The Nasa astronaut who caused an unprecedented medical evacuation of the International Space Station in January has finally revealed the cause behind the incident.
Mike Fincke, the astronaut in question, has disclosed he suddenly lost his capacity for speech while aboard the orbital outpost.
The 59-year-old retired Air Force colonel was having his evening meal, following preparations for an upcoming spacewalk, when the alarming incident occurred.
"It was completely out of the blue," Mr Fincke said. "It was just amazingly quick."
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His fellow crew members immediately recognised something was wrong and contacted flight surgeons on Earth for assistance.
The episode marked the first time in 65 years of human spaceflight that Nasa has been forced to evacuate astronauts from the station due to a medical emergency.
The episode persisted for approximately 20 minutes, after which Mr Fincke felt completely normal again. He described the onset as striking "like a very, very fast lightning bolt" while he was five and a half months into his mission.
"My crewmates definitely saw that I was in distress," he said, noting that all six crew members gathered around him. "It was all hands on deck within just a matter of seconds."
Mike Fincke has revealed he suddenly lost the ability to speak while aboard the ISS
|GETTY
Medical professionals have eliminated a heart attack as the cause and Mr Fincke confirmed he was not choking. However, the precise reason for his sudden inability to speak remains a mystery.
Physicians believe the incident could potentially be connected to the cumulative effects of his 549 days spent in weightlessness across multiple missions.
The Crew-11 astronauts were brought back to Earth a month ahead of schedule following the decision to evacuate. SpaceX transported Mr Fincke along with Nasa astronaut Zena Cardman, Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui, and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov safely back to the planet's surface.
Upon splashdown, all crew members were immediately transferred to hospital for medical assessment.
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It was the first time a medical evacutation was declared on the ISS in 65 years
|GETTY
Mr Fincke has expressed regret his illness forced the cancellation of a planned spacewalk. The excursion would have been his tenth time venturing outside the station, but more significantly, it would have marked Ms Cardman's debut spacewalk.
The station's ultrasound equipment proved useful during the initial response to the emergency, Mr Fincke revealed, and he has undergone extensive testing since his return.
Nasa administrator Jared Isaacman has told Mr Fincke to stop apologising for the disruption caused by his medical emergency.
"This wasn't you – this was space, right?" his colleagues reassured him. "You didn't let anybody down."
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