In March, three NASA astronauts were sent to the International Space Station to monitor the arrival of two rockets over six months but a series of complications extended the mission by two months. Upon their delayed return, it was revealed that one of the three spent time in the hospital. A recent press conference with the astronauts had journalists questioning who fell ill, but the trio opted for silence, causing people to be left with more questions than answers. Read more on the mission and find out what we know about this mysterious space illness.
NASA astronauts decline to identify Ill crew member
In a recent press conference after their unexpectedly extended mission on the International Space Station (ISS), three NASA astronauts declined to reveal which member of the crew fell ill.
Back in early March, NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt and Jeanette Epps—accompanied by Russian cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin—departed on SpaceX’s Falcon for the ISS.
Their mission was to replace the current crew of astronauts stationed at the ISS and oversee the arrival of two new rocketships during a 6-month stint.
However, due to issues with Boeing’s Starliner capsule and Hurricane Milton, six months turned into eight. When the SpaceX capsule eventually landed off the Florida coast in October, one of the NASA astronauts was taken to the hospital to be treated for an undisclosed medical issue.
When asked who was being treated or to describe the symptoms of the ill party, the crew members declined to comment.
“Spaceflight is still something we don’t fully understand,” said Barratt, a doctor who specializes in space medicine and the only member of the crew who had previously been to space. “We’re finding things that we don’t expect sometimes. This was one of those times and we’re still piecing things together on this.”
Insights on the health of the NASA crew
Though the group declined to comment on the specific details of the ill astronaut, a few of them offered insight into what can affect an astronaut’s health in space.
According to an article from AP News, Epps emphasized that every person who goes to space responds differently to the environment, specifically changes in gravity.
“That’s the part that you can’t predict,” Epps said about adjusting to the microgravity of the ISS. “Every day is better than the day before.”
Dominick shared his experience adjusting back to Earth’s gravity upon his return. For him, sitting comfortably in a hard chair and resuming a normal walking routine took several days to get used to.
How do astronauts get sick in space?
Though it might be tempting to think that sickness doesn’t spread in the hyper-controlled environment of the ISS, in reality, extended time in space can do serious damage to the human body.
Gravitational changes in the ISS contribute to problematic shifts in the way we carry out normal bodily functions such as nervous and circulatory system regulation, the retention of fluids, muscle maintenance and bone density preservation.
For example, weak gravity in space can cause brain fluid to expand, pushing the brain higher in the skull and affecting eyesight.
Other health risks of space living include mental health problems from long-term isolation and exposure to harmful radiation without Earth’s protective magnetosphere.
