NASA To Evacuate Astronauts from ISS Due to 'Serious' Medical Issue; Crew Expected to Land Near California on January 15
The US space agency has announced a medical evacuation plan for its astronauts on board the International Space Station (ISS) following a reported "serious" but undisclosed illness. The crew, set to leave the station no earlier than 5pm EST on Wednesday, January 14, is expected to land near California early on Thursday morning, January 15, depending on weather and recovery conditions.
In a surprise move, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman has decided that the best course of action for the astronauts is to return to Earth ahead of their planned departure. This decision was made after discussions with chief health and medical officer Dr James Polk and leadership across the agency.
According to Isaacman, the astronaut's condition is "serious," but not life-threatening. However, this has raised concerns about the risks associated with the evacuation process. "This is not an emergent evacuation," said Dr Polk, adding that the situation leaves a lingering risk for the astronaut on board.
The astronauts were introduced in August, when they arrived on a SpaceX capsule as part of Crew-11. The crew includes US Commander Zena Cardman, NASA astronaut Mike Fincke, Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui, and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov. However, three others - Chris Williams, Sergei Mikayev, and Sergei Kud-Sverchkov - will remain on the station.
The decision to bring the ISS out of orbit is part of NASA's long-term plan to retire the ageing space station by late 2030 or early 2031.
The US space agency has announced a medical evacuation plan for its astronauts on board the International Space Station (ISS) following a reported "serious" but undisclosed illness. The crew, set to leave the station no earlier than 5pm EST on Wednesday, January 14, is expected to land near California early on Thursday morning, January 15, depending on weather and recovery conditions.
In a surprise move, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman has decided that the best course of action for the astronauts is to return to Earth ahead of their planned departure. This decision was made after discussions with chief health and medical officer Dr James Polk and leadership across the agency.
According to Isaacman, the astronaut's condition is "serious," but not life-threatening. However, this has raised concerns about the risks associated with the evacuation process. "This is not an emergent evacuation," said Dr Polk, adding that the situation leaves a lingering risk for the astronaut on board.
The astronauts were introduced in August, when they arrived on a SpaceX capsule as part of Crew-11. The crew includes US Commander Zena Cardman, NASA astronaut Mike Fincke, Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui, and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov. However, three others - Chris Williams, Sergei Mikayev, and Sergei Kud-Sverchkov - will remain on the station.
The decision to bring the ISS out of orbit is part of NASA's long-term plan to retire the ageing space station by late 2030 or early 2031.
! I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that one of our astronauts is dealing with a serious medical issue in space 
. Like, what even happens up there if you're not feeling well? Do they have hospitals or something? 
, but at the same time, I'm worried about the risks involved 
. It's like, how do you know what's going to happen in space when there's no medical help right away? 
. What about the other four who are being left behind? Don't they need some TLC too? 
i mean, i know it's not life-threatening, but still... what if they get worse up there and can't make it back down? 
and now they have to evacuate the whole station because of one person? that's just a recipe for disaster. 
i don't think i'd want to be in their shoes right now, stuck on that tiny spacecraft with no way out. 
and what about all the stuff they're gonna leave behind up there? it's not like we can just send someone else back up to collect it... 
, first it's a medical issue then they gotta evacuate and now what's gonna happen when they get back to Earth? like, are we really ready for this? 
i hope everything goes smoothly but seriously, who knew space travel could be so complicated 
and land safely near Cali on Jan 15th 
. This is wild tho, who knew NASA had a plan B for ISS emergencies 
. The thing is, it's not like life or death or anything... but still, the risks are there, u feel? 
Guess we'll just have to wait & see how they do 
. And can you believe NASA's plan to retire the ISS by 2030? That's so soon 
! What's happening to all that research and tech they've developed over the years? 
Hopefully, they'll get better and we'll see more amazing things from space in the future 
A serious medical issue in space?! That's wild! 
I wonder what kind of medical issue it is... 
"The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall." 
she and her crewmates have been on iss for months now and i was so invested in their journey 
but then this comes out and it's like they're getting evacuated early???! what if she doesn't make it back to earth safely? 
i'm not gonna lie though, i'm a little worried 
but we gotta support zena and her crew and wish them the best on this crazy medical journey 
SpaceX is sending them their private capsule to come back to earth and they're going to land near california 
can't wait for updates on zena's recovery!!! 
Can we get some actual details here? Like what's going on with this guy and why did it take them so long to notice?
. I'm all for exploring space and pushing the boundaries of human knowledge, but can we please have some transparency here? A little info would be nice 
.
omg can you believe what's happening?! so there's this "serious" medical issue on the iss and they're evacuating the crew 
Oh my goodness!!! I'm literally shook! A medical evacuation from space? That's wild! 
. Fingers crossed everything goes smoothly on January 15th 
. And now they're evacuating the crew and bringing the ISS out of orbit... just great 
. We've been warned about this retirement thing by 2030/2031 
.
Oh noooo, can't believe it 
on Jan 15th 
. Not sure why they're taking this risk 
.
! But I guess it's all about upgrading and new adventures 
and speedy recoveries 