TOKYO (dpa-AFX) - The four-member crew aboard the International Space Station is set to return to earth on a historic medical evacuation Wednesday, a month earlier than planned after one of them experienced a 'serious medical condition.'
NASA said that it is targeting no earlier than 5:05 p.m. ET, Wednesday, for the undocking of the agency's SpaceX Crew-11 mission from the International Space Station, pending weather conditions.
Last week, NASA announced its decision to return the agency's SpaceX Crew-11 mission to Earth from the space station earlier than originally planned as teams monitor a medical concern with a crew member currently living and working aboard the orbital laboratory.
Top officials of the U.S. space agency neither revealed what was the medical issue, nor the identity of the astronaut due to privacy concerns, but said the affected person is stable.
The agency typically refrains from discussing the specifics of health-related matters involving astronauts.
This is the first time in the 25 year long history of the International Space Station and NASA's more than 65 year history that its crew being forced to evacuate early due to medical reasons.
American astronauts Mike Fincke and Zena Cardman, Japan's Kimiya Yui, and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov are the SpaceX Crew-11 members.
Cardman will command and Fincke will pilot Dragon alongside Mission Specialists Yui and Platonov when it undocks from the Harmony module's space-facing port. 'Weather is looking excellent for Dragon's parachute-assisted splashdown off the coast of California at 3:41 a.m. on Thursday,' NASA said.
The departing crewmates trained to use respirators during unlikely events such as an ammonia leak.
Three crew members will remain aboard the orbital outpost after Crew-11 leaves.
Expedition 74 will be commanded by Rusian cosmonaut Sergey Kud-Sverchkov, leading Flight Engineers Sergei Mikaev and Chris Williams.
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