NASA astronaut hospitalized after returning from Crew-8 mission

According to a message from NASA dated October 25, one of the astronauts of the Crew-8 mission was hospitalized after bringing the Crew Dragon spacecraft off the coast of Pensacola (Florida). The astronaut is in stable condition under observation at Ascension Sacred Heart Hospital Pensacola as a precaution.

After undergoing routine field medical examinations on the SpaceX rescue craft, all four crew members of Crew-8 were taken to the hospital for additional medical examinations. "During routine medical examinations on the rescue ship, an additional assessment of the condition of the crew members was requested as a precautionary measure", — NASA said.

The agency did not name the hospitalized astronaut or the details of his medical problem, citing medical confidentiality. The other three crew members returned to the Johnson Space Center in Houston.

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Crew-8 returned NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt and Janet Epps, along with Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin. All four looked in good shape as they left the Crew Dragon a little more than half an hour after the launch, smiling and waving on NASA airwaves.

"The crew is doing great now. They will spend some time on the rescue ship undergoing medical checks, and soon after will head back to Houston, — said Richard Jones, deputy manager of NASA's Commercial Crew Program, during a news conference 90 minutes after the landing.

The fact that NASA decided to conduct all four additional medical examinations at the hospital may rule out an isolated medical problem and raises the the likelihood of an incident during or after their return. However, NASA officials said at a briefing that there were no problems with the spacecraft during its return and landing, giving no indication that anything unusual was going on.