Astronauts descend to Earth after medical evacuation from the space station

Four astronauts evacuated from the International Space Station (ISS) have returned to Earth after their month-long stay in space was cut short due to a “serious” medical problem.

The crew leader, NASA astronaut Mike Finke, exited the spacecraft first, smiling and swinging slightly on his feet before lying down on a stretcher, following normal procedures.

They were followed by NASA’s Zina Cardman, Japan’s Kimiya Yui, and astronaut Oleg Platonov, waving and smiling for the cameras. “It’s so good to be home!” said Cardman.

This is the first time that astronauts have been evacuated due to a health problem since the station entered Earth orbit in 1998.

The team, known as Crew-11, will now undergo medical checks before being returned to Earth after crashing off the California coast.

In a press conference after the landing, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said that the sick astronaut was “well now” and in “good spirits.”

Judging by NASA’s previous communications about astronaut health, it is unlikely that the identity of the crew member or details of the health issue will be released to the public.

Control of the International Space Station was handed over to Russian cosmonaut Sergei Kud-Sverchkov and two other crew members.

The astronauts arrived at the International Space Station on August 1st expecting to complete their standard six-and-a-half-month stay. They were scheduled to return home in mid-February.

But last week, a spacewalk scheduled for Finke and Cardman was canceled at the last minute. Hours later, NASA revealed that a crew member had been infected with the disease.

“It’s bittersweet,” Finke said as he handed the keys to the International Space Station to Kud Sverchgov on Monday.

He confirmed in a post on social media that all crew members on board the plane were “stable, safe and receiving good care.”

The International Space Station (ISS) orbits Earth at an altitude of 250 miles, making 16 orbits around our planet every day, traveling at 17,500 miles per hour.

It is managed by five space agencies and conducts extensive scientific research into space and the effects of living in microgravity on humans, animals and plants.

The International Space Station carries some medical equipment and astronauts are trained to deal with minor medical problems, but it does not have a doctor on board.

The evacuation was a serious test of NASA’s procedures for dealing with medical issues.

By all accounts, it passed, although there may be questions about how responsive the agency would be if an astronaut had a medical emergency.

The early departure leaves the ISS with a crew of just three astronauts — NASA’s Chris Williams and astronauts Kud Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev — until four more arrive in February.

“Despite all the changes and all the difficulties, we will do our work on board the International Space Station, carry out all scientific and maintenance tasks here, no matter what,” Kud-Sverchkov said on Monday. Then he issued his first order – a group hug.

This accident is unprecedented in the history of the International Space Station, which has been permanently inhabited for 26 years.

Space missions have ended early due to health problems only twice before before.

In 1985, Soviet cosmonaut Vladimir Vasyutin and his colleagues returned four months early from a mission to the Salyut 7 space station due to a urinary tract problem.

In 1987, an irregular heartbeat led to Soviet cosmonaut Alexander Lavykin leaving the Mir space station early.

As more and more humans travel to space, including tourism and potentially occupying the Moon or even Mars, space experts say doctors will need to travel on missions.