Four space station fliers undocked and plunged back to Earth, safely splashing down in the Pacific Ocean early Thursday off the Southern California coast six days after NASA ordered them home early because of a medical issue.Descending under four large parachutes, Crew 11 commander Zena Cardman, co-pilot Mike Fincke, Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov landed in the Pacific off San Diego at 3:41 a.m. EST, closing out a 167-day stay in space.SpaceX recovery crews reached the Crew Dragon capsule shortly after splashdown and hauled it aboard a company ship before opening its hatch and helping the returning station crew out of the spacecraft for initial medical checks. / Credit: SpaceX/NASA”On behalf of SpaceX and NASA, welcome home, Crew 11,” a SpaceX flight controller radioed.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement”It’s so good to be home, with deep gratitude to the teams that got us there and back,” Cardman replied.SpaceX support crews stationed near the landing site quickly reached the gently bobbing spacecraft and hauled it aboard a company recovery ship where flight surgeons were standing by to carry out initial medical checks.Astronaut Mike Fincke, completing his fourth spaceflight, is all smiles as recovery crews help him to a nearby stretcher, standard procedure for returning space station crews as they begin re-adjusting to gravity. / Credit: SpaceX/NASAUnder strict medical privacy guidelines, NASA has not identified the astronaut who had the medical issue in orbit or provided any details about its nature.But the crew appeared healthy and in good spirts as they were helped out of the cramped capsule and onto waiting stretchers — normal procedure for returning station crews — smiling and waving as they began re-adjusting to gravity after five-and-a-half months in weightlessness.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement”All crew members are currently undergoing the routine post-splashdown medical evaluation,” NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said during a post-landing news conference. “The crew member of concern is doing fine. We will share updates on their health as soon as it’s appropriate to do so.”Crew 11 commander Zena Cardman, in obvious good spirits, smiles as she’s helped from the Crew Dragon capsule. / Credit: SpaceX/NASAAll four were expected to be flown to shore by helicopter for more extensive diagnostic evaluation at an unidentified area hospital.”All four crew members will be transported to a local hospital for additional evaluation, taking advantage of medical resources on Earth to provide the best care possible,” NASA said in a blog post.”Following a planned overnight hospital stay, the crew will return to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, where they will reunite with their families and undergo standard post-flight reconditioning and evaluations.”AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementLeft behind in orbit were Sergey Kud-Sverchkov, who took over command of the space station from Fincke, and the cosmonaut’s two Soyuz MS-28 crewmates, Sergey Mikaev and NASA astronaut Chris Williams. They were launched last November for a planned eight-mont …
