A NASA astronaut remained hospitalized Friday evening after a four-person crew’s return from the International Space Station was delayed earlier in the morning.
The crew, made up of NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, Janet Epps, and Roscosmos astronaut Alexander Grebenkin, landed off the coast of Pensacola, Florida, around 3:30 a.m. ET. Friday.
The four were flown together to Ascension Sacred Heart Pensacola in Florida for medical evaluation after landing, with one astronaut still there, NASA said in an update on Friday.
The remaining astronaut, whose name was not mentioned by NASA, is in stable condition under observation as a precaution due to a “medical problem.”
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The crew, made up of NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, Janet Epps, and Roscosmos astronaut Alexander Grebenkin, landed off the coast of Pensacola, Florida, around 3:30 a.m. ET. Friday. (NASA/Joel Koski via AP)
“To protect the crew member’s medical privacy, specific details about 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 SpaceX Dragon astronaut capsule, which separated from the space station on Wednesday evening, experienced a normal reentry into Earth’s atmosphere and landing “without incident,” NASA said.
This image provided by NASA shows support teams working around the SpaceX Dragon Endeavor spacecraft shortly after it touched down in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Pensacola, Florida. (NASA/Joel Koski via AP)
“We are grateful to Ascension Sacred Heart for their support during this time, and we are proud of our team for acting quickly 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 mission to the International Space Station lasts for six months.
Sometimes, it takes days or even weeks for astronauts to adjust to gravity after living on the space station.
A NASA official told reporters that “the crew is doing great” during a news conference on Friday after landing, without mentioning any medical problems.
NASA’s Boeing Starliner astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sonny Williams will remain on the space station until February after their capsules were deemed too risky to return them to Earth and they returned to Earth last month empty. (NASA)
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The crew was delayed by Hurricane Helen and problems with the Boeing Starliner, which eventually returned to Earth last month without its crew. The Boeing Starliner crew will remain on the space station until February, returning home in a SpaceX capsule that launched last month with two empty seats.
Wymore and Williams were originally expected to stay for a week, and will also remain on the space station for eight months.
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