It is expected that the crew will land in front of the California coast at around 5:40 am (Brasília time)
Four crew members from the International Space Station (ISS) began their early return to planet Earth this Wednesday (14) due to a health problem affecting one of them, an unprecedented situation in almost 30 years of the orbital platform’s existence. His return weeks early does not constitute an emergency evacuation, the official insisted. .
The crew is expected to land in front of the California coast on Thursday (15), at around 5:40 am (Brasília time), aboard a Dragon capsule from the company SpaceX, which belongs to billionaire Elon Musk.
The astronaut in question “was and remains in stable condition”, assured Rob Navias, head of the American space agency before the team’s return began. His evacuation was motivated by the existence of a “persistent risk” and “uncertainty about a diagnosis”, NASA’s medical director, James Polk, explained last week.
The space agency declined to reveal the astronaut’s identity or what his health problems were. American astronauts Mike Fincke and Zena Cardman, and Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui, as well as Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov, began their journey back to Earth a month before the scheduled end date of their mission.
This hasty evacuation for health reasons is the first of its kind since the International Space Station was placed into orbit just over 27 years ago.
The so-called NASA-SpaceX Crew-11 has been on mission since August 1st. They were to remain there until the next team rotation scheduled for mid-February. The next crew, Crew-12, may leave ahead of schedule, NASA said.
Meanwhile, the ISS will remain occupied by an American astronaut and two Russian cosmonauts who arrived in November, transported by the Russian Soyuz spacecraft.
Permanently inhabited since the year 2000, the International Space Station is an example of international cooperation that brings together, among others, Europe, Japan, the United States and Russia.
The astronauts who remain on the ISS are trained to carry out various scientific missions, but also to face the possible complications associated with life in space.
*With information from AFP
