The Crew-8 astronauts from NASA and Roscosmos were transported to a Florida hospital for medical evaluations shortly after their successful return to Earth on Friday (Oct. 25). Following a pre-dawn splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean, NASA confirmed that the crew was brought to Ascension Sacred Heart Pensacola, a nearby medical facility, as a precaution.
NASA Crew-8 astronauts (from left) Alexander Grebenkin, Michael Barratt, Matthew Dominick, and Jeanette Epps splashed down off the coast of Florida on Friday morning after nearly eight months aboard the International Space Station. Credit: SpaceX
would remain at the hospital for further observation. "To protect the crew member’s medical privacy, specific details on the individual’s condition or identity will not be shared," the agency added. According to NASA, both the entry and splashdown procedures were conducted without issue, with the precautionary medical assessments being part of routine checks done on the recovery ship.
Later in the day, NASA clarified that while routine medical checks were conducted aboard the recovery ship, additional evaluations were requested "out of an abundance of caution." All four astronauts were transported to a hospital in Pensacola; however, three of them were released a few hours later and returned to Johnson Space Center.
NASA has not disclosed what specifically prompted the extra evaluations, nor has it indicated if they might be related to the Crew Dragon spacecraft or recovery operations. In a briefing held about 90 minutes after splashdown, NASA and SpaceX officials reported that the spacecraft’s return had gone smoothly and noted that all four crew members were "doing great" post-splashdown.
The Crew-8 team—consisting of NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, and Jeanette Epps, along with Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin—had launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on March 3. Their mission concluded after 235 days in space, slightly extended beyond the typical duration due to challenging Atlantic weather conditions brought on by the hurricane season.
NASA’s Deputy Program Manager Richard Jones praised the crew’s condition post-splashdown, remarking, "The crew is doing great." During a briefing approximately 90 minutes after splashdown, Jones explained that the astronauts would undergo a series of checks on the recovery vessel before returning to Houston. The post-flight assessment revealed only minor irregularities with the Crew Dragon capsule's parachute system, a detail NASA described as nominal.
Crew-8’s extended 235-day mission aligns closely with typical International Space Station (ISS) rotations but is notably shorter than the all-time ISS record. In 2022-23, a three-person crew on Soyuz MS-22/23 set the ISS endurance record with a nearly 371-day stay, while the longest single mission in space—437 days—was achieved in 1994-95 by Russian cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov aboard the Soviet-Russian Mir space station.
Since 2000, NASA and its international partners have refined numerous health protocols for long-duration space missions, including daily exercise and regular mental health support. Following their return to Earth, astronauts typically face physical challenges as their bodies readapt to gravity, but tailored rehabilitation programs help them resume activities like driving within a few weeks, with full recovery taking several months.
NASA expressed gratitude to Ascension Sacred Heart for their support and commended the quick actions of their recovery teams.
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