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\t\t\t NASA\/Bill Ingalls\/Anadolu via Getty Images\n\t<\/p>\n
Four astronauts had to cut their mission on board the International Space Station short after a \u201cmedical concern<\/a>\u201d forced NASA to return them to Earth weeks early<\/a>.<\/p>\n The space agency has been incredibly careful about not revealing too much in an effort to \u201cprotect the crew\u2019s medical privacy<\/a>.\u201d We don\u2019t know which of the four crew members \u2014 including NASA astronauts Mike Fincke and Zena Cardman, Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui, and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov \u2014 fell ill. We also don\u2019t know anything about what the medical issue actually was.<\/p>\n Now, Fincke has revealed a tantalizing clue about what went down during the first medical evacuation in the space station\u2019s 25 years of continuous occupation. During their first public appearance<\/a> following the medical evacuation on Wednesday \u2014 during which all four members appeared to be doing well enough to field questions \u2014 Fincke said that an onboard ultrasound machine \u201ccame in super handy\u201d when \u201cwe had this emergency.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt really helped,\u201d he added. \u201cOf course, we didn\u2019t have other big machines that we have here on planet Earth. We do try to make sure that everybody before we fly are really, really not prone to surprises.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut sometimes things happen and surprises happen, and the team was ready,\u201d Fincke said.<\/p>\n Yui agreed with that sentiment.<\/p>\n \u201cWe can handle any kind of difficult situation,\u201d he told reporters. \u201cThis is actually very, very good experience for the future of human spaceflight.\u201d<\/p>\n While we now know that identifying the medical issue involves using a portable ultrasound machine, we\u2019re still left guessing, since a litany of diagnoses can involve the versatile gadget.<\/p>\n After splashdown, the team was helicoptered<\/a> to the Scripps Memorial Hospital<\/a>\u00a0in San Diego via helicopter for a \u201cplanned overnight stay at a local medical facility for additional evaluation,\u201d and was \u201creleased as expected,\u201d per NASA.<\/p>\n Among other things, ultrasound can be used to identify issues affecting muscles, joints, and tendons. Considering one of the most common types of injuries<\/a> on board the space station is musculoskeletal in nature \u2014 a 2020 report<\/a> suggests exercise is ironically the number one source of injuries \u2014 it\u2019s entirely possible one of the crew members had injured themselves.<\/p>\n Medical professionals also use ultrasound for cancer screening and checking heart valves for leaks and clots, which could certainly make for an extremely serious situation on board the space station that would warrant an evacuation.<\/p>\n To be clear, NASA hasn\u2019t revealed any details about what caused the agency to orchestrate the first-ever medical evacuation. And whether it ever will remains unclear. Before even jumping into questions during Wednesday\u2019s conference, Cardman preempted any probing questions.<\/p>\n \u201cJust to say it upfront, we are not going to be identifying the crew member or talking through the differential or any of the details of the medical situation,\u201d she said. \u201cThank you so much for respecting our agency.\u201d <\/p>\n Nonetheless, given the stakes involved, this month\u2019s evacuation is a first test in case things were to go wrong during even longer missions into deep space \u2014 like NASA\u2019s Artemis 2 mission<\/a> to the Moon, which is scheduled to launch just over two weeks from now<\/a> \u2014 in a possibility that the agency will have to prepare for no matter what.<\/p>\n \u201cHow we handled everything all the way through nominal operations to this unforeseen operation, it really bodes well for future exploration,\u201d Fincke said.<\/p>\n We\u2019re a well-honed machine here at Johnson Space Center and around the world,\u201d he added. \u201cSo when we\u2019re getting ready for Artemis, I am very optimistic.\u201d<\/p>\n