WASHINGTON, Jan 9 (Bernama-Sputnik/RIA Novosti) – Crew-11 of the International Space Station (ISS) will be returned to Earth earlier than scheduled because of health issues of one of the crew members, Sputnik reported, quoting NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman.
“Yesterday, January 7, a single crew member on board the station experienced a medical situation and is now stable. After discussions with (NASA) Chief Health and Medical Officer, Dr. JD Polk, and leadership across the agency, I’ve come to the decision that it’s in the best interest of our astronauts to return Crew-11 ahead of the planned departure,” Isaacman said at a press conference.
He did not specify the name of the astronaut and what kind of health issues the crew member faced.
In turn, Polk stressed that the early return of Crew-11 could not be considered as an evacuation as the astronaut is in a stable condition.
Crew-11 of the ISS includes Russia’s Oleg Platonov and Japan’s Kimiya Yui, as well as Zena Cardman and Michael Fincke from the United States.
–BERNAMA-SPUTNIK