NASA evacuates astronaut from space station over medical emergency

An astronaut in need of doctors' care departed the International Space Station with three crewmates in NASA's first medical evacuation.

The four returning astronauts - from the U.S., Russia and Japan - were 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 with NASA not saying which astronaut needed treatment nor the medical issue.