NASA set to bring astronaut home during medical evacuation

Sex Dragon hatch is closed. >> Space copies hatch closed. >> 3:29 Eastern this afternoon. Crew 11. boarding their spacecraft for NASA's. first ever medical evacuation from the. space station. Just after 5:00 p.m., they pulled away. >> Endeavor crew enjoy the ride home. Heading home, Americans Xen Hardman and. Michael Fink, Japanese astronaut Kamiya. UI, and Russian cosminaut Oleg. Plantinoff leaving a month early after. one of them developed what NASA calls a. serious medical condition requiring.

treatment back on Earth. Our timing of. this departure is unexpected. But what. was not surprising to me was how well. this crew came together as a family to. help each other and just take care of. each other. And this includes very much. our teams on the ground. >> NASA won't identify which astronaut or. their condition, but does say they. remain stable. [bell]. On Wednesday, Mike Frink handed over.

command of the space station, leaving. American Chris Williams and two Russian. cosminauts on the ISS as crew 11 heads. home. >> Dragon SpaceX on the big loop. Depart. burn zero complete. >> Veteran astronaut Mike Masamino. >> I was shocked when I heard it. Um, you. know, we usually able to handle just. about anything in space, but to return a. crew early is unusual. It's never. happened before. So Tom, when will these astronauts land. and then what happens after that? >> Yeah, splashdown 3:41 a.m. Eastern time.

off the coast of San Diego in the. Pacific. They will then be taken to. shore, then catch a flight to NASA in. Houston where they will undergo or the. astronaut who needs the help will. undergo medical examin exams and. testing. And we wish we thank you for. watching and remember stay updated on. breaking news and top stories on the NBC. News app or watch live on our YouTube. channel.