A NASA astronaut was taken to the hospital for a medical issue after returning from a nearly eight-month space station stay that was extended due to various challenges, the space agency reported on Friday.
The astronaut was part of a SpaceX capsule carrying three Americans and one Russian that parachuted into the Gulf of Mexico off the Florida coast. The crew underwent routine medical checks after being hoisted onto the recovery ship.
Following splashdown, one NASA astronaut experienced a medical problem, prompting the crew to be flown to a hospital in Pensacola, Florida, for further evaluation as a precautionary measure. The astronaut, who is in stable condition, remains at the hospital for observation.
The other three astronauts were discharged and returned to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. It can take days or weeks for astronauts to readjust to gravity after an extended period in space.
The delayed return of the astronauts was due to issues with Boeing's Starliner capsule and the impact of Hurricane Milton, which caused further delays. The crew, including NASA astronauts and a Russian cosmonaut, had been launched in March.
The space station is now back to its normal crew size of seven members, consisting of four Americans and three Russians, after a period of overflow due to the extended stay of the recent crew.
