Florida Shuttle Vet Fincke Details Mystery ISS Speech Loss

NASA astronaut Mike Fincke said Friday that doctors still have no explanation for why he suddenly lost the ability to speak aboard the International Space Station in January, an episode that triggered what officials described as the space agency's first medical evacuation.

Fincke, 59, a retired Air Force colonel and four-time space flier, was eating dinner on Jan. 7 — the night before a planned spacewalk — when the episode struck without warning. He lost his ability to speak for roughly 20 minutes, recalls no pain, and said he felt completely normal afterward. "It was completely out of the blue. It was just amazingly quick," he said in an interview from Houston's Johnson Space Center.

All six of his crewmates gathered around him within seconds. Flight surgeons on the ground were contacted immediately. The station's onboard ultrasound machine was used during the incident, Fincke said. SpaceX returned Fincke, crewmate Zena Cardman, and two others to Earth on Jan. 15 — more than a month ahead of schedule — and they went directly to a hospital upon landing.

Doctors have since ruled out a heart attack, and Fincke said he was not choking. All other causes remain under investigation and could be linked to his cumulative 549 days in weightlessness, he said. NASA is now reviewing other astronauts' medical records for any similar incidents that may have gone unreported or unrecognized.

Fincke said he cannot disclose further medical details, citing NASA's commitment to protecting astronauts' medical privacy. He identified himself publicly as the affected crew member late last month to end public speculation. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman reportedly told Fincke to stop apologizing to colleagues, telling him, "This wasn't you. This was space."

The medical scare also canceled what would have been Fincke's 10th spacewalk and Cardman's first.

Kennedy Space Center, located roughly 70 miles north of Stuart on Florida's Space Coast, serves as the primary launch and landing hub for NASA crewed missions. Any policy changes NASA implements in response to Fincke's undiagnosed episode — including new medical screening protocols or mission-duration limits — would directly affect operations at KSC and the thousands of Brevard County contractors and federal employees who support human spaceflight. NASA has not announced a timeline for completing its review of astronaut medical records or issuing updated crew health guidance.

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