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NASA ISS

NASA Reveals Identity of Astronaut Who Suffered Medical Incident Aboard ISS (nbcnews.com) 25

Longtime Slashdot reader ArchieBunker shares a report from NBC News: NASA revealed that astronaut Mike Fincke was the crew member who suffered a medical incident at the International Space Station in January, which prompted the agency to carry out the first evacuation due to a medical issue in the space station's 25-year history. The rare decision to cut a mission short and bring Fincke and three other crew members home early made for a dramatic week in space early this year.

In a statement released by NASA "at the request of Fincke," the veteran astronaut said he experienced a medical event on Jan. 7 "that required immediate attention" from his space station crew members. "Thanks to their quick response and the guidance of our NASA flight surgeons, my status quickly stabilized," Fincke, 58, said in the statement. [...] In his statement, Fincke thanked his Crew-11 colleagues, along with NASA astronaut Chris Williams and Russian cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev, who were also aboard the space station at the time and are still in space. Fincke also thanked the teams at NASA, SpaceX and the medical professionals at Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla. "Their professionalism and dedication ensured a positive outcome," he said.

Fincke ended his statement by saying he is "doing very well" and still actively involved with standard post-flight reconditioning at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. "Spaceflight is an incredible privilege, and sometimes it reminds us just how human we are," he said. "Thank you for all your support."

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NASA Reveals Identity of Astronaut Who Suffered Medical Incident Aboard ISS

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  • by sizzlinkitty ( 1199479 ) on Friday February 27, 2026 @03:02AM (#66013116)

    I'm going to guess this is related to a heart issue, he could have had a small heart attack...

    • I would have guessed a small stroke. Of course, the theory of an accidental pregnancy was my favorite until they revealed it was a guy with the medical issue.

      • Of course, the theory of an accidental pregnancy was my favorite until they revealed it was a guy with the medical issue.

        I have it from a good source that folks are going into space one gender and coming back another, so really, anything is possible.

      • I would have guessed a small stroke. Of course, the theory of an accidental pregnancy was my favorite until they revealed it was a guy with the medical issue.

        Heart attack caused by creating a pregnancy!

    • by Viol8 ( 599362 )

      Could have been a number of things that suddenly occur, eg appendix.

      • What peaks the interest is that whilst it was something urgent, it was low risk enough that instead of scheduling an emergency return at the next available slot, the return was scheduled a week after the situation was reported.

        What types of cases would result in such a scenario? A condition threatening internal rupture at any moment, such as appendix, would have demanded an immediate dispatch.

        • by unrtst ( 777550 )

          Right!?!?!? At first announcement, I wasn't very interested. But the more info came out, the more obvious it became/becomes that they're NOT disclosing what the actual medical condition was/is. Now they're telling us who, and even a statement from them, but _STILL_ not saying what it was!?!?!? YOU'RE KILLING ME WITH CURIOSITY, NASA!

          People have a right to medical privacy - I'll accept that. But WTF is it that warrants that much privacy and yet has this much disclosed? If I shit myself (in space), I might no

    • A bout of explosive diarrhea.

      He damn near killed them all.

      He should have known better than to hit that taco truck the night before. They're really lucky that it didn't last long.

  • by _merlin ( 160982 ) on Friday February 27, 2026 @05:10AM (#66013234) Homepage Journal

    There were a pile of the usual idiots commenting on every related story here insisting it had to be a pregnancy. Where are they now so we can laugh at them for being wrong about one more thing?

    • by Zak3056 ( 69287 )

      Conspiracy people will simply say this was just a cover-up and that Zena Cardman was the pregnant one. If no baby materializes, they will say she came back to have an abortion (and suggest she be jailed or executed for it).

    • There were a pile of the usual idiots commenting on every related story here insisting it had to be a pregnancy.

      While I was not one of those people, I considered it and it seemed like a legitimate possibility. The logic being that the astronauts' health and vitals are monitored closely before the the launch which makes these kind of medical emergencies so rare, given that this is the first one in it's 25 year history. However, it can take a few days before sperm finally fertilizes an egg which means a pregnancy could initiate a couple days after reaching space and thus all the vitals up to that point would be entirel

    • by Tablizer ( 95088 )

      Prove Mike Fincke is not pregnant!

  • Folks - I don't mind medical 'privacy' in our personal lives. But the possible effects of space travel on the human body should be shared with everyone, symptoms and treatments. Not buried in confidential files. Especially when the trip is direct taxpayer money. Solution - simply have them sign a waver before acceptance to the NASA astronaut corp.
  • by butt0nm4n ( 1736412 ) on Friday February 27, 2026 @08:03AM (#66013332)

    And the backup lifeboat?

    It's just a capsule right? Doubles up as the fart box when not in use.

  • by groobly ( 6155920 )

    The guy is 58 years old. That makes cardiac the most likely issue, but it could be anything -- prostate, kidney stone, TIA, and the list is long at that age.

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