SpaceX Crew-8 Dragon Endeavor splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Pensacola, Florida on Friday (Oct. 25) at 0729 UTC. Aboard were NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt and Jeanette Epps, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin who returned to Earth after 235 days -- including a more than two-week wait on board the International Space Station (ISS).
Endeavor undocked from the ISS on Wednesday Oct. 23, at 2105 UTC, as the two spacecraft were flying 418 kilometers above the Pacific Ocean.
"After spending 232 days docked to the space station, [Crew-8 is] the longest mission Dragon has spent on-orbit to date," SpaceX noted in a social media post. The previous longest duration of nearly 200 days was also set by Endeavour, on the Crew-2 mission in 2021.
SpaceX boats and ships, including the Dragon recovery vessel, 'Megan' (named after Crew-2 astronaut Megan McArthur), made their quick way to Endeavor to bring the capsule and Crew-8 members aboard.
The Crew-8 astronauts were reportedly evaluated at Ascension Sacred Heart Pensacola, a hospital nearby their splashdown site in the Atlantic Ocean. NASA reportedly said one astronaut, described as "in stable condition," will remain behind in the hospital "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," NASA added. The agency noted the entry and splashdown were "normal" and the extra medical check was done as a precaution during "routine medical assessments on the recovery ship... 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."
Returning to Earth is typically a strain for astronauts, given they have spent half a year or more in microgravity, but NASA doctors work individually with the astronauts for rehabilitation. Generally speaking, it takes several months to return to full normal activities, but astronauts can start activities like driving within a few weeks.
Crew-8 mission was launched on March 3, docked with the ISS on March 5 and the crew concluded their mission after 235 days in space, which is slightly longer than the typical 180 to 210 days. That's because Crew-8 had a two-week mission extension due to difficulties with finding good weather in the Atlantic Ocean amid hurricane season.
The longest ISS stay was nearly 371 days in 2022-23, with the three astronauts of Soyuz MS-22/23. The all-time record for a space visit was 437 days, set in 1994-95 on the Soviet-Russian Mir space station by Russian cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov.
The ISS has hosted long-duration crews since 2000. Over the decades, NASA and its partners have developed numerous countermeasures to protect astronauts' health. Each crew member has roughly two hours of daily assigned exercise time, and astronauts have weekly mental health consultations with a physician, among many other precautions.
Dominick, Barratt, Epps and Grebenkin served on the space station's 70th, 71st and 72nd expedition crews. During their stay, they helped conduct hundreds of science experiments and attempted two extravehicular activities (EVAs, or spacewalks.
