A veteran NASA astronaut who triggered the space agency's first-ever medical evacuation from the International Space Station has revealed he suddenly lost the ability to speak during a mysterious health episode that doctors still cannot explain.
Mike Fincke, 59, a retired Air Force colonel and four-time space flier, was eating dinner aboard the ISS on January 7 when the alarming incident occurred. He had been preparing for a spacewalk scheduled for the following day when he abruptly became unable to talk, though he experienced no pain.
"It was completely out of the blue. It was just amazingly quick," Fincke told The Associated Press from Houston's Johnson Space Center. "My crewmates definitely saw that I was in distress."
The episode lasted approximately 20 minutes, during which all six crew members gathered around Fincke in what he described as an "all hands on deck" situation. His concerned colleagues immediately contacted flight surgeons on Earth for guidance.
Fincke likened the sudden onset to "a very, very fast lightning bolt" that struck without warning. He was five and a half months into his latest space station mission when the incident occurred.
Medical Mystery Remains Unsolved
Despite extensive testing both in space and after his return to Earth, medical professionals have been unable to determine the cause of Fincke's condition. Doctors have ruled out a heart attack, and Fincke confirmed he wasn't choking, but all other possibilities remain under investigation.
"Everything else is still on the table and could be related to his 549 days of weightlessness," medical experts noted, referring to Fincke's cumulative time in space across multiple missions.
The space station's onboard ultrasound machine proved valuable during the emergency, and Fincke has undergone numerous medical tests since returning to Earth. NASA is now reviewing other astronauts' medical records to identify any similar incidents that may have occurred in space.
Early Return and Ongoing Impact
The medical emergency forced NASA to cancel the planned spacewalk and arrange an early return for Fincke and three other crew members. SpaceX brought the team back to Earth on January 15, more than a month ahead of schedule, with all four astronauts heading directly to hospital upon landing.
Fincke expressed regret that his illness caused the spacewalk cancellation, which would have been his 10th spacewalk but the first for crewmate Zena Cardman. However, NASA's new administrator Jared Isaacman ordered him to stop apologizing.
"This wasn't you. This was space, right?" colleagues assured him. "You didn't let anybody down."
Fincke identified himself as the affected astronaut in late March to end public speculation about the incident. Despite the mysterious nature of his condition, the veteran astronaut remains optimistic about potentially returning to space in the future.
"I've been very lucky to be super healthy. So this was very surprising for everyone," he said, noting that he has felt fine since the episode and has never experienced anything similar before or since.
This story is based on reporting by CBC Tech and The Associated Press. View the original report here.