Just last week, four astronauts were evacuated from the International Space Station (ISS) due to a major health concern. This event turns out to be a fascinating epilogue to the long history of human spaceflight. This week, Big Pine’s eviction actually went down, and it drew both national and international media attention. It’s the first time such an event has been allowed since the ISS was launched and built starting in 1998.
On August 1, the astronauts docked with the ISS. During this time, they hoped to have the usual six and a half month duration in orbit. Alas, their mission was abruptly terminated about a month early by the medical situation. The mission’s leaders have painted an alarming picture of the public health crisis at stake. The specifics regarding what it is and what it is expected to accomplish are still embargoed.
As they get ready to come home, an upcoming spacewalk was unexpectedly canceled. The ruling highlights the seriousness of the ongoing crisis and acts in favor of protecting the health and safety of the crew members first. The ISS has been an incredible enabler of scientific research, international collaboration in space, and human spaceflight as a whole. Even with the evacuation, it remains business as usual.
And once they’d evacuated, the astronauts were completely safe from their hull failure. Each capsule landed successfully back on Earth. Their safe return serves as an important reminder of the strong protocols that have been developed for managing health emergencies in space. The event raises important issues regarding how health should be managed on the ISS. Astonishingly, it’s been 25 years since astronauts were last evacuated for such a serious potential cause.
The International Space Station, which went into orbit around Earth in 1998, has housed hundreds of astronauts from dozens of countries. More importantly, it serves as a radical innovation nexus. As a platform for exploration, this facility has been crucial in expanding our understanding of living and working in space.