This astronaut was struck by a "mystery illness" in space that made him unable to speak and NASA still hasn't told us what it was

I have no desire to go to space. I've seen enough movies where the aliens come out of the woodwork and devour you, and I've seen a few where some horrific space pathogen gets in your body and turns you into an alien yourself.

And, as a May 26th CNN report demonstrates, the current state of space medicine isn't helping my feelings on the matter:

Five months into his fourth International Space Station mission, veteran NASA astronaut Mike Fincke was having dinner the day before a routine spacewalk. Suddenly, he found himself unable to speak. The episode in January lasted just 20 minutes and while Fincke felt no pain, he became agitated.

'It was completely out of the blue. It was just amazingly quick,' Fincke recently told the Associated Press.

Yes, he "couldn't speak" and so he "became agitated." Pretty normal response, I'd say!

Medical episodes in space are relatively rare, but NASA was nonetheless prepared: The agency "cut short the SpaceX Crew-11 mission, returning Fincke and three of his fellow astronauts to Earth a month early" (while "leaving the station staffed by only three people").

While Fincke himself appears to be okay back on the terra firma, the space administration is keeping mum about just what the heck happened to him up there in the stars:

NASA hasn't revealed many details about the incident, which tracks with its usual approach of protecting astronaut privacy and keeping all medical matters confidential. ... Fincke later revealed the early exit was due to concern for his health, without disclosing any formal diagnosis, though he told the Associated Press the symptoms were likely space-related.

"Likely space-related"??

I'd like to know a little more about that!

The whole episode of course underscores just how little we know about space, including its long-term effects on the human body. We were made for the Earth (or at least for solid ground), and being up there in free-floating zero-gravity, on the edge of unthinkable quadrillions of miles of unexplored territory, is not exactly a known factor.

As CNN reports, NASA notes five "key hazard areas" of space travel, namely "radiation, isolation, distance, microgravity and hostile environments." Among the effects of those factors are "bone and muscle loss, cardiovascular issues, immune dysfunction and vision impairment."

One doctor, meanwhile, told the news agency that "certain blood flow issues could also potentially lead to a temporary lapse of speech:"

There is something known as a TIA, or Transient ischaemic attack, which is basically a brief episode of a neurological dysfunction, usually due to the blood flow to the brain being interrupted.

Experts note that the area of "space medicine" remains largely unexplored and will need to be studied closely as humanity begins the slow but inexorable process of colonizing other planets such as Mars.

I, meanwhile, will be keeping my feet firmly on Earth!