After the first-ever medical evacuation from the International Space Station, Pittsburgh native astronaut Mike Fincke says the health scare turned out to be a false alarm.Fincke told Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 on Monday that testing back on Earth confirmed his good health and that he is recovering well.”It turns out that the things that they were worried about were not real. I didn’t have a stroke. I didn’t have a heart attack. All these things that they thought might have happened absolutely didn’t happen,” Fincke said during a Zoom interview from Houston, Texas.Fincke was one of four astronauts on the SpaceX Crew-11 mission, spending five and a half months in space conducting various experiments and maintenance on the ISS. The crew returned to Earth in January, just shy of completing their full mission.During the interview Monday, Fincke hinted at a possible role in the NFL Draft that will be held April 23-25 in Pittsburgh. He said there could be an announcement in the coming days.”We can talk about it just as a work in progress, but of course, I’m a big Steelers fan, so any chance to do any work with the NFL is always appreciated,” Fincke said. “We’ll see what the needs of the agency are, what the NFL needs. The draft is a really big deal.”Regardless of his potential involvement in the NFL draft, Fincke plans to return to Pittsburgh soon to visit his parents, who still reside in the area.Fincke also talked about some of the work accomplished on the ISS that he is most proud of, including a lot of work with private companies researching stem cells.”Where a company is trying to make a product, and that they have purchased time aboard the International Space Station. It’s a national laboratory, so we were glad to help to get some fundamental research done,” he said.The Artemis mission is set to launch in April, and Fincke said he feels optimistic about going back to space. That mission is in preparation for another moon landing. Fincke said he would love to take a walk on the moon and isn’t ruling it out.Download the WTAE app to stay connected with breaking news. Sign up for our email newsletters to get breaking news in your inbox.

After the first-ever medical evacuation from the International Space Station, Pittsburgh native astronaut Mike Fincke says the health scare turned out to be a false alarm.

Fincke told Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 on Monday that testing back on Earth confirmed his good health and that he is recovering well.

“It turns out that the things that they were worried about were not real. I didn’t have a stroke. I didn’t have a heart attack. All these things that they thought might have happened absolutely didn’t happen,” Fincke said during a Zoom interview from Houston, Texas.

Fincke was one of four astronauts on the SpaceX Crew-11 mission, spending five and a half months in space conducting various experiments and maintenance on the ISS. The crew returned to Earth in January, just shy of completing their full mission.

During the interview Monday, Fincke hinted at a possible role in the NFL Draft that will be held April 23-25 in Pittsburgh. He said there could be an announcement in the coming days.

“We can talk about it just as a work in progress, but of course, I’m a big Steelers fan, so any chance to do any work with the NFL is always appreciated,” Fincke said. “We’ll see what the needs of the agency are, what the NFL needs. The draft is a really big deal.”

Regardless of his potential involvement in the NFL draft, Fincke plans to return to Pittsburgh soon to visit his parents, who still reside in the area.

Fincke also talked about some of the work accomplished on the ISS that he is most proud of, including a lot of work with private companies researching stem cells.

“Where a company is trying to make a product, and that they have purchased time aboard the International Space Station. It’s a national laboratory, so we were glad to help to get some fundamental research done,” he said.

The Artemis mission is set to launch in April, and Fincke said he feels optimistic about going back to space. That mission is in preparation for another moon landing. Fincke said he would love to take a walk on the moon and isn’t ruling it out.

Download the WTAE app to stay connected with breaking news. Sign up for our email newsletters to get breaking news in your inbox.