ISS Crew-11 closes hatch ahead of early return to Earth due to medical issue
NASA's SpaceX Crew-11 on Wednesday closed the hatch of the Dragon Endeavour as they prepared to return to Earth from the International Space Station due to a medical issue.
Last week, NASA announced that a "serious medical condition" with a crew member aboard the ISS lead to the decision of bringing the astronaut and three crewmates back to Earth months earlier than planned, the first such emergency return in the orbiting laboratory's 25-year history.
The NASA officials did not identify which of the Crew-11 mission's four astronauts was experiencing the medical issue or describe its nature, citing the crew member's privacy.
The crew includes US astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov. They have been on the space station since launching from Florida in August and were scheduled to return around May this year.
NASA's astronaut corps regards medical situations on the ISS as closely held secrets, and astronauts rarely acknowledge or describe publicly their medical conditions.
NASA TV / REUTERS
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00:00You're looking inside the International Space Station, a variety of crew members are working to complete the final stowage of items inside the Dragon Endeavour.
00:10This has been ongoing for the past several hours.
00:13We will be ready when you are for closing the Dragon hatch.
00:17All right, we copied out Xena, waiting on 3.6 Bravo.
00:323.6 Bravo is now complete.
00:38So we are closing the Dragon hatch for the detail.
00:43SpaceX copies.
00:47SpaceX Dragon hatch is closed with the hatch indicator on the red.
00:54SpaceX copies.
00:55Hatch closed and the indicator is verified.
00:58And Xena Cardman confirming that Dragon's hatch is closed at 2.29 p.m. Central Time, 3.29 p.m. Eastern Time.
01:08SpaceX Dragon Big Booth PPRB ISO valve in location 1 is verified, open.
01:14And Dragon interior is secure, waiting for your go for procedures.
01:21For the event details, we will look for completing 4.010 for suit dotting and report when complete.
01:28In this view inside Dragon Endeavour in the foreground is Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platinov wrapping up his first flight into space.
01:36Across the spectrum of this view is the pilot of Endeavour, Mike Fink of NASA.
01:43To his left Xena Cardman, the commander of the vehicle.
01:50And just out of the field of view is Kimia Yui of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.
01:56The four crew members are soon to begin the journey from the station back to Earth.
02:03About a ten and a half hour journey that will result in a splashdown off the coast of California in the early morning hours on Thursday.
02:11The updated undocking time is now scheduled at 4.20 p.m. Central, 5.20 p.m. Eastern Time, leading to a splashdown early Thursday morning off the coast of California at 2.41 a.m. Central.
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