“Spacebound Struggles: Why Doctors Are Racing Against Time to Reach Stranded Astronauts”
After over 286 days floating among the stars, astronauts Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita Williams are finally back on solid ground… but can you imagine what it’s like to come down after almost a year in space? It’s like swapping out zero gravity for a treadmill that suddenly whirls to life at full speed—blindfolded! As they touched down in a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule, images emerged of the duo being wheeled away on stretchers, igniting a flurry of online chatter. Was it just protocol, or were people seriously concerned about the effects of their nine-month stint in orbit? Originally slated for a quick eight-day jaunt, this unexpected journey has left many questioning how these seasoned astronauts will adjust to life back on Earth—muscle loss, reorienting to gravity, and all those pending conversations about their out-of-this-world tales. Buckle up as we dive into the public’s reactions and explore the implications of their astonishing space saga! LEARN MORE
After being stuck in space for 286 days, Starliner astronauts Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita Williams returned to Earth aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule.
Images of the astronauts being wheeled off the spacecraft on stretchers sparked widespread speculation about their health.
Williams and Wilmore’ June 2024 mission was initially meant to last for only eight days. But their stay unexpectedly turned into a 9-month-long odyssey in outer space that finally came to an end this week.
Netizens expressed concern after Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita Williams returned to Earth
Image credits: www.nasa.gov
The SpaceX capsule carrying the astronauts was surrounded by a pod of dolphins as it made a splashdown off Florida’s Gulf Coast on Tuesday, March 18.
They’re an “honorary part of the recovery team,” NASA commentators joked about the marine creatures.
Image credits: NASA/Keegan Barber
Netizens were both relieved and concerned to finally see the pair return to solid ground.
“Thats awesome. Im sure they must have some wild stories to tell about space!!!” one commenter said.
Another wrote, “What an amazing thing to witness! The pod of dolphins that greeted the SpaceX capsule was great!”
Williams and Wilmore were accompanied by the other members of NASA’s Crew-9 Mission, American astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov
Image credits: NASA/Keegan Barber
Other comments took a different tone, with one saying, “Welcome back to hell.”
“They may want to take the next shuttle back,” another wrote.
One joked, “Welcome back! just don’t look at the egg prices.”
Image credits: NASA/Keegan Barber
Many were worried about the astronauts’ health, wondering when they would be able fully adjust to life back on Earth.
“They won’t be walking for a while,” one commenter said, while another wrote, “Wonder how long it’ll take them to rebuild their muscles and coordination to start running again.”
“I’d be curious to read about their health in the next few weeks,” one social media user said
Image credits: NASA/Keegan Barber
“Nine months is nasty,” one said. “I imagine they lost a lot of weight.”
“I’d be curious to read about their health in the next few weeks. I think something happens to the bones,” another wrote.
“It is hard to imagine their mental state. although they are professional trained, staying in outer space for such an unexpectedly long time is truly beyond imagination,” one said.
Image credits: NASA/Keegan Barber
It may have been unusual for some people to see the astronauts being carried out of the SpaceX Dragon in stretchers.
However, it was nothing more than the protocol to be followed after space travelers return from prolonged periods of living without gravity.
“A lot of them don’t want to be brought out on a stretcher, but they’re told they have to be,” John DeWitt, director of applied sports science at Rice University in Texas and a former senior scientist at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, told Live Science.
It is protocol to carry out space travelers on stretchers as they may not immediately be able to walk
Image credits: NASA/Keegan Barber
DeWitt explained that astronauts may experience dizziness and nausea after touchdown and may not be able to walk right away.
The human body is designed to function in a world with gravity, and many parts of the body and its sensory organs have evolved to respond to gravity’s pull.
Image credits: NASA/Keegan Barber
When in space, the brain adjusts to the weightlessness in different ways. And once the space travelers return back to Earth, their body once again starts readjusting to life with gravity and may experience “space motion sickness” from their journey, DeWitt said.
After prolonged periods of time in space, astronauts also undergo a number of physiological changes, such as loss of muscle and bone density.
The body undergoes several changes during prolonged periods of time in microgravity or weightlessness
Image credits: NASA/Keegan Barber
“I’ve been up here long enough right now I’ve been trying to remember what it’s like to walk,” she told the students of her alma mater, Needham High School in Massachusetts, in January.
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