Overview
- Astronaut Mike Fincke lost the ability to speak for about 20 minutes during dinner on January 7, 2026, the night after preparing for a spacewalk.
- Crewmates called flight surgeons in Houston and used the station’s ultrasound for checks, and NASA canceled the planned spacewalk.
- SpaceX returned the four-person Crew-11 to Earth early on January 15, and the crew went straight to Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla for advanced imaging.
- Doctors ruled out a heart attack and choking, the cause remains unknown, and NASA is reviewing other astronauts’ records for similar incidents while considering microgravity effects from Fincke’s 549 days in space.
- Officials say the case underscores limits of in-space care that relies on remote doctors and basic tools like ultrasound, a gap NASA aims to close as it prepares for longer Moon and Mars missions.