Ultrasound was crucial during the medical problem on the ISS

A portable ultrasound device was “very useful” during the medical crisis on the International Space Station (ISS) that forced the premature evacuation of four astronauts.

The crew members refused to reveal which of them needed medical attention and for what reason, during their public appearance since their return to Earth. It was NASA’s first medical evacuation in 65 years of human spaceflight.

NASA’s Mike Fincke explained that the crew used the onboard ultrasound after the medical issue on Jan. 7, a day before a scheduled spacewalk that was abruptly canceled. Astronauts had already used the device a lot for routine checks of their body changes, “so when we had this emergency, the ultrasound machine was very useful to us.”

Emergency ready

It was so useful that Fincke claimed there should be one on all future space flights.

The space station is prepared for medical emergencies, said NASA’s Zena Cardman, who commanded the crew’s early return flight with SpaceX. Cardman said NASA “made all the right decisions” in canceling the spacewalk, which would have been its first, and prioritizing the well-being of the crew.

Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui said he was surprised at how well all the pre-flight training paid off in dealing with health problems.

“We can handle any difficult situation,” Yui noted. “This is a really great experience for the future of human spaceflight.”

Russian Oleg Platonov joined them on what turned out to be a five and a half month mission (more than a month shorter than planned). They took off last August from Florida and landed in the Pacific off the coast of San Diego last week.

Their replacements, scheduled to take off in mid-February, welcomed them back to Houston. NASA and SpaceX are working to advance the flight.