Nasa sends 4 astronauts back to Earth in first medical evacuation

An astronaut in need of doctors’ care departed the International Space Station with three crewmates on Wednesday in Nasa’s first medical evacuation. The four returning astronauts – from the US, Russia and Japan – are aiming for an early Thursday morning splashdown in the Pacific near San Diego with SpaceX. The decision cuts short their mission by over a month. “Our timing of this departure is unexpected,” Nasa astronaut Zena Cardman said before the return trip, “but what was not surprising to me...