4 astronauts return to Earth after medical issue forces early ISS exit

By Jackie Wattles, CNN

(CNN) — Four astronauts aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule splashed down early Thursday in the Pacific Ocean, ending a weeklong effort to get an unnamed crew member home to evaluate a medical issue.

The crew left the International Space Station at 5:20 p.m. ET Wednesday aboard the spacecraft and are on a 10-hour journey, gradually lowering in altitude and preparing to reenter Earth’s atmosphere.

The astronauts, part of a mission called Crew-11, then splashed down just after 3:40 a.m ET Thursday off the coast of San Diego and were greeted by the sight of a few dolphins swimming nearby.

The crew is now on board a recovery ship that was able to haul their SpaceX capsule out of the ocean after splashdown. As is routine when astronauts return from long-duration stays on the ISS, gurneys were used to assist the crew with mobility as they readjust to life with gravity.

All four crew members were seen smiling, waving and offering thumbs up as they exited the spacecraft.

The astronauts are now expected to undergo routine medical checks, which is common for all people returning from space.

It’s still unclear which crew member is experiencing a health concern, though that person is expected to be transported to a hospital — which is not a common step post-flight.

“We want to take advantage of resources on Earth to provide the best care possible. NASA maintains relationships with local hospitals to ensure readiness for any post-landing needs, and for this return, we are utilizing that option as part of our normal preparedness,” NASA spokesperson Leah Cheshier said during the Thursday webcast of the event.

NASA has not disclosed the name of the affected astronaut or the nature of their condition other than to say the person has been in stable condition and did not require special arrangements for the return trip. Typically, medical information is kept confidential to ensure an astronaut’s privacy.

NASA made the decision to bring the Crew-11 astronauts home last week after the space agency announced it was canceling a planned spacewalk due to a medical issue.

“This is not an injury that occurred in the pursuit of operations,” said Dr. James Polk, chief health and medical officer at NASA headquarters, during a January 8 news conference.

Rather, the problem relates to having a “medical issue in the difficult areas of microgravity,” Polk added, noting that NASA wanted to bring the astronaut home to make use of diagnostic tools. While the International Space Station does have a suite of medical equipment, it does not have all the tools a typical emergency room would have.

NASA’s Mike Fincke and Zena Cardman would have carried out the spacewalk that was canceled — both are members of the Crew-11 team. The duo is returning home alongside crewmates Kimiya Yui of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov of Roscosmos.

Returning to Earth

The journey home can take a toll on astronauts’ bodies; the g-forces experienced as the Crew Dragon capsule dives back toward Earth can reach more than five times the force of Earth’s gravity.

The mission’s final stretch is also among the most dangerous as the Crew Dragon capsule reentered the atmosphere at more than 22 times the speed of sound. The process is known to heat the exterior of the returning spacecraft to more than 3,500 degrees Fahrenheit (1,926 degrees Celsius), creating a buildup of plasma and triggering a minutes-long communication blackout.

Who is left on board the space station?

Crew-11 originally had been slated to depart the space station in mid-February, only after a replacement team — the Crew-12 astronauts — would have arrived to take over operations.

The Crew-11 astronauts’ premature departure leaves the football field-size space station with three staff members: two Russian cosmonauts, Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev, as well as NASA astronaut Chris Williams, who traveled to the orbiting laboratory as part of a rideshare agreement with Russia.

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