NASA Astronaut Describes Mystery Illness That Forced Emergency Space Evacuation
A NASA astronaut is describing the mystery illness that struck him suddenly in space, resulting in an emergency evacuation.
Astronaut Mike Fincke, who has been to space four times, told the Associated Press that he was struck with the illness while eating dinner. He briefly lost the ability to speak. "He couldn’t talk and remembers no pain, but his anxious crewmates jumped into action after seeing him in distress and requested help from flight surgeons on the ground," the AP reported.
What it was, nobody knows.
Max Fincke Said the Illness Occurred 'Completely Out of the Blue'
Fincke opened up about the illness at Houston's Johnson Space Center.
“It was completely out of the blue. It was just amazingly quick,” he told the AP, which noted that the illness lasted for about 20 minutes, and he's now feeling fine.
The evacuation of Crew-11 was from the International Space Station (ISS). It was "the first early return of a crew in more than 25 years of continual occupancy for the orbiting laboratory," according to Astronomy.com. NASA previously revealed Fincke's identity.
The Astronaut Said NASA Believes the Ailment Was 'a Space-Related Thing'
(Photo by NASA/Bill Ingalls/Anadolu via Getty Images)
In a video shared by NBC News, Fincke said, "We couldn't figure out exactly what the heck is going on, so we came back down to the ground." He said he received many scans and is now "doing great."
Fincke said he's been enjoying time with his family back on Earth. "We couldn't tell. It was one of those things that the doctors are still scratching their heads," according to Fincke. He didn't have a stroke or heart attack, the data showed. "We cleared out all the really tough things," he added. "We are almost 100% sure that this is a space-related thing."
He said that spending time in zero gravity can cause issues, and it's important to better understand those effects.
Max Fincke Explained That the Crew 'Splashed Down Off the Coast of San Diego' After Spending More Than 5 Months in Space
NASA previously released a detailed statement from Fincke. “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," it says.
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. On Jan. 15, we splashed down off the coast of San Diego after an amazing five-and-a-half-month mission," added the statement.
"I am deeply grateful to my fellow Expedition 74 members—Zena Cardman, Kimiya Yui, Oleg Platonov, Chris Williams, Sergey Kud-Sverchkov, and Sergei Mikayev—as well as the entire NASA team, SpaceX, and the medical professionals at Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla near San Diego. Their professionalism and dedication ensured a positive outcome," the statement continued.
"I’m doing very well and continuing standard post-flight reconditioning at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. Spaceflight is an incredible privilege, and sometimes it reminds us just how human we are. Thank you all for your support.”