Today, four astronauts come back down to earth. Their medical evacuation from the International Space Station (ISS) was driven by deteriorating health conditions of the crew. Mike Fincke, Zena Cardman, Kimiya Yui, and Oleg Platonov undocked from the ISS a month before planned. Instead, they completed their mission in just shy of six and a half months.
The Dragon team docked with the ISS on August 1 and wasted no time getting started with current research and ongoing experiments. One of the crew members became seriously ill, requiring a rapid return. As a result, the four astronauts disembarked from the Dragon Endeavour on Thursday at approximately 01:30 local time.
The return journey took 11 hours, culminating in a splashdown off the coast of California at 01:30 local time, which corresponds to 09:30 GMT. The early return has raised questions regarding the health protocols in place aboard the ISS and how they respond to medical emergencies.
During their time on the ISS, Fincke, Cardman, Yui, and Platonov engaged in critical scientific research that contributes to understanding human endurance in space and furthering exploration efforts. Their premature exit may threaten the completion of a lot of work that’s still in the pipeline. NASA officials stress that the health and safety of crew members is always their top priority.
With the Dragon Endeavour safely back, the 2023 International Dragon season soars on with more to come! This accomplishment underscores the tremendous risk and reward of human exploration. According to international space agencies, this is something that is being felt and experienced. They undoubtedly will put additional precautions in place to minimize health risks during future missions.