Major health update on astronauts who were stranded in space for nine months
A pair of NASA astronauts who were stranded on the International Space Station (ISS) last year have completed a gruelling 45-day rehab course to readapt to Earth’s atmosphere.
Butch Wilmore, 62, and Sunita Williams, 59, lost significants amoutn of muscle mass and bone density after spending nine months on the ISS.
This left them suffering extreme fatigue, with Ms Williams struggling to get out of bed for weeks after their return in March.
Mr Wilmore, who suffered neck and back issues before the flight, said he immediately started suffering problems after landing back on Earth.
‘We’re still floating in the capsule in the ocean, and my neck starts hurting, while we still hadn’t even been extracted yet,’ he told the Reuters news agency.
Ms Williams added: ‘Gravity stinks for a period, and that period varies for different people, but eventually you get over those neurovestibular balance type of issues.
‘It’s been a little bit of a whirlwind. Because we also have obligations to all of the folks that we worked with.’
The pair spent at least two hours a day working with NASA’s strength and reconditioning experts on top of their regular workload.
They set off last June for what was supposed to be an eight-day test flight for the Boeing Starliner transport craft.
It turned into a nine-month stay on the ISS after their space capsule suffered technical issues and had to return to Earth crewless.
The pair did not comment on the ins and outs of their problems, but previous comments by astronauts shed some insight onto what they may have experienced.
‘After six months to a year, you gradually lose the thick, calloused skin on your feet,’ retired Nasa astronaut, Leroy Chiao, told NewsNation Prime in March.
Once the harder skin peels off, the feet are usually left soft and tender he said, adding: ‘You kind of have baby feet when you come back.’
Until the feet build up hard skin again, which can take from weeks to months, walking can be uncomfortable and even agonising.
Another Nasa veteran, Terry Virtz, said he felt ‘really dizzy’ on landing and struggled with his sense of balance for some time.
An astronaut’s heart can shrink slightly because the body needs to make less effort to pump blood around.
Their vision can be affected due to fluid shifting around differently and putting pressure on the optic nerve.
Psychological effects such as anxiety and depression can also persist.
Mr Wilmore said he backed calls for Nasa to fly the Starliner crewless again before its next manned flight.
Nasa officials said results from testing planned over the summer will determine the decision.
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