Astronaut hospitalized after returning from 235-day space mission

NASA mentioned Friday one its astronauts is in a hospital in Florida for medical remark after a “regular” predawn splashdown within the Gulf of Mexico inside a SpaceX capsule.

The mission’s different three crew members have been cleared to return to their house base at Johnson House Heart in Houston after their very own medical evaluations, NASA mentioned.

The hospitalized astronaut “is in secure situation and underneath remark as a precautionary measure,” a NASA spokesperson mentioned in an announcement. The company didn’t determine the astronaut or present any extra particulars about their situation, citing medical privateness protections.

Strapped into their seats onside SpaceX’s Crew Dragon Endeavour spacecraft, the four-person crew splashed down simply south of Pensacola, Florida, at 3:29 am EDT (07:29 UTC) Friday, wrapping up a 235-day mission in low-Earth orbit.

NASA prolonged their keep on the Worldwide House Station earlier this yr to accommodate schedule adjustments attributable to the troubled check flight of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, then to attend for higher climate circumstances in SpaceX’s restoration zones close to Florida.

Commander Matthew Dominick, pilot Michael Barratt, mission specialist Jeanette Epps, and Russian cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin have been inside SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft for reentry and splashdown. NASA mentioned one among its astronauts “skilled a medical concern” after the splashdown, and all 4 crew members have been flown to Ascension Sacred Coronary heart Pensacola for medical analysis.

Three of the crew members have been later launched and departed Pensacola on a NASA enterprise jet to fly again to Houston, based on NASA. The unidentified astronaut stays at Ascension.

“We’re grateful to Ascension Sacred Coronary heart for its assist throughout this time, and we’re happy with our workforce for its fast motion to make sure the security of our crew members,” the NASA spokesperson mentioned. “NASA will present further data because it turns into obtainable.”

Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin, left, NASA astronauts Michael Barratt, second from left, Matthew Dominick, second from proper, and Jeanette Epps, proper are seen contained in the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft shortly after splashdown Friday morning.

Credit score:
NASA/Joel Kowsky

This mission, named Crew-8, was SpaceX’s eighth operational crew rotation flight to the area station underneath a multibillion-dollar industrial crew contract with NASA. This was the primary flight to area for Dominick, Epps, and Grebenkin, and the third area mission for Barratt.

Roscosmos, the Russian area company, launched a photograph of Grebenkin standing in Pensacola a number of hours after splashdown. “After the area mission and splashdown, cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin feels nice!” Roscosmos posted on its Telegram channel.

Adapting to Earth

This isn’t the primary time an astronaut has been hospitalized after returning to Earth, however it’s unusual. South Korean astronaut Yi So-yeon was hospitalized for again ache after experiencing higher-than-expected g-forces throughout reentry in a Russian Soyuz spacecraft in 2008.

Three NASA astronauts have been hospitalized in Hawaii after splashing down on the finish of the Apollo-Soyuz Check Challenge mission in 1975. The astronauts suffered lung irritation after inhaling poisonous vapors from the Apollo spacecraft’s thrusters within the ultimate moments earlier than splashdown.