NASA Crew-8 mission: 4 astronauts splashdown off Florida coast after 7 months in space

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Published  October 25, 2024 3:01am MST
FOX 35 Orlando
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null - NASA's Crew-8 successfully splashed down early Friday morning off the coast of Pensacola, Florida, following more than seven months aboard the International Space Station.

NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, and Jeanette Epps, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin splashed down shortly after 3:30 a.m. Crew-8 undocked from the Space Station on Wednesday at 5:05 p.m.

Their return to Earth was delayed slightly due to Hurricane Milton and lingering weather conditions.

Astronauts flown to Florida hospital for ‘additional evaluation’

In a noteworthy update shortly after 8 a.m., about five hours after splashdown, NASA posted on X that all four astronauts were transported to a local medical facility for "additional evaluation."

"The crew exited the Dragon spacecraft onto a recovery ship for standard post-flight medical evaluations. Out of an abundance of caution, all crew members were flown to the facility together. NASA will provide additional information as it becomes available," NASA said.

The astronauts first launched to the International Space Station on March 4 aboard SpaceX's Endeavor capsule and arrived on March 5.

The team planned to perform more than 200 experiments and demonstrations during their mission, including using stem cells to create organoid models to study degenerative diseases, studying the effects of microgravity and UV radiation on plant cells, and how pressure cuffs on their legs may prevent fluid shifts, according to NASA's blog.

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