According to information from ScienceAlert, an unusual incident occurred with astronaut Mike Fincke while he was working on the International Space Station. This veteran astronaut suddenly lost his ability to speak for about 20 minutes, forcing NASA to deploy emergency medical assistance procedures.
The incident happened when Mr. Fincke was having dinner and preparing for a space walk. According to his sharing, he did not feel pain or warning signs beforehand, but suddenly could not speak.
His teammates quickly noticed the abnormality and immediately contacted the team of doctors on the ground. The incident happened quickly and ended after about 20 minutes, after which Mr. Fincke recovered and is still in stable health.
Although many tests have been conducted, doctors have not yet determined the specific cause. The possibility of heart attack has been ruled out, while other hypotheses are still being considered, including the impact of his long life in a zero-gravity environment, with a total of 549 days in space.
Ultrasound equipment on the space station was used to support initial diagnosis. After returning to Earth, Mr. Fincke continued to undergo many tests to clarify the cause. This incident caused the spacewalk to be cancelled, and forced the crew to return earlier than planned.
According to NASA, the agency is reviewing medical records of other astronauts to determine if a similar case has ever occurred. However, detailed information about the health status remains confidential to ensure privacy.
Despite the incident causing much concern, Mr. Fincke remained optimistic and expressed his desire to return to space in the future.
