--- title: "News Outlets Are Falsely Reporting That a NASA Astronaut Is Still in the Hospital" description: "News outlets are reporting that a NASA astronaut is still hospitalized post-ISS trip — even though they were released 10 days ago." date: "2024-11-06" modified: "2024-11-06" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/news-outlets-nasa-astronaut-hospital-misleading" categories: - "NASA" - "Space" tags: - "astronauts" - "iss" - "Media" - "NASA" --- # News Outlets Are Falsely Reporting That a NASA Astronaut Is Still in the Hospital ![News outlets are reporting that a NASA astronaut is still hospitalized post-ISS trip — even though they were released 10 days ago.]() *\Image: Plan Shooting 2 / Imazins / Getty Images\* Despite [ample reporting]() to [the contrary](), multiple news outlets are still running misleading new articles claiming that a NASA astronaut is still [in the hospital after returning]() from the International Space Station on a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule. If you take it from headlines [seen in the *Daily Mail*](), [Salt Lake City's *KSL-TV*](), or the [random Argentinian news site *El Diario 24*](), the unnamed ISS crew member who was rushed along with their three crewmates to a Pensacola hospital on October 25 is still there. ![Top stories NASA astronaut hospitalized]() The problem? NASA itself [announced just a day after those initial reports]() that the astronaut returned home to Houston after just one day, with a clean bill of health and the ability to "resume normal post-flight reconditioning with other crew members." Soon after, outlets like [*The Guardian*](), [*Space.com*](), and [*Ars Technica*]() all picked up the stories in a timely manner — but for whatever reason, those headlines came up much lower on Google News than this wave of far sketchier ones. This issue not only happened on Google Search, but also — albeit to a somewhat lesser extent — when we searched "NASA astronaut hospitalized" on Apple News as well. ![]() Notably, none of the offending articles made any reference to the recent updates about the health of the astronaut, whose name NASA chose not to release to protect their identity and medical status. Despite not including those important details, the [*Daily Mail* did add]() a bit of detail about a [NASA safety panel seeming to chide SpaceX]() for vaguely described "anomalies" that occurred on its crafts in the wake of the hospitalizations. Ironically enough, however, that panel comment came *after* the astronaut was released. As for SLC's *KSL-TV*, the issue at hand is obvious: the outlet appears to have [just run a syndicated *Associated Press* story]() about the astronaut hospitalizations on November 4 — even though the [piece itself was published October 25](), making it woefully out of date. The Argentinian *El Diario* site, meanwhile, remains more of a conundrum. Though the site is based in the South American country, it was published in English and was posted under the peculiar byline "More M," which has on its author page several NASA-related posts, though only dating back to November 2. Moreover, the text from the *El Diario* article reads strangely, as though it might have been generated or translated using AI. We've reached out to both Google and Apple to ask why these sketchy sources are being promoted over newer, more legitimate news. If we had to hazard a guess about what's going on here, however, we'd say it's little more than [junky content farms]() or [ailing local news sites]() exploiting [search engine optimization]() (SEO) to get their crap seen before the real thing. More on the media: [*Jeff Bezos Cosplays as Humble Newspaperman*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()