Frail NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry “Butch” Wilmore safely returned to Earth on Tuesday after enduring nine harrowing months of being stranded in space.
Shocking before-and-after images reveal the profound effects of prolonged exposure to low gravity on the 59-year-old Williams, who was confined to space for nine months.
The striking contrast in Williams’ age is evident in the photos, showcasing the significant difference between her age when she piloted the Boeing Starliner into space on June 5, 2024, and her return on Tuesday, March 18.
Williams and Wilmore, two stranded astronauts, were rescued after SpaceX founder Elon Musk sent a Dragon capsule to dock with the International Space Station (ISS) and return them home.
After a 17-hour flight, the capsule carrying Williams, Wilmore, and two astronaut escorts splashed down off the coast of Tallahassee, Florida, just before 6 p.m. on Tuesday.
NASA aired live footage of the capsule’s splashdown, which garnered millions of viewers at home.
Once the capsule was lifted onto a boat, a SpaceX medical team and engineers extracted the exhausted astronauts from the tiny capsule.
Williams and Wilmore, who were stranded in space for nine months, lost muscle mass and the ability to walk. They will undergo six weeks of physical rehabilitation to regain their walking abilities.
In September, reports indicated that Musk offered to send a Dragon crew to rescue the astronauts. However, the Biden administration declined the offer, citing concerns about giving credit to then-candidate Donald Trump for their rescue.
Effects of Prolonged Low-Gravity and Radiation On the Human Body
Prolonged exposure to low gravity and radiation has several adverse effects on the human body. In addition to muscle and bone loss, astronauts like Williams and Wilmore also experienced a loss of their sense of smell and taste due to pressure in their sinuses. This pressure caused fluid retention in their brains, resulting from the loss of gravity.
Upon landing back on Earth, astronauts also face a risk of blood clots. Low gravity causes body fluids to migrate upwards towards the brain, straining the cardiovascular system and requiring it to work harder to pump blood around the body.
Furthermore, low gravity and radiation wreak havoc on the hair and skin, as evident from the photos of Sunita Williams.
To address these challenges, NASA has developed a specialized rehabilitation program to assist astronauts returning from space. Williams and Wilmore were required to complete a 45-day rehabilitation program, which included daily exercise for two hours, seven days a week, to relearn how to walk.
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