A crew of four NASA astronauts was recently hospitalized without explanation after returning to Earth on SpaceX’s Dragon capsule.
After spending more than 200 days on the International Space Station (ISS), the Crew-8 astronauts splashed down off the coast of Florida in the early morning hours of October 25.
NASA revealed that one astronaut received medical care following the return, but on Monday it was found that all members had been taken to the hospital.
One crewmember was kept overnight, but was said to be ‘in stable condition under observation as a precautionary measure.’
NASA has not released any details about why the crew was hospitalized, which astronaut had to complete an overnight stay, or whether the medical issues were related to their return to Earth.
Following the mysterious incident, a NASA safety panel told SpaceX to focus on crew safety as they prepare for future crewed missions to the ISS.
During a meeting of the Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel on October 31, former astronaut and committee member Kent Rominger listed a series of ‘recent issues’ with SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft.
He said the mishaps serve as a reminder to remain vigilant as the company increases the pace of its missions.
‘Both NASA and SpaceX need to maintain focus on safe Crew Dragon operations and not take any ‘normal’ operations for granted,’ he said.
All four of the Crew-8 astronauts were hospitalized following their return to Earth, but NASA has not released any details about the reason, or reasons, why
The Crew-8 mission launched toward the ISS on March 3, and the crew was initially expected to return to Earth in August.
But a series of delays pushed the return flight to early October, extending what was supposed to be a 180-day stay on the ISS into a 235-day stay.
A typical long-term stay on the ISS lasts six months, or roughly 182 days.
Living on the ISS does take a toll on astronauts’ health, and the longer they stay, the more servere these health issues can become.
Following long-term space missions, astronauts are known to suffer from bone and muscle loss, vision problems, kidney stones, cardiovascular issues and other health conditions.
NASA has not released any information about why the Crew-8 astronauts were hospitalized, so it is not clear whether their extended stay on the ISS was the cause.
It’s also possible (but not confirmed) that something went awry during Crew Dragon’s return to Earth.
The incidents that Rominger referenced include observations of the Crew Dragon parachutes during the Crew-8 splashdown, such as ‘lagging’ behavior that caused one of the four main chutes to open slower than the others, SpaceNews reported.
He also cited several issues with SpaceX’s Falcon 9, such as the July launch failure that grounded the rocket for about two weeks.
In August, Falcon 9 launches were briefly halted after one of the rocket’s boosters was lost during a drone ship landing.
The Crew-8 astronauts splashed down on the SpaceX Dragon Endeavor on October 25, following a 235-day mission
And in September, another mishap with the Falcon 9’s upper-stage engine occurred during a deorbit burn following the launch of the Crew-9 mission.
As a result, the second state landed outside the target zone, and the rocket was grounded for another two weeks, except for one mission.
Even as recently as Sunday, SpaceX scrubbed a Starlink satellite launch scheduled for this weekend due to a helium leak.
‘When you look at these recent incidents over the last handful of weeks, it does lead one say that it’s apparent that operating safely requires significant attention to detail as hardware ages and the pace of operations increases,’ Rominger said.
He added that both NASA and SpaceX will have to ‘guard against letting the high pace of operations from clouding their judgement’ to ensure that missions are conducted with the appropriate level of attention, time and resources.
Elon Musk’s SpaceX has been a trusted NASA partner for years, and the company has been particularly busy this year.
The commercial spaceflight leader has already launched over 100 rockets in 2024, including several crewed missions. Musk has set an ambitious goal to achieve a total of 148 before the year is over.
This would beat the 98 launches SpaceX achieved in 2023.
But the company’s focus on maintaining a fast-paced mission schedule, and thus its leading position in the commercial space industry, could come at the cost of astronaut health and safety.
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