After an overnight stay at Ascension Sacred Heart Pensacola in Florida, the NASA astronaut was released and returned to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston Saturday. The crew member is in good health and will resume normal post-flight reconditioning with other crew members.
As part of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission, the astronaut was one of four crewmates who safely splashed down aboard their SpaceX Dragon spacecraft near Pensacola on Oct. 25. The crew members completed a 235-day mission, 232 days of which were spent aboard the International Space Station conducting scientific research.
To protect the crew member’s medical privacy, specific details on the individual’s condition and identity will not be shared.
After safely splashing down on Earth as part of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission Friday, a NASA astronaut experienced a medical issue. NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, and Jeanette Epps, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin were flown together to Ascension Sacred Heart Pensacola in Florida.
After medical evaluation at the hospital, three of the crew members departed Pensacola and have arrived at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
The one astronaut who remains at Ascension is in stable condition under observation as a precautionary measure. To protect the crew member’s medical privacy, specific details on the individual’s condition or identity will not be shared.
During its return to Earth, the SpaceX Dragon executed a normal entry and splashdown. Recovery of the crew and the spacecraft was without incident. During routine medical assessments on the recovery ship, the additional evaluation of the crew members was requested out of an abundance of caution.
We’re grateful to Ascension Sacred Heart for its support during this time, and we are proud of our team for its quick action to ensure the safety of our crew members.
The Crew-8 crew members splashed down aboard their Dragon spacecraft near Pensacola, Florida, to complete a 235-day mission, 232 days of which were spent aboard the International Space Station conducting scientific research.
NASA will provide additional information as it becomes available.
The uncrewed Starliner spacecraft backs away from the International Space Station shortly undocking from the Harmony module. Credit: NASA+
At 6:04 p.m. EDT, Boeing’s uncrewed Starliner spacecraft undocked from the International Space Station. Starliner is headed for a deorbit burn at 11:17 p.m. and a targeted landing at 12 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 7, at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico.
NASA’s coverage will begin at 10:50 p.m. for deorbit burn, entry, and landing on NASA+, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website.
Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft is pictured from a window on the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft docked to the Harmony module’s forward port.
Mission managers have given the first “go” for the Boeing Starliner spacecraft to undock from the International Space Station at 6:04 p.m. EDT on Friday and land in New Mexico about six hours later. NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams have finished packing Starliner with cargo and configuring its cabin for return. The duo closed Starliner’s hatch for the final time Thursday afternoon readying the spacecraft for its uncrewed departure.
Wilmore and Williams will remain aboard the orbital outpost until February when they are scheduled to return to Earth aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft with the Crew-9 mission. Starliner’s departure coverage begins at 5:45 p.m. Friday on NASA+, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website.
In the meantime, a multitude of science occurred aboard the orbital outpost on Thursday with the crew exploring microgravity’s effect on the heart and breathing, space botany, fire safety, and Earth observations. Scientists on the ground analyze the research data for unique insights on improving human health on and off the planet as well as promoting Earth and space industries.
NASA astronaut Mike Barratt photographed and watered plants growing for the C4 Photosynthesis in Space experiment inside the Columbus laboratory module’s Veggie space botany facility. The investigation observes space-caused photosynthesis and plant metabolism changes in two types of grasses growing inside the EXPRESS Rack’s Veggie research device. Results may inform bioregenerative life support systems on future spacecraft and boost fundamental knowledge of botanical processes on Earth.
Fire safety on spacecraft is just as critical and important as fire safety on Earth. However, flames and materials burn differently in the weightless environment requiring a different approach to fire protection. Researchers are using the space station’s Combustion Integrated Rack (CIR) to safely study flames in space to learn how to protect spacecraft and space habitats. NASA Flight Engineer Jeanette Epps swapped components and removed burnt samples inside the CIR for a series of experiments exploring space flammability and fire suppression in microgravity.
Pointing his camera out a window in the cupola and toward the Moon, NASA Flight Engineer Matthew Dominick photographed light reflecting off the lunar surface illuminated from Earth, also called earthshine. Measuring changes in Earth’s light reflected from the Moon may help scientists update their climate models and inform the design of future atmosphere observing satellites.
Roscosmos Commander Oleg Kononenko spent his day preparing for upcoming Soyuz spacecraft operations. The five-time station resident is collecting cargo that will soon be packed in the Soyuz MS-25 spacecraft for its departure in late September. Afterward, the veteran cosmonaut readied the Rassvet module for the Sept. 11 docking of the Soyuz MS-26 crew ship bringing to the orbital lab NASA astronaut Don Pettit and Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Wagner. Flight Engineers Nikolai Chub and Alexander Grebenkin split their day conducting a variety of Roscosmos research and lab maintenance tasks. Chub and Kononenko also participated in eye checks at the end of the day on Thursday.
The ISS Progress 89 cargo craft docked to the Zvezda service module’s rear port fired its thrusters at 3:45 p.m. for 13 minutes today raising the space station’s altitude. The orbital reboost is the third and final maneuver setting up the proper phasing for the arrival of the Soyuz MS-26 next week and Starliner’s undocking opportunity on Friday.
Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft with two NASA astronauts aboard approaches the space station for an autonomous docking as it orbited 257 miles above the South Pacific Ocean.
NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, successfully docked to the International Space Station at 1:34 p.m. EDT. Starliner launched on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket at 10:52 a.m., June 5 from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
During flight, Wilmore and Williams successfully performed manual piloting demonstrations of Starliner and completed a sleep period. Prior to crew sleep, mission teams identified three helium leaks in the spacecraft. One of these was previously discussed before flight along with a management plan, and the other two occured when the spacecraft arrived in orbit. To monitor and manage these leaks, the three helium manifolds were closed in flight during the crew’s sleep period and were all reopened ahead of rendezvous and docking operations. After docking, all Starliner manifolds are closed per normal plans.
As Starliner began its approach to the space station, five reaction control system thrusters failed off during flight. Mission teams performed a series of hot-fire tests which re-enabled four of the thrusters while the crew manually piloted the spacecraft at the station’s 200-meter hold point. After re-selecting four of the thrusters, Starliner had the fault tolerance required to approach the space station for docking. At the 10-meter hold point, the mission team completed system readiness evaluations and proceeded with docking.
Starliner’s hatch opening will begin about 3:20 p.m., with welcome remarks to follow.
NASA will continue coverage on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website. Learn how to stream NASA TV through a variety of platforms including social media.
NASA will host a post-docking media conference at approximately 5 p.m. with the following participants:
NASA Associate Administrator Jim Free
Steve Stich, manager, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program
Jeff Arend, manager for systems engineering and integration, NASA’s International Space Station Office
Mark Nappi, vice president and program manager, Commercial Crew Program, Boeing
Boeing’s Starliner crew ship approaches the space station during the company’s uncrewed Orbital Flight Test-2 mission on May 20, 2022.
NASA’s arrival coverage of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft to the International Space Station is now underway on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website. Docking is scheduled at approximately 12:15 p.m. EDT Thursday, June 6.
NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams launched safely on the Starliner spacecraft on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket at 10:52 a.m. June 5 from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
The Starliner crew continues to make their way to the space station. During flight, Wilmore and Williams successfully performed manual piloting demonstrations of Starliner and completed a sleep period. Prior to crew sleep, mission teams identified three helium leaks in the spacecraft. One of these was previously discussed before flight along with a management plan, and the other two are new since the spacecraft arrived in orbit. To monitor and manage these leaks, the three helium manifolds were isolated. Those manifolds have all been reopened prior to a Starliner height adjust burn, called NHPC. All affected manifolds will remain open for rendezvous and docking operations.
Following in-flight reviews of the mission and helium leaks, the Starliner and International Space Station mission management teams are “go” to proceed with space station arrival. The flight control team will continue to monitor the leak rates in Starliner’s propulsion system. After docking, all of Starliner manifolds will be closed per normal plans. All other Starliner systems are functioning normally.
NASA’s arrival and in-flight event coverage is as follows (all times Eastern and subject to change based on real-time operations):
12:15 p.m. – Targeted docking
2 p.m. – Hatch opening
2:20 p.m. – Welcome remarks
3:30 p.m. – Post-docking news conference at NASA Johnson with the following participants:
NASA Associate Administrator Jim Free
Steve Stich, manager, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program
Jeff Arend, manager for systems engineering and integration, NASA’s International Space Station Office
Mark Nappi, vice president and program manager, Commercial Crew Program, Boeing
Coverage of the post-docking news conference will air live on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website.
To attend the post-docking briefing, U.S. media must contact the NASA Johnson newsroom at: jsccommu@mail.nasa.gov or 281-483-5111 by 1 p.m. June 6. To join by phone, media must contact the NASA Johnson newsroom by 3 p.m. June 6.
5:50 p.m. – NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy, Associate Administrator Jim Free, Associate Administrator for Space Operations Ken Bowersox, and Johnson Space Center Director Vanessa Wyche will speak with Wilmore and Williams about their launch aboard the Starliner spacecraft.
Coverage of the Earth to space call will air live on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website.
The space station is pictured from the SpaceX Crew Dragon Endeavour during its departure and flyaround on Nov. 8, 2021.
Space physics and life support maintenance topped the schedule at the end of the week for the Expedition 71 crew as the Starliner astronauts return to Houston. 3D printing and cargo operations also rounded out the operations aboard the International Space Station.
The coldest place in the universe may be the Cold Atom Lab located aboard the orbital outpost’s Destiny laboratory module. NASA Flight Engineer Mike Barratt opened up the quantum physics research device Friday morning and inspected its cables and ports as part of broader science hardware replacement work. The ultra-cold laboratory chills atoms to near absolute zero to observe their fundamental characteristics and quantum behaviors.
Barratt then joined NASA Flight Engineers Tracy C. Dyson and Matthew Dominick as they continued life support maintenance in the Tranquility module. Barratt activated the water processing assembly then reinstalled module components to their normal configuration in Tranquility. Dominick and Dyson spent the day in the module replacing hardware that supports the water recovery system which is part of the orbital outpost’s Waste and Hygiene compartment, or bathroom.
NASA Flight Engineer Jeanette Epps assisted Dyson at the end of the day finalizing cleanup activities in Tranquility after the advanced orbital plumbing work was complete. Epps began her shift in the Kibo laboratory module replacing obsolete gas bottles with new types of gas bottles in the Common Gas Supply Equipment rack. The gas supply hardware supplies gases including argon, helium, and carbon dioxide fueling research racks and their experiments inside Kibo.
Working in the orbiting lab’s Roscosmos segment, Commander Oleg Kononenko checked Soyuz communication systems, inspected video equipment, and cleaned vents on broadband hardware. Flight Engineer Nikolai Chub worked on a 3D printing experiment testing the device’s controller and software while printing an object. Chub also stowed trash and obsolete gear inside the Progress 86 resupply ship that is due to undock at the end of the month. Flight Engineer Alexander Grebenkin spent his day checking smoke detectors in the Nauka science module.
On the ground at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, preparations continue ahead of the agency’s Boeing Crew Flight Test launch to the microgravity laboratory. NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, still in quarantine ahead of the flight test, will return to Houston this weekend as work progresses on a valve replacement on the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket Centaur upper stage. Crew will return to NASA Kennedy prior to the next launch opportunity, which is targeted for no earlier than 6:16 p.m. EDT on Friday, May 17, from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
Wilmore and Williams are the first to launch aboard Boeing’s Starliner to the space station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. The astronauts will spend about a week at the orbiting laboratory before returning to Earth and making a parachute and airbag-assisted landing in the southwestern United States.
After successful completion of the mission, NASA will finalize certification of Starliner and its systems for crewed rotation missions to the space station. The Starliner capsule, with a diameter of 15 feet (4.56 meters) and the capability to steer automatically or manually, will carry four astronauts, or a mix of crew and cargo, for NASA missions to low Earth orbit.
For the latest on Boeing’s Crew Flight Test please visit NASA’s blog.
The four SpaceX Crew-6 members (from left) Andrey Fedyaev, Woody Hoburg, Stephen Bowen, and Sultan Alnedayi, are pictured inside the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour prior to launching in March. Credit: SpaceX
At 5:19 a.m. EDT, the hatch closed between the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, named Endeavour, and the International Space Station in preparation for undocking and return to Earth of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 mission with NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen and Woody Hoburg, along with UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev.
NASA Television will air live coverage beginning at 6:45 a.m., for undocking scheduled at 7:05 a.m. Following conclusion of undocking coverage, NASA coverage of Crew-6’s return will continue with audio only, and full coverage will resume at the start of the splashdown broadcast at 11 p.m. Sunday. Real-time audio between Crew-6 and flight controllers at NASA’s Mission Audio stream will remain available.
From left, are SpaceX Crew-6 Mission Specialist Andrey Fedyaev, Commander Stephen Bowen, Pilot Woody Hoburg, and Mission Specialist Sultan Alneyadi. Credit: SpaceX
Watch live coverage now on NASA TV, the NASA app and the agency’s website as hatch closure and undocking preparations are underway for the return of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 mission.
NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen and Woody Hoburg, along with UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev are in the process of boarding the SpaceX Dragon for departure from the International Space Station.
Crew-6 is targeting a return to Earth at about 12:07 a.m. EDT Monday, Sept. 4, with a splashdown off the coast of Florida. The Dragon spacecraft, named Endeavour, is scheduled to undock from the International Space Station at 7:05 a.m. EDT Sunday, Sept. 3 to begin the journey home.
Dragon will autonomously undock, depart the space station, and splash down off the coast of Florida. Endeavour also will return important and time-sensitive research to Earth.
The four SpaceX Crew-6 members joined the seven Expedition 68 crew members aboard the space station expanding its population to 11. Credit: NASA TV
NASA astronauts, Mission Commander Stephen Bowen and Pilot Woody Hoburg, along with UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev aboard the SpaceX Dragon, named Endeavour, have arrived at the International Space Station.
