NASA astronaut hospitalized after return from ISS

Washington DC - A NASA astronaut who just returned from the International Space Station has been hospitalized for an unspecified medical condition but remains stable, the US space agency said Friday.

In this NASA handout, Support teams work around the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft shortly after it landed with NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, and Jeanette Epps, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Pensacola, Florida on Friday.
In this NASA handout, Support teams work around the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft shortly after it landed with NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, and Jeanette Epps, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Pensacola, Florida on Friday.  © Joel Kowsky/NASA via Getty Images/AFP NASA / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP

The four-member Crew-8 mission splashed down off the coast of Florida early Friday after nearly eight months aboard the orbital laboratory.

On its way back to Earth, the SpaceX Dragon executed a normal re-entry and splashdown.

Recovery of the crew and spacecraft was without incident, NASA said in a blog post.

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But during routine medical assessments on the recovery ship, an "additional evaluation of the crew members was requested out of an abundance of caution," the space organization added, without elaborating.

NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, and Jeanette Epps as well as Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenki were all flown to Ascension Sacred Heart Pensacola.

Three of the team members were subsequently released, but one of the NASA astronauts remains at the hospital "under observation as a precautionary measure."

NASA said that it would not be disclosing any specific medical information in order to protect the crew member's privacy, but they said that they would provide updates as they became available.

Cover photo: Joel Kowsky/NASA via Getty Images/AFP NASA / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP

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