An astronaut in need of medical attention has been successfully evacuated from the International Space Station along with three crewmates. Wednesday’s return cut the missions of NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui, and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov short by over a month. After splashing down off the coast of California, outgoing space station commander Fincke exited first, smiling, waving, and wobbling, before following procedure and falling into a gurney. “It’s so good to be home,” said Cardman. They launched in August and were expected to remain on the space station until late February. In a post shared to social media earlier this week, Fincke said the astronaut in need of medical care, who officials declined to identify, was “stable, safe and well cared for.” “This was a deliberate decision to allow the right medical evaluations to happen on the ground, where the full range of diagnostic capability exists,” he added. Prior to their return trip, Cardman said, “Our timing of this departure is unexpected, but what was not surprising to me was how well this crew came together as a family to help each other and just take care of each other.” Three people remain on the ISS.
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