NASA astronaut identifies himself as crew member with medical event - UPI.com

Feb. 26 (UPI) -- Astronaut Mike Fincke announced Thursday that he was the member of Crew-11 who experienced a medical event and needed to return to Earth early last month.

Fincke did not disclose the type of medical event he experienced and said it was not an emergency. He said in a statement that he needed to come home "to take advantage of advanced medical imaging not available on the space station."

"On Jan. 7, while aboard the International Space Station, I experienced a medical event that required immediate attention from my incredible crewmates. Thanks to their quick response and the guidance of our NASA flight surgeons, my status quickly stabilized," Fincke said.

"After further evaluation, NASA determined the safest course was an early return for Crew-11 -- not an emergency, but a carefully coordinated plan" to get him to Earth for imaging, he said. "On Jan. 15, we splashed down off the coast of San Diego after an amazing five-and-a-half-month mission."

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