Overview
- Michael Fincke said in a new interview that he abruptly lost the ability to speak on the International Space Station in January 2026 for about 20 minutes and felt no pain.
- Crews alerted flight surgeons on Earth and used a handheld ultrasound on board, and NASA then canceled a planned spacewalk and arranged an early return later in January 2026.
- Post‑landing hospital tests ruled out a heart attack and choking, and doctors have not identified a cause for the episode.
- Fincke, a veteran with 549 days in space across four missions, was about five and a half months into his latest stay when the problem struck during dinner before a planned spacewalk.
- NASA is reviewing astronaut medical histories and accelerating work on autonomous diagnostics and treatment systems because deep‑space crews cannot count on quick evacuation.