Astronaut's Health Forces NASA to End Mission

• NASA cuts ISS mission short due to astronaut's health issue.
• US-Japan-Russia crew of four will return to Earth early.
• Spacewalk cancelled; astronaut stable; privacy maintained.

New York, Jan 9 (AP) NASA is cutting a mission aboard the International Space Station short after an astronaut had a medical issue.

The space agency said Thursday the US-Japanese-Russian crew of four will

return to Earth earlier than planned. NASA cancelled its first spacewalk of the year because of the health issue.

The space agency did not identify the astronaut or the medical issue, citing patient privacy. The crew member is now stable.

Seven astronauts are currently living and working aboard the space station. The latest crew arrived in August after launching from Florida. (AP) RHL