Space station change of command sets stage for departure of Crew 11

Four astronauts leaving the International Space Station were all smiles during a change of command ceremony Monday, despite a medical problem requiring early return on Earth scheduled for later this week.

Outgoing space station commander Mike Fincke, a member of returning Crew 11, handed the station over to cosmonaut Sergey Kud-Sverchkov, saying the combined crew developed deep friendships during their time together in space for more than five months.

“So part of us is preparing to leave this magnificent space station, and another part is preparing to take full command of it and prepare it for the arrival of another Dragon crew,” Fincke said.

“It’s the International Space Station. We’ve had continuous human habitation for 25 years. It’s a marvel of engineering, a marvel of science and a marvel of diplomacy. We come from all over the planet and we work together. It’s a great symbol of what human beings can do.”

Fincke thanked each crew member for their performance during the shortened mission, telling Zena Cardman, commander of Crew 11, during her first flight, “you are a rock star, a superstar, an awesome star.”

“It’s been a pleasure serving with you, seeing you see Earth for the first time, getting on the rocket, and now it’s coming to an end and we can go home,” he said. “It’s bittersweet.”

All four pilots of Crew 11 appeared healthy and in good spirits during a space-to-ground television broadcast of the change of command ceremony, with no indication which astronaut may have suffered from the undisclosed medical issue that triggered Crew 11’s early departure.

Fincke then presented Kud-Sverchkov with a symbolic key to the space station.

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

And with that, the station’s seven crew members floated together to hug, as Fincke suggested before handing over the key to the space station.

Fincke, Cardman, Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui and cosmonaut Oleg Platonov were they were told to cut their mission short last week after an unidentified crew member reported a medical issue.

NASA said the early return did not constitute an emergency. But by bringing the crew down immediately, agency officials said, flight surgeons will be better able to diagnose the problem with facilities and expertise not available aboard the station.

Cardman, Fincke, Yui and Platonov plan to undock from the station around 5 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, about a month earlier than originally planned.

If all goes well, their SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule will crash into the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Southern California at 3:40 a.m. Thursday.

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

Crew 11’s departure was initially scheduled for around February 20, a few days after Crew 12’s arrival. But with Crew 11’s early departure, NASA and SpaceX are working to bring forward the Crew 12 launch to close the gap.