Astronauts say space station's ultrasound machine was critical during
medical crisis
[January 22, 2026]
By MARCIA DUNN
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — The astronauts evacuated last week from the
International Space Station say a portable ultrasound machine came in
“super handy” during the medical crisis.
During their first public appearance since returning to Earth, the four
astronauts refused Wednesday to say which one of them needed medical
attention and for what reason. It was NASA's first medical evacuation in
65 years of human spaceflight.
NASA’s Mike Fincke said the crew used the onboard ultrasound machine
once the medical problem arose Jan. 7, the day before a planned
spacewalk that was abruptly canceled. The astronauts had already used
the device a lot for routine checks of their body changes while living
in weightlessness, “so when we had this emergency, the ultrasound
machine came in super handy.”
It was so useful that Fincke said there should be one on all future
spaceflights. “It really helped,” he said.
“Of course, we didn't have other big machines that we have here on
planet Earth,” he added. “We do try to make sure that everybody before
we fly are really, really not prone to surprises. But sometimes things
happen and surprises happen, and the team was ready ... preparation was
super important."
The space station is set up as well as it can be for medical
emergencies, said NASA's Zena Cardman, who commanded the crew's early
return flight with SpaceX. She said NASA “made all the right decisions”
in canceling the spacewalk, which would have been her first, and
prioritizing the crew's well-being.
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Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov, left, NASA astronauts Mike Fincke,
Zena Cardman, and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency)
astronaut Kimiya Yui are seen inside the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour
spacecraft onboard the SpaceX recovery ship SHANNON shortly after
having landed in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Long Beach,
Calif., Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (NASA via AP)
 Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui said
he was surprised how well all the preflight training paid off in
dealing with the health concerns.
“We can handle any kind of difficult situation,” Yui said. “This is
actually very, very good experience for the future of human
spaceflight.”
Joining them on what turned out to be a 5 1/2-month mission — more
than a month shorter than planned — was Russia's Oleg Platonov. They
launched last August from Florida and splashed down in the Pacific
off the San Diego coast last week.
Welcoming them back to Houston were their replacements, who aren't
due to launch until mid-February. NASA and SpaceX are working to
move up the flight.
“We were hoping to give them hugs in space, but we gave them hugs on
Earth,” Fincke said.
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