Astronaut says ISS crew in good shape after medical issue

Astronaut Mike Fincke said he and his Crew 11 colleagues are stable and well cared for after NASA announced an early return because of a reported medical issue, with undocking planned for Wednesday.

Astronaut Mike Fincke said he and his Crew 11 crewmates are stable, safe and well cared for after NASA announced they will return to Earth early because of a reported medical issue. NASA told the crew to cut the mission short after a crew member reported a medical concern, and the agency has not identified the astronaut or disclosed the condition under medical privacy rules. Fincke wrote that bringing the crew home was the right call and praised flight surgeons and ground teams for acting calmly and professionally. Known details: - Crew 11 includes Mike Fincke, Zena Cardman, Kimiya Yui and Oleg Platonov. - NASA announced the early return after a crew member reported a medical issue; the individual and the condition were not identified. - Fincke said the crew are "stable, safe and well cared for" and are preparing to return. - If all goes as planned, the crew will undock Wednesday and are expected to splash down off Southern California early Thursday. Summary: This marks the first time NASA has told a crew to end a mission early because of a medical issue, and officials said the decision was made to allow full medical evaluations on the ground. Planned next steps include the undocking and splashdown this week, followed by medical checks and transport to Houston; the timing of subsequent launches is under review.