Space station change of command units stage for Crew 11 departure

Four astronauts departing the International Space Station had been all smiles throughout a change of command ceremony on Monday, regardless of a medical situation prompting an early return to Earth set for later this week.

Outgoing area station commander Mike Fincke, a member of the returning Crew 11, turned the station over to cosmonaut Sergey Kud-Sverchkov, saying the mixed crew had developed deep friendships throughout their keep in area collectively for over 5 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 stated.

“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.”

Fincke thanked every crewmate for his or her efficiency through 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 stated. “It’s bittersweet.”

All 4 Crew 11 fliers regarded wholesome and in good spirits on a space-to-ground tv broadcast of the change of command ceremony with no indication of which astronaut might have skilled the undisclosed medical situation that triggered Crew 11’s early departure.

Fincke then introduced Kud-Sverchkov with a symbolic key to the area station.

“Despite all the changes and all the difficulties, we’re going to do our job on board ISS, performing scientific tasks, maintenance tasks, whatever happens. It’s a big honor to be a commander of space station,” Kud-Sverchkov stated. “Thank you, Mike. And I want to (issue) the first command: let’s make a group hug!”

And with that, all seven station crew members floated collectively to hug one another as instructed by Fincke earlier than he handed over the important thing to the area station.

Fincke, Cardman, Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui and cosmonaut Oleg Platonov had been instructed to chop their mission brief final week after an unidentified crew member reported a medical situation.

NASA stated the early return was not an emergency. But by bringing the crew down immediately, company officers stated, flight surgeons can be higher in a position to diagnose the difficulty with amenities and experience not accessible aboard the station.

Cardman, Fincke, Yui and Platonov plan to undock from the station round 5 p.m. Eastern Time Wednesday, a couple of month sooner than initially deliberate.

If all goes properly, their SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule will splash down within the Pacific Ocean off the southern California coast at 3:40 a.m. Thursday.

Kud-Sverchkov and his two Soyuz MS-28 crewmates — Sergey Mikaev and NASA astronaut Chris Williams — may have the station to themselves till mid February when Crew 12 commander Jessica Meir, Jack Hathaway, European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot and cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev arrive.

Crew 11 initially deliberate to depart round Feb. 20, a couple of days after the arrival of Crew 12. But with Crew 11’s early departure, NASA and SpaceX are working to maneuver up the Crew 12 launch to shorten the hole.