SpaceX Crew-8 mission returns successfully to Earth after 232 days
It was learned that one of the astronauts needed medical attention. However, NASA declined to elaborate on the case.
NASA's SpaceX Crew-8 mission successfully splashed down Friday off Pensacola, Fla. This concluded a nearly eight-month science mission and the agency's eighth commercial crew rotation mission to the International Space Station.
Following its March 3 launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt and Jeanette Epps, as well as Roscosmos astronaut Alexander Grebenkin, spent 232 days aboard the space station.
It was also learned that one of the astronauts needed medical attention. However, NASA declined to elaborate on the case. The other three traveled to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston after a health assessment at Ascension Sacred Heart Pensacola.
"To protect the crew member’s medical privacy, specific details on the individual’s condition or identity will not be shared," NASA news chief Cheryl Warner said in a statement picked up by CNN.
"Recovery teams from NASA and SpaceX quickly secured the spacecraft and assisted the astronauts during exit. The crew now will head to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, while the Dragon spacecraft will return to SpaceX facilities at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida for inspection and refurbishment for future missions," NASA said in a statement.
During their mission, the agency noted, crew members traveled nearly 100 million miles and completed 3,760 orbits around Earth. In addition, they conducted scientific research.
"Research and technology demonstrations included conducting stem cell research to develop organoid models for studying degenerative diseases, exploring how fuel temperature affects material flammability, and studying how spaceflight affects immune function in astronauts. Their work aims to improve astronaut health during long-duration spaceflights, contributing to critical advancements in space medicine and benefitting humanity," the agency noted.
Crew-8's return follows the arrival of NASA's SpaceX Crew-9 at the orbiting laboratory on Sept. 29. These missions are part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program, which "provides reliable access to space, maximizing the use of the station for research and development."
LATEST
