After Mysterious Evacuation from the ISS, Astronauts Were Taken to Hospital: NASA Remains Silent 0 7

Last week, four astronauts returned to Earth from the ISS in an emergency. This was the first medical evacuation of a crew from the ISS organized by NASA. It is still unknown what happened to one of the astronauts, reports Futurism.

The mysterious illness of one astronaut aboard the ISS led NASA to conduct an urgent medical evacuation of the crew from the orbital station. Four astronauts returned to Earth, thus reducing the ISS crew to a minimum of three members.

Although the medical incident affected only one astronaut, whose identity has not yet been disclosed, all four members of the Crew-11 mission shortened their stay aboard the ISS by several weeks, as they were supposed to return home only in mid-February. However, they returned to Earth on January 15.

According to a statement from NASA, the four astronauts were flown by helicopter to a hospital in San Diego for further examination. Later, all astronauts were transferred to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, where they are undergoing rehabilitation and additional examinations.

NASA stated that the condition of all crew members is stable, but the U.S. space agency does not intend to disclose any details about the mysterious illness.

This is an extremely rare event, highlighting the complexities inherent in providing medical assistance in space. At hundreds of kilometers above the surface, specialized help is practically impossible to provide.

Although astronauts undergo basic medical training to respond to emergencies aboard the ISS, they are not full-fledged medical professionals and can only perform a limited number of actions under the guidance of doctors on Earth.

According to NASA officials, medical emergencies on the ISS occur very rarely, and this is the first case since 2000, when the ISS began receiving astronauts, where the crew was urgently evacuated due to illness.

Research has shown that the most common health issues among astronauts are skin irritation, nasal congestion, sleep disturbances, and in-flight injuries. Additionally, prolonged stays in microgravity conditions affect astronauts' vision and blood pressure.

Now that a medical emergency has finally occurred on the ISS, it is unclear whether the public will ever learn any details.