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NASA’s Crew 8 Astronauts Reflect on Their 235-Day Mission and Address Medical Privacy Issue
Three NASA astronauts who recently concluded a 235-day mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS) spoke with reporters on Friday, mindful of a sensitive medical matter that resulted in one of the astronauts being hospitalized after their return to Earth.
The astronaut in question returned to the Johnson Space Center in Houston on October 26, following their splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico a day earlier. NASA officials refrained from disclosing specific details due to medical privacy concerns, but confirmed that the astronaut is “in good health” and will be participating in standard post-flight reconditioning with the rest of the crew.
“I know there may be some interest in our post-flight medical event, where we diverted to a hospital,” said Crew 8 pilot Mike Barratt, a physician-astronaut. “You know, space flight is still something we don’t fully understand. We’re finding things that we don’t expect sometimes, and this was one of those times.”
Despite the mysterious incident, Barratt emphasized the importance of privacy surrounding the astronaut’s health and stated that further comments on the situation will not be forthcoming at this time.
Commander Matt Dominick, astronaut Jeanette Epps, and cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin, who was detached from the crew shortly after returning to Moscow, also participated in the press event. All appeared to be in good health as they started to readjust to Earth’s gravity.
During their mission, the crew shared several notable experiences, including a water leak incident that occurred during preparations for a planned spacewalk in June. This leak resulted in an unexpected deluge inside the station’s airlock, leading to what Barratt described as a “snowstorm” of ice crystals filling the chamber.
Originally planned for June 13, a previous spacewalk was canceled due to a “discomfort” experienced by Dominick in his spacesuit. However, Barratt and astronaut Tracy Dyson ventured out for another spacewalk on June 24. While in the airlock with the outer hatch open, an umbilical used for the suits failed, causing water to pour into the airlock.
Dyson recalled her reaction when she first noticed the leak: “Oh, my goodness. There’s a lot of water flowing. There’s literally water everywhere. … I’ve got ice all over my helmet.”
Barratt emphasized the seriousness of the incident, stating, “It was not a trivial leak. Anyone watching NASA TV could see there was basically a blizzard spewing from the airlock.” He praised Dyson’s quick thinking and dexterity as she managed to address the situation while dealing with impaired visibility due to the ice.
“I think literally, Tracy’s actions were nowhere short of heroic,” Barratt said, commending her for successfully reseating the umbilical with ice-covered hands. “Everything worked out fine. And again, normal processes and procedures saved our bacon.”
Looking ahead, NASA plans to resume spacewalks in January, and Barratt assured that the spacesuits would be ready for use. “I think we are more than ready for the next EVA campaign,” he noted, although he acknowledged that the suits are aging and may encounter further hardware issues as missions continue.
Regarding the suit discomfort issue that affected Dominick’s earlier spacewalk attempt, he stated the team is still reviewing the circumstances to better understand what occurred.
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