Ailing astronaut, colleagues return to Earth in first NASA medical evacuation

NASA completed its first medical evacuation early Thursday, when an ailing astronaut and three others splashed down in the Pacific Ocean, more than a month ahead of schedule. The four astronauts — NASA’s Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, along with Japan’s Kimiya Yui and Russia’s Oleg Platonov — returned to Earth at 3:41 a.m. EST…