ISS astronauts begin journey back to Earth in Nasa's first ever medical evacuation

"Our timing of this departure is unexpected, Cardman said before the return trip, but what was not surprising to me was how well this crew came together as a family to help each other and just take care of each other. The US space agency has declined to disclose which crew member has the health problem or give details about the issue, but it has stressed the return is not an emergency. The affected crew member was and continues to be in stable condition, Nasa official Rob Navias said on Wednesday."

"First and foremost, we are all OK. Everyone on board is stable, safe, and well cared for, Fincke, the pilot of SpaceX Crew-11, said in a recent social media post. This was a deliberate decision to allow the right medical evaluations to happen on the ground, where the full range of diagnostic capability exists. It's the right call, even if it's a bit bittersweet."

"Computer modelling predicted a medical evacuation from the space station every three years, but Nasa hasn't had one in its 65 years of human spaceflight. The Russians have not been as fortunate. In 1985, Soviet cosmonaut Vladimir Vasyutin came down with a serious infection or related illness aboard his country's Salyut 7 space station, prompting an early return. A few other Soviet cosmonauts encountered less serious health issues that shortened their flights."

Four crew members—American astronauts Mike Fincke and Zena Cardman, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov, and Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui—undocked from the ISS at 2220 GMT after five months aboard. The mission was cut one month short because of a crew medical issue, prompting NASA's first medical evacuation. NASA declined to identify the affected crew member but said the person was stable and the return was not an emergency. The SpaceX Dragon carrying the four is scheduled to splash down off California around 0840 GMT. Crew members said everyone aboard is stable and returning allows fuller medical evaluation on the ground. Computer modelling had predicted a medevac every three years; NASA had not had one in 65 years.

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