Four astronauts departing the International Space Station were all smiles during a change of command ceremony on Monday, despite a medical issue prompting an early return to Earth set for later this week.Outgoing space station commander Mike Fincke, a member of the returning Crew 11, turned the station over to cosmonaut Sergey Kud-Sverchkov, saying the combined crew had developed deep friendships during their stay in space together for over five months.”So one part of us are getting ready to leave this beautiful space station, and another part is getting ready to take over full command and get (it) ready for another Dragon crew to come,” Fincke said.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement”This is the International Space Station. We’ve had continuous human habitation for 25 years. It’s a wonder of engineering, a wonder of science and a wonder of diplomacy. We’re from all over the planet, and we’re working together. It’s a great symbol of what human beings can do.”In a change-of-command ceremony, Mike Fincke (front left) turned over command of the outpost to cosmonaut Sergey Kud-Sverchkov (front right) prior to the early departure of Fincke and his three Crew 11 crewmates — commander Zena Cardman, Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui and cosmonaut Oleg Platonov — due to a medical issue. / Credit: NASAFincke thanked each crewmate for their performance during the shortened mission, telling Crew 11 commander Zena Cardman, making her first flight, “you are a rock star, superstar, awesome star.””It’s been a pleasure serving with you, watching you see Earth for the first time, riding on the rocket, and now it’s coming to an end where we get to go home,” he said. “It’s bittersweet.”All four Crew 11 fliers looked healthy and in good spirits on a space-to-ground television broadcast of the change of command ceremony with no indication of which astronaut …
