**NASA Astronauts Remain Tight-lipped About Health Incident After Return from Space**

Three NASA astronauts addressed the public for the first time since their return from the International Space Station (ISS) after an extended stay of nearly eight months, but none revealed who among them fell ill. Their mission was prolonged unexpectedly due to complications with Boeing's Starliner crew capsule and adverse weather conditions, including Hurricane Milton.

Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, and Jeanette Epps splashed down off the coast of Florida in the Gulf of Mexico on October 25. They were immediately taken to a hospital in Pensacola, Florida, along with Russian cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin, who joined them on their mission in March. While one of the American astronauts spent the night in the hospital due to an undisclosed medical issue, NASA upheld medical privacy by not disclosing further details.

At a news conference held at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston on November 8, the three astronauts declined to identify who had been hospitalized or to discuss the specifics of the illness. Barratt, who is also a physician specializing in space medicine, emphasized the unpredictability and complexity of spaceflight health issues.

"Spaceflight is still something we don’t fully understand. There are unexpected challenges, and this was one of those times," Barratt noted, refraining from elaborating on the symptoms experienced by the sick astronaut.

Epps highlighted the varying ways in which different individuals adapt to space travel and readjust to gravity upon return. Dominick shared his own experience of re-acclimating to simple activities, such as sitting comfortably in a hard chair, and mentioned participating in a space equipment experiment by avoiding the treadmill during his mission. His first walk after months was when he exited the SpaceX capsule.

Meanwhile, astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who are test pilots for the Boeing Starliner, will remain on the ISS until February and will return to Earth aboard a SpaceX vehicle. The Starliner's recent mission concluded with its return to Earth in September, carrying no crew on board.

The incident underscores the ongoing challenges of space exploration and the need for further understanding and preparation as missions extend in duration and complexity.