NASA astronauts to speak publicly for first time after unexpected post-splashdown hospitalizations

By Jackie Wattles, CNN

(CNN) — Three of the astronauts who were unexpectedly hospitalized after returning from the International Space Station in late October are set to discuss their mission during a NASA news conference.

The event is set to take place at 3:15 p.m. ET Friday from NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

NASA astronauts Michael Barratt, Matthew Dominick, and Jeanette Epps are expected to field questions. The fourth crewmate, Russian cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin, “will not participate because of his travel schedule,” according to a NASA news release.

Barratt, Dominick, Epps and Grebenkin spent 235 days in space before returning to Earth with a splashdown landing off the coast of Florida aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule on October 25.

The SpaceX capsule “executed a normal entry and splashdown,” according to NASA, and all four crew members could be seen smiling and waving as they exited the vehicle aboard a recovery ship.

Hours later, however, NASA revealed that the entire crew had been taken to a nearby hospital — Ascension Sacred Heart Pensacola — “out of an abundance of caution.”

The space agency later disclosed that one of the astronauts had experienced a medical issue and remained at the hospital overnight.

NASA did not disclose which astronaut remained hospitalized nor did the space agency share any details about the medical issue, saying in a statement only that the crew member was “in stable condition” and “under observation as a precautionary measure.”

Medical checkouts are routine after long-duration missions to space. However, astronauts are typically transported directly back to their home base in Houston after splashdown, rather than diverted to a nearby hospital, for reconditioning as they transition back to Earth’s environment.

The Crew-8 astronauts launched into space on March 3 and remained in space longer than expected.

Boeing Starliner’s impact on Crew-8’s return

Among the roadblocks for their return to Earth were schedule changes related to issues with the Boeing Starliner spacecraft, which had carried NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to the space station on a test flight in early June but was deemed too risky to return its crew back to Earth.

NASA ultimately chose to send back the Boeing spacecraft empty and moved Starliner’s astronauts onto the SpaceX Crew-9 mission, delaying the launch of that mission. That schedule adjustment in turn delayed Crew-8’s return because Crew-9 had to arrive at the orbiting laboratory for a handoff of duties before Crew-8 could disembark.

Weather delays also pushed Crew-8’s return into late October.

While the 235-day mission was a few weeks longer than routine trips to the orbiting outpost, it’s not a record-setting stay in space for the astronauts.

Astronauts commonly extend their stay aboard the space station for days, weeks or even months as unexpected events arise.

NASA astronaut Frank Rubio, for example, logged a record 371 days in space during a mission that concluded in September 2023. Rubio’s stay was extended after his original ride to low-Earth orbit — a Russian Soyuz capsule — sprang a coolant leak while docked to the space station.

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