A NASA astronaut was rushed to the hospital when he returned from the ISS

Posted by Becca Lewis | Published 16 seconds ago

When Space-X Crew 8 returned to Earth, all four crew members were taken to Ascension Sacred Heart Pensacola. Three of the four crew members were released on Friday, October 25, but one NASA astronaut was hospitalized overnight and returned to retraining with the rest of the crew on Saturday. To protect the privacy of the astronauts in question, NASA did not release their names, but it is known that one crew member who stayed in the hospital overnight was an American from NASA.

Cause of Hospitalization Unknown

Four members of the team, Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, Jeanette Epps, and Alexander Grebenkin reunited at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas when the hospitalized NASA astronaut was discharged on Saturday.

Crews will be constantly trained to adjust to Earth’s gravity environment. Although it is not known what the problem was that caused the NASA astronaut to be hospitalized, it is known that all training started again after their release.

In Space Longer Than Intended

The Space-X Crew Dragon capsule has returned to Earth following a 235-day mission to the ISS, after weather delays caused them to change their re-entry plans even before a NASA astronaut was hospitalized. The ride to the space station was longer than usual, with the goal of preparing for a trip beyond Earth’s orbit. As part of research to expand human access to the far reaches of our solar system and beyond, the crew participated in experiments designed to test various capabilities under microgravity conditions.

Astronauts who spend long periods in space can experience negative effects from low gravity including vision changes, bone loss, and kidney stones. Although it is not clear what caused the NASA astronaut to be hospitalized, some of these problems may be at the root of the problem. Since all astronauts have been cleared to return to training, it is unlikely that a crew member who was kept overnight would suffer serious injuries.

NASA announced that all crew members were taken to the hospital out of an abundance of caution, and confirmed that one NASA astronaut who was hospitalized overnight was ready to return to training, but did not comment further on the cause of the hospitalization.

Common Practice

Since astronauts, like the rest of us, have the right to medical privacy, NASA could not share information about the crew members’ condition with the public. Incidents of astronauts needing treatment after returning to Earth are common, as reacclimating to Earth’s environment after such a long time can be difficult.

The splashdown of the Space-X capsule went well, and no accidents were reported during re-entry, so it’s possible that whatever caused the NASA astronaut to be hospitalized was one of the possible illnesses associated with the re-entry to Earth. circumstances, rather than any kind of injury.

Astronauts who spend time on the ISS can lose up to 14 percent of their blood volume and have trouble walking and sustaining their movements due to the pull of Earth’s gravity. Low blood pressure combined with difficulty balancing can often be a challenge for astronauts returning from space.

Source: NASA