Space & Astronomy

ISS mystery medical emergency left astronaut 'unable to speak'

By T.K. Randall
March 28, 2026 ·  7 comments

Image: Mike Fincke at Boeing OFT-2 Crew and Science Briefing (2021)
Credit: Ben Smegelsky / (PD) NASA Back in January, we reported on the decision by NASA to order an emergency medical evacuation of an astronaut aboard the International Space Station who had been struck down with a sudden illness.

At the time, the identify of the astronaut and the specifics of his condition had been kept under wraps.

Now, it turns out that the astronaut - NASA's Michael Fincke - had been inexplicably inflicted with an inability to speak - and he still doesn't know what actually caused it.

He had been eating his dinner when the incident happened.

"It was completely out of the blue," he told Associated Press. "It was just amazingly quick.""My crewmates definitely saw that I was in distress. It was all hands on deck within just a matter of seconds."

The strange affliction lasted only around 20 minutes, but it was enough to have him sent home.

Doctors ruled out a heart attack, but as things stand, no explanation has been forthcoming.

Efforts are now underway to analyze past mission records to determine if a similar condition has ever been reported before by any other astronauts during their time in space.

The incident highlights the dangers of long-haul space travel - especially missions (such as traveling to Mars) where a medical evacuation back to Earth simply wouldn't be possible.

If someone took ill months away from home, it could prove disastrous.

Source: Live Science | Comments (7)

Tags: ISS, Astronaut