NASA’s Mike Fincke identified himself Wednesday as the astronaut whose medical condition prompted the space agency’s first medical evacuation.
In a written statement, the 58-year-old spaceflight veteran revealed he was the ailing crew member last month aboard the International Space Station. He did not say what was wrong with him but explained that his condition quickly stabilized thanks to his crewmates and flight surgeons on the ground.
Fincke said he’s doing well now.
“Spaceflight is an incredible privilege, and sometimes it reminds us just how human we are,” he said in the statement.
Fincke launched with three others on a SpaceX flight last summer. Their mission came to an early end on Jan. 15, a week after he experienced what he called a “medical event that required immediate attention.”
The health concern also forced the cancellation of a planned spacewalk by Fincke and another NASA astronaut.
Fincke, a retired Air Force colonel chosen by NASA as an astronaut in 1996, has logged 549 days in space over four missions.
