In a recent turn of events, a NASA astronaut was evacuated from the space station after suddenly losing the ability to speak. He became the first one to have been medically evacuated from the station and the doctors do not have a clue what went wrong with him.
Veteran NASA astronaut Mike Fincke in a recent interview revealed his mysterious condition that occurred on Jan 7. While dining aboard just after preparing for his regular spacewalk, the astronaut lost his ability to speak. It was painless but terrifying. He said, “It was completely out of the blue. It was just amazingly quick”.
As the incident took place, crew onboard instantly realised something was wrong. They noticed his distress and came for his rescue within seconds. He said, “My crewmates definitely saw that I was in distress. It was all hands on deck within just a matter of seconds.”
The medical team onboard, was confused with his condition and declared his next destination to be home ASAP. Mike, a retired Air Force colonel, describing the situation said that the episode lasted roughly 20 minutes but it was super scary. He also added he felt perfectly healthy afterwards and still does.
The condition, still unknown and unrecognised, has been under discussion among the medical team for some time. Doctors have ruled out a heart attack and any form of choking, as described by the astronaut. It may simply be a result of the 549 days spent in weightlessness.
This mysterious condition led the whole crew to return back to Earth, after canceling the space walk. While it would have been the 10th spacewalk for Mike, it was the first one for his crewmate Zena Cardman, who returned with the rest of the crew. Mike has expressed how bad he feels for the cancellation of the spacewalk.
This incident has sparked several debates about astronaut safety and the availability of immediate medical assistance. While shorter missions may not pose significant risks, longer journeys, especially those that take considerable time to return to Earth, remain a serious concern.
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