### NASA Astronauts Remain Tight-Lipped on Health Issue After Extended Space Mission

Three NASA astronauts who recently returned from a prolonged mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS) held their first public discussion since landing on October 25. The three crew members—Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, and Jeanette Epps—spent nearly eight months in orbit, longer than initially planned due to complications with Boeing's Starliner crew capsule and severe weather, including Hurricane Milton.

While the crew shared their experiences about the mission, they remained tight-lipped about a health issue that led one of them to spend a night in the hospital upon their return. The specifics of the "medical issue" remain undisclosed, with NASA citing medical privacy for not revealing the identity or details of the affected astronaut.

At a recent news conference, the astronauts were asked directly which one of them had fallen ill. However, all three opted to keep that information private. Michael Barratt, who has a background in space medicine and is the only one among them to have flown in space before, mentioned that spaceflight still holds many unknowns and that the incident is under continued investigation. He refrained from describing the symptoms experienced by the unidentified crew member.

Matthew Dominick shared his own post-mission challenges, noting the difficulty of readjusting to everyday tasks such as sitting comfortably in a hard chair. He revealed that he did not use the treadmill during his time in orbit, participating in an experiment to evaluate which equipment might be considered unnecessary for a long-duration mission to Mars. His first steps back on Earth were taken as he exited the capsule.

Meanwhile, the two astronauts who were part of the test piloting team for Boeing's Starliner—Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams—remain on the ISS and are expected to return to Earth by February, traveling with SpaceX. The Starliner itself returned empty in September.