NASA astronaut hospitalized with medical issue after crew’s delayed return from space station

A NASA astronaut remained hospitalized Friday evening following the delayed return of a four-person crew from the International Space Station earlier in the morning. 

The crew consisting of NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, and Jeanette Epps, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin splashed down off the coast of Pensacola, Florida, around 3:30 a.m. ET. Friday. 

All four were flown together to Ascension Sacred Heart Pensacola in Florida for medical evaluation following splashdown, and one astronaut still remains, NASA said in a Friday update. 

The remaining astronaut, whom NASA didn’t name, is in stable condition under observation as a precaution due to a “medical issue.”

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“To protect the crew member’s medical privacy, specific details on the individual’s condition or identity will not be shared,” NASA said. 

The other three have returned to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

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The astronauts’ SpaceX Dragon capsule, which undocked from the space station Wednesday evening, experienced a normal reentry into the Earth’s atmosphere and landing that was “without incident,” NASA said. 

“We’re grateful to Ascension Sacred Heart for its support during this time, and we are proud of our team for its quick action to ensure the safety of our crew members,” the agency added. 

The astronauts spent eight months on the space station, two months longer than expected. A normal ISS mission lasts for six months. 

It sometimes takes days or even weeks for astronauts to adjust back to gravity after living on the space station. 

A NASA official told reporters “the crew is doing great” during a Friday press conference after splashdown, without mentioning any medical issues. 

The crew was delayed by both Hurricane Helene and problems with the Boeing Starliner, which eventually returned to Earth last month without its own crew. The Boeing Starliner crew will remain at the space station until February, flying home in a SpaceX capsule that launched last month with two empty seats. 

Originally expected to stay for a week, Wimore and Williams will also remain at the space station for eight months.