I used to work in ISS mission control, this is not an emergency return but an early return Also coming down on the Soyuz is pretty routine and only takes a few

I used to work in ISS mission control, this is not an emergency return but an early return Also coming down on the Soyuz is pretty routine and only takes a few hours- I’d say it was overall a far less risky situation than being in Antarctic on a deep ocean vessel with appendicitis etc We have dozens and (hundreds behind them) of men and women monitoring those folks from a global network of control centers 24 hrs a day- The station is mostly commanded from the ground and plans and procedures exist for everything - if anything its all over orchestrated and over-planned in my opinion, owing to national politics, corporate contracts and international bureaucracy Is it risky- yes obviously-but I’d argue its less risky then being out at the south pole in winter See: https://nasawatch.com/iss-news/crew-medical-telecon-summary/ https://nasawatch.com/iss-news/crew-medical-telecon-summary/