US EditionNASA's Fincke Says Mystery Space Illness Still Unexplained
NASA's first ISS medical evacuation cut Crew-11 mission short after astronaut Mike Fincke lost speech for 20 minutes; cause remains unknown despite extensive testing.
- On Jan. 7, 2026, NASA astronaut Mike Fincke suddenly lost his ability to speak for roughly 20 minutes while eating dinner aboard the International Space Station, prompting crewmates to immediately contact flight surgeons on the ground.
- The incident triggered NASA's first medical evacuation in 25 years of continuous station occupation, leading the crew to return on Jan. 15, 2026, via SpaceX Crew Dragon to Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla in California.
- NASA utilized the station's ultrasound machine during the emergency, and doctors have ruled out a heart attack and choking, though Fincke described the sudden episode as striking like "a very, very fast lightning bolt."
- Fincke publicly identified himself last month to end speculation, withholding specific medical details to protect future astronauts' privacy—a stance NASA administrator Jared Isaacman endorsed, telling him, "You didn't let anybody down."
- This unprecedented event exposes critical gaps in onboard medical diagnostics, highlighting significant risks for future long-duration deep-space missions under NASA's Artemis program as the agency reviews monitoring protocols and astronaut medical records.
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Astronaut who lost speech on space station says doctors still baffled
NASA astronaut Mike Fincke said Friday that doctors still have not determined what caused him to suddenly lose the ability to speak aboard the International Space Station in January -- an episode that triggered the first medical evacuation in NASA history.
The astronaut Mike Fincke had been repatriated from the ISS with his crew last January. He had had a week earlier an episode of aphasia, as he told AP. - This mysterious evil that forced astronaut Mike Fincke to be repatriated from the ISS (Sciences).
After returning to Earth, they conducted several tests, but were unable to discover the cause of the problem.
No hospitals in space: Astronaut details health scare above Earth
More than two months after a medical emergency aboard the International Space Station abruptly ended his crews mission, astronaut Michael Fincke still doesnt know what caused his sudden illness.Fincke said he experienced a brief period in which he was unable to speak, describing the episode as something that came out of the blue.We were getting ready for a spacewalk on Jan. 8, and the evening before we had just met with the doctors, he said. I w…
Nasa astronaut says cause of medical emergency unknown as crewed Artemis II set for the Moon
An astronaut who forced Nasa's first ever medical emergency evacuation says doctors still do not know the cause as the space agency is set to launch Artemis II.Artemis II will be Nasa's first manned mission to the moon in over 50 years, but the medical emergency highlights one of the biggest risks of deep-space travel.Nasa astronaut Michael Fincke, who had a sudden episode while on the International Space Station (ISS) in January has said doctor…
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