'We Are All OK': Astronaut Breaks Silence on Historic ISS Medical Evacuation

NASA astronaut Mike Fincke has broken his silence on the International Space Station's first-ever medical evacuation. In a personal LinkedIn post, he assured the public his crew is safe whilst describing their early return as 'bittersweet'.

Writing on 11 January, the 58-year-old told followers that he and his Crew-11 colleagues are 'all OK'.

In a LinkedIn post that departed from NASA's official channels, Fincke said everyone aboard (commander Zena Cardman, Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui, and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov) is 'stable, safe, and well cared for'. It's an unusually personal touch from an astronaut addressing what has become a historic moment for spaceflight.

The crew will undock from the ISS at 5:00 p.m. EST on Wednesday, 14 January. Splashdown off the California coast is expected at roughly 3:40 a.m. EST the following morning. This marks the first time in the space station's 25-year history that a mission has been cut short because of a medical concern.

A Deliberate Decision, Not An Emergency

NASA hasn't identified which crew member is affected. The agency announced the medical issue on 8 January but hasn't disclosed any details about the condition itself, citing standard medical privacy policies.

What Fincke made clear, though, is that this isn't a panic situation.

'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 wrote. 'It's the right call, even if it's a bit bittersweet.'

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman emphasised this is a 'controlled medical evacuation', not an emergency. CBS News reported that officials confirmed the crew member is stable. They simply need equipment and diagnostic tools that only exist on Earth.

Station Left With Skeleton Crew

When Crew-11 leaves, the ISS will have just three people aboard. That's the smallest crew complement in years.

NASA's Chris Williams and Russian cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergey Mikaev will keep things running. The trio arrived on 27 November 2025 aboard Soyuz MS-28. They're scheduled to stay until July 2026, which means Williams will be the sole American operator for NASA's systems until Crew-12 arrives.

That mission is currently pencilled in for no earlier than 15 February, though NASA might accelerate it depending on how operations go.

The seat-swap arrangement between NASA and Roscosmos exists for precisely this reason. By ensuring at least one American and one Russian stay aboard, both segments of the station can continue operating. The US and Russian modules are interdependent, each requiring operators from their respective countries to maintain critical systems.

Preparations Underway For Thursday Splashdown

Fincke's post included a photo of the crew checking their pressure suits. 'This photo was taken as we prepared our space suits for return', he explained, 'a normal, methodical step in getting ready to come home, and a reminder that this decision was made calmly and carefully, with people at the centre'.

Those suit checks aren't just routine. Living in microgravity changes your body. Spines lengthen, fluids shift towards your head. All of this affects how your suit fits.

The crew has also spent time testing audio and video systems in their suits ahead of departure.

Once they undock on Wednesday evening, Dragon Endeavour will fire its engines several times to pull away from the station. More burns will lower its orbit before the capsule jettisons its trunk and plunges into the atmosphere. About 11 hours after leaving the ISS, they'll splash down in the Pacific.

A SpaceX recovery ship will fish them out and conduct initial medical checks. Then it's a helicopter ride to shore and a NASA flight to Houston's Johnson Space Center for a full evaluation.

Historic Precedent And Future Missions

This isn't the first medical evacuation from orbit, just the first from the ISS.

Back in November 1985, Soviet Salyut 7 commander Vladimir Vasyutin fell seriously ill two months into his mission. He returned early with his crewmates, though Soviet officials never specified what was wrong, according to The Scientific American.

This is the same privacy policy NASA is following today.

NASA's chief medical officer, James Polk, said their statistical models suggested a medical evacuation should happen roughly every three years. 'And we've not had one to date', he noted. 'Even in this case, we're erring on the side of caution.'

Crew-11 launched on 1 August 2025. They were meant to come home around 20 February 2026, making this return about five weeks early. Before they leave, Fincke will hand over station command to cosmonaut Sergey Kud-Sverchkov in a ceremony on Monday.

His LinkedIn post closed with gratitude for the international effort that made their mission possible. 'What stands out most to me is how clearly NASA cares about its people', Fincke wrote. 'We're proud of the joint work we've done and the camaraderie we've shared, including some great songs and more than a few dad jokes.'

'We're grateful for the teamwork, proud of the mission, and looking forward to coming home soon', he added. 'Back to our loved ones and to resolving any medical questions with the best care available.'