On January 14, an unprecedented event in NASA history took place. For the first time, the aerospace administration terminated a manned space mission ahead of schedule due to health problems of one of the Crew-11 mission participants. For confidentiality reasons, NASA is not disclosing his name or details of his diagnosis. According to unofficial sources, the astronaut in question is Michael Fincke.

The Crew-11 mission crew. Source: NASA

But although evacuation to Earth is an unprecedented event for NASA, it is far from the first such case. Yes, cosmonauts and astronauts undergo thorough medical examinations, but they are still human beings. It is no secret that even healthy people can unexpectedly experience health problems under certain circumstances. Moreover, space explorers work in extremely harsh conditions and are exposed to factors such as weightlessness, increased radiation levels, and confinement in a closed space – not to mention significant stress.

In this article, you will learn about the most famous cases in history when medical problems directly affected the course of space expeditions.

Cold and disobedience, Apollo 7

At the dawn of the space age, NASA did not have a preflight quarantine for astronauts. The Apollo 7 mission clearly demonstrated the shortcomings of this practice. Shortly after launch, mission commander Walter Schirra came down with a cold. Later, the rest of the crew also developed symptoms. Colds in zero gravity were much more severe than on Earth. Aspirin from the onboard first aid kit did not help, and it was impossible to clear their noses and ears.

The Apollo 7 mission crew. Source: NASA

It is worth noting that Apollo 7 was a very difficult mission. It was supposed to demonstrate that NASA had recovered from the loss of three astronauts who died in a fire during Apollo 1 testing, and that after all the changes made, the spacecraft was safe for flight. The crew was under a great deal of pressure. And illness only exacerbated the situation.

From a technical point of view, the flight itself went brilliantly: the astronauts completed absolutely all of their tasks, paving the way to the Moon. The flip side of the coin was that communication between Mission Control (RKA) and the astronauts was very difficult and accompanied by a number of conflicts. The final straw was the landing. Mission Control (RKA) demanded that the astronauts put on their helmets in case of depressurization of the spacecraft. But the crew refused to do so, citing concerns that the increase in pressure could cause their eardrums to rupture due to their airways still being blocked. The astronauts wanted to be able to perform the Valsalva maneuver to equalize the pressure in their ears. As a result, they refused to obey a direct order and did not put on their helmets.

This had direct consequences. Even before the flight, Wally Schirra announced that he would soon be leaving NASA, so the aerospace administration was unable to impose any serious sanctions on him. However, for the other two crew members, Donn Eisele and Walter Cunningham, this flight was their last. NASA management decided to no longer allow astronauts who did not follow orders to fly into space.

Moon allergy

Scientists and engineers working on projects to create lunar settlements have identified a number of problems that need to be solved before colonization of Earth’s satellite can begin. But actual flights have revealed another problem that no one had thought about before, and that could seriously complicate long-term stays on the Moon. We are talking about allergies to lunar dust.

Harrison Schmitt inside the lunar module. Note that his spacesuit is covered in moondust. Source: NASA

The fact is that lunar dust is completely different from Earth dust. It consists of very fine and extremely sharp particles – after all, there is no atmosphere or water on the Moon to smooth them out. Lunar dust is extremely sticky. It easily sticks to spacesuits and equipment, which creates a number of problems. It can also cause allergies.

Harrison Schmitt, a member of the Apollo 17 mission, saw this for himself. When he took off his spacesuit after returning to the lunar module, he developed hay fever – an allergic reaction caused by inhaling dust particles. The next day, the allergy had almost disappeared, allowing the astronaut to continue his work. However, as it soon became clear, Cernan’s case was not unique. Later, the same symptoms appeared in a person who worked with the astronauts’ spacesuits after their return to Earth.

It is possible that long-term inhalation of dust could have even more serious consequences for humans and cause lung disease. Therefore, designers of modern lunar missions are taking this factor into account and looking for ways to combat dust.

Skylab strike

Information about the so-called Skylab “strike” can easily be found on the Internet. It is claimed that on December 28, 1973, in protest against an overly busy work schedule, the station crew (astronauts Gerald Carr, Edward Gibson, and William Pogue) cut off communication with Mission Control (RKA) and spent the entire day relaxing and looking at Earth.

Skylab orbital station. Source: NASA

What really happened? For all the astronauts at the station, it was their first flight into space. At the same time, NASA had drawn up an overly ambitious work plan for them. This led to the crew falling behind schedule and the psychological atmosphere becoming very tense. It is claimed that this is precisely why the astronauts broke down at some point and went on strike.

But in reality, everything was much more complicated. Communication was lost not for a day, but for an entire orbit. According to the astronauts, this was due to a mistake – they confused who was responsible for maintaining contact with Earth that day. The available records of the conversations also do not confirm that the crew refused to work. In fact, there was a dialogue between the crew and Mission Control (RKA) about the problems that had arisen – something like the first psychotherapy session in space. At first, the crew reported everything they did not like and what needed to be changed first. Then Mission Control (RKA) openly told the crew about everything that was bothering them.

The changes introduced after this discussion yielded results. As a result, the second half of the mission turned out to be much more productive than the first. In some respects, the crew even managed to exceed the initial plan. After this flight, NASA began to pay much more attention to the psychological aspects of space travel, realizing that they were just as important as the crew’s physical health.

The Skylab mission became the starting point for numerous medical studies devoted to human behavior in space. Its results are still actively used in the selection and training of crews for long-term expeditions. The most obvious legacy of this mission was the introduction of the practice that at least one member of a space expedition must have experience flying in orbit.

The mysterious return of Soyuz-21

Despite all the problems, the Skylab crew remained at the station until the end of their scheduled stay. The same cannot be said about the crew of Soyuz-21. In July 1976, it docked with the Salyut 5 military orbital station. It was assumed that crew commander Boris Volynov and flight engineer Vitaly Zholobov would spend 60 days aboard the station. In reality, they returned to Earth after only 49 days.

Boris Volynov and Vitaly Zholobov

The reason for the early return of Soyuz-21 is still shrouded in rumors. According to Volynov, after an emergency arose at the station, Zholobov began to suffer from severe headaches, and his condition continued to deteriorate. By the time the Mission Control Center decided to terminate the expedition early, he was unable to put on his spacesuit by himself. As for the reasons for his deteriorating health, a strange smell was cited, which was presumably caused by a nitric acid leak. Because of this, the next expedition boarded Salyut-5 wearing respirators. However, the cosmonauts did not detect any smell or leaks.

However, according to popular opinion, the real reason was the difficult psychological situation and conflict between the crew members, which led to the early termination of the mission. Later, Zholobov denied some of the rumors surrounding the flight, but at the same time stated that he had essentially taken on the problems that had arisen for Volynov, who was in command of the mission.

Astronaut sickness

While there are many gray areas in the history of Soyuz-21, there is no doubt about the main reason for the early termination of the Soyuz T-14 expedition: cosmonaut Vladimir Vasyutin fell ill. While on board the Salyut-7 station, he developed symptoms of prostatitis.

The Salyut 7 orbital station. Source: Wikipedia

The treatment administered on board the space station after consultation with doctors was unsuccessful. The cosmonaut’s health deteriorated rapidly. As a result, on November 21, 1985, Soyuz T-14 returned to Earth. Instead of the planned 200 days, the flight lasted only 64 days.

According to the widely accepted version, Vasyutin knew about his illness and concealed it, attempting to treat himself, and the responsibility lies solely with him. However, there is also an alternative opinion, according to which, given the thoroughness of medical examinations, regardless of his wishes, the cosmonaut would never have been able to hide a chronic illness from doctors, and that this was an acute illness that suddenly developed during the space flight.

Regardless of whether Vasyutin knew about his illness or not, it led to the failure of a very ambitious expedition and the cancellation of a number of missions planned for Salyut 7. Subsequently, only one spacecraft visited the station, after which it was mothballed and, a few years later, fell out of orbit. Shortly after returning to Earth, Vasyutin himself was removed from the cosmonaut corps due to health reasons and never flew into space again.