That journey ended today with four astronauts returning safely to Earth from the ISS following a dramatic medical evacuation. Among them are Americans Mike Fincke and Zena Cardman, Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov. Crew 11 arrived at the ISS on August 1st. They were originally only supposed to be aboard for six and a half months.
One crew member fell ill, triggering mission control to put health and safety first. So, they made the very hard decision to come home a month early. The spacecraft used for their journey back was the Dragon Endeavour, which successfully disembarked from the space station at approximately 01:30 local time and 09:30 GMT.
After an 11-day journey, the Dragon Endeavour splashed down off the coast of California on just the second occasion a U.S. This was an extraordinary moment which turned out to be one of their last moments together for the astronauts. Since arriving at the ISS, they’d been working hard on scientific research and experiments.
Mike Fincke, a veteran astronaut with decades of experience under his belt. His work on six missions to the ISS has advanced scientific space knowledge. Zena Cardman, a recently inducted member of the astronaut corps, has an essential role in scientific explorations. Her contributions while in space have already proven to be influential. Kimiya Yui, representing Japan, is another well-experienced astronaut, with 2 past missions already under his belt. Oleg Platonov, a veteran cosmonaut with years of professional training, accompanied them on this historic trip.
The early return of Crew 11 reminds us that having a plan to address health concerns quickly is critical in space missions. NASA and its global partners’ commitment to the safety of all crew members aboard the ISS is unwavering.