're just gonna pull the astronaut out? what's next? bringing them home for a flu shot? 
anyway, gotta respect their caution but also curious to know more about this "lingering risk" - any idea what that might be? 
. I'm thinking this might be more than just a simple medical issue... maybe some kind of experimental treatment or something that doesn't want to get out in the public eye 
. And what's with SpaceX being there at the last minute? Are they trying to cover their tracks or something? 
NASA's got some "space" issues 
Can't say I blame them for prioritizing health over a spacewalk, though 
. And what about all the prep work for those spacewalks? That's gotta be a major setback 
! can't just send someone home and expect them to magically recover from a "lingering risk" 
? it seems kinda lazy to me 
. plus, all this drama's gonna cost nasa more money in the long run 
just another example of how we're still figuring out space travel... it's a good thing they're prioritizing safety over schedule, but it does make me wonder what kind of "lingering risk" is really going on here 
NASA's got this, right? 
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meanwhile we have more pressing issues on earth like climate change and stuff 
! Can you believe they're leaving the ISS early because of a "lingering risk" of their health? Like, what exactly is that? 
And now they have to cut short this whole mission thingy just for one person... it's like overkill, man. 
I get that safety is key and all, but can't you just wait and see how things go instead of just being super cautious? 
It was like the ultimate adventure, man...
They're basically like, testing out their protocols and whatnot... I just hope they can figure out a way to make sure everyone gets back home safely 
. I get it tho, can't risk their health but what about the science tho?