Cape Canaveral, Florida – Astronauts They were evacuated Last week of International Space Station Suppose a portable ultrasound machine becomes “extremely useful” during a medical crisis.
During their first public appearance since their return to Earth, the four astronauts on Wednesday refused to specify which of them needed medical care and for what reason. This was NASA’s first medical evacuation in 65 years of human spaceflight.
NASA’s Mike Finke said the crew used the onboard ultrasound machine as soon as the medical problem arose on Jan. 7, a day before a planned spacewalk that was suddenly cancelled. Astronauts already used the device a lot for routine checks on their body changes while living in weightlessness, “so when we had this emergency, the ultrasound device became very useful.”
It was so helpful that Finke said there should be one on all future spaceflights. “It really helped,” he said.
“Of course, we didn’t have other large machines here on Earth,” he added. “We try to make sure everyone is not exposed to surprises before traveling. But sometimes things happen and surprises happen, and the team was prepared… Preparedness was very important.”
NASA’s Xena Cardman, who led the crew’s early return flight with SpaceX, said the space station was well prepared for medical emergencies. She said NASA “made all the right decisions” in canceling the spacewalk, which would have been its first, and prioritizing the well-being of the crew.
Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui said he was surprised at how successful the initial training was in dealing with health concerns.
“We can handle any kind of difficult situation,” Yue said. “It’s actually a very, very good experiment for the future of human spaceflight.”
Joining them on a mission that turned out to take five and a half months – more than a month less than planned – was Russian Oleg Platonov. They launched last August from Florida and landed in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego last week.
They were welcomed back to Houston by their replacements, who are not scheduled to start work until mid-February. NASA and SpaceX are working to advance the flight.
“We were hoping to hug them in space, but we hugged them on Earth,” Finke said.
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