NASA’s Mike Fincke has publicly identified himself as the space explorer whose health issue necessitated the agency’s inaugural medical repatriation from orbit.
In a formal declaration, the 58-year-old seasoned astronaut revealed that he was the crew member experiencing health complications during the prior month aboard the International Space Station.
While the specific nature of his ailment was not disclosed, he explained that his condition promptly stabilized due to the diligent care of his fellow crew members and the remote medical guidance from flight surgeons on Earth.
Fincke affirmed that he is currently in good health.
“The experience of spaceflight is an extraordinary gift, and at times, it serves as a profound reminder of our shared humanity,” he stated in his announcement.
Fincke commenced his journey into space last summer alongside three other individuals aboard a SpaceX mission.
Their orbital endeavor concluded prematurely on January 15th, one week subsequent to his encounter with what he described as a “medical incident requiring immediate intervention” from his astronaut colleagues.
The medical concern also led to the postponement of a scheduled extravehicular activity (EVA) that had been planned for Fincke and another NASA astronaut.
Upon their successful reentry into Earth’s atmosphere and subsequent splashdown in the Pacific Ocean, all four astronauts were transported to a medical facility in San Diego. The following day, they were flown back to their home base in Houston.
With the identity of the affected astronaut initially undisclosed, Fincke mentioned at a press briefing approximately a week after their return that the space station’s integrated ultrasound apparatus proved invaluable during the critical medical situation.
He further clarified on Wednesday that his condition did not constitute an emergency, but rather that the crew aimed “to leverage advanced medical diagnostic capabilities not originally equipped on the space station.”
A retired Colonel in the U.S. Air Force, Fincke embarked on his astronaut career in 1996 and has accumulated a total of 549 days in space across four distinct missions.
