Overview
- Fincke said he experienced a Jan. 7 medical event that required immediate attention from crewmates, quickly stabilized with guidance from NASA flight surgeons, and that he is doing very well while completing post‑flight reconditioning in Houston.
- Crew-11 undocked Jan. 14 and splashed down off San Diego on Jan. 15, marking the first time an ISS staffing mission ended early for medical reasons after roughly five and a half months in orbit.
- The planned Jan. 8 spacewalk was canceled, and Fincke returned with Zena Cardman, Kimiya Yui, and Oleg Platonov, with no additional medical details disclosed.
- NASA initially withheld the affected astronaut’s identity for medical privacy and released Fincke’s name at his request, noting the return was not an emergency.
- ISS operations ran with three crew until SpaceX Crew-12 launched Feb. 13 and docked Feb. 14, and Fincke said a portable ultrasound on orbit proved helpful during the incident.