NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman described a medical emergency that required the first-ever evacuation of astronauts from space during an International Space Station mission as a situation “we had not seen before in space.”
The incident involved Crew 11 astronauts, who returned to Earth on Thursday after splashing down in the Pacific Ocean near San Diego. One crew member was hospitalized by NASA.
During a Wednesday interview with Glenn Beck, Isaacman stated: “It was a very serious situation, something we had not seen before in space.” He noted that the incident required immediate response from the astronauts, their expedition mates on the International Space Station, and mission control teams to stabilize the condition quickly.
Isaacman emphasized the rigorous training of U.S. astronauts: “Our astronauts are practically physicians; in fact, many of them are.” The administrator confirmed NASA had prepared contingency plans for such emergencies but was restricted by medical privacy rules from providing specific details about the incident.
“The incident was stabilized very quickly,” Isaacman said. “We can send our astronauts up more or less on command, which is what we’re going to do with Crew 12.”
The four astronauts were transported to a medical facility in San Diego by NASA personnel.
