SPACE 999

Astronauts make safe return in first medical emergency evacuation

- BY ANDY LINES

A TEAM of astronauts dramatically returned to Earth a month early yesterday after one developed a serious medical condition.

The four were forced to leave the International Space Station and safely splashed down in the Pacific Ocean.

One of Crew-11 shouted: "It's so good to be home!" Intern NASA has not identified the sick crew member but said they were in a stable condition.

It is the first time NASA has ever cut short a mission to the ISS owing to a health problem. The SpaceX capsule landed less than 11 hours after the crew were evacuated from the ISS.

After the capsule was opened off the coast of San Diego the crew's captain, American Mike Fincke, 58, exited the first. He smiled but was wobbly on his feet before lying on a stretcher, which is normal procedure.

NASA's Zena Cardman, 38, from the US, Japan's Kimiya Yui, 55, and cosmonaut Oleg Platonov, 39, seemed jubilant.