Frail NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry “Butch” Wilmore returned to Earth on Tuesday, after spending 9 harrowing months stranded in space.
Shocking before-and-after images show the effects of prolonged low-gravity on 59-year-old Williams who was stuck in space for 9 months.
The photos show the stark difference in Williams’ age when she piloted the Boeing Starliner into space on June 5, 2024 and when she returned on Tuesday, March 18.
Williams and Wilmore were rescued after SpaceX founder Elon Musk sent a Dragon capsule to dock with the International Space Station (ISS) and bring the 2 stranded astronauts back home.
After 17 hours of flight, Williams, Wilmore and 2 astronaut escorts splashed down off the coast of Tallahassee, Florida just before 6 p.m. on Tuesday.
NASA aired live footage of the capsule splashdown, which was viewed by millions at home.
After a crane lifted the capsule on board a boat, a SpaceX medical team and engineers removed the exhausted astronauts from the tiny capsule.
Williams and Wilmore lost muscle mass while stranded in space for 9 months. They also lost the ability to walk and will receive physical rehabilitation for 6 weeks to learn how to walk again.
According to reports, Musk offered to send a Dragon crew to rescue the stranded astronauts back in September. But the Biden administration refused because they didn’t want then-candidate Donald Trump to get credit for bringing them back.
Effects of Prolonged Low-Gravity and Radiation On the Human Body
In addition to muscle and bone loss, Williams and Wilmore also lost their sense of smell and taste due to pressure in the sinuses, and increased fluid retained in their brains due to loss of gravity.
The astronauts also face risk of blood clots after landing back on Earth.
Since low gravity causes body fluids to migrate upwards to the brain, they risk heart problems since the cardiovascular system now has to work harder to pump the blood around the body.
Low gravity and radiation also wreaks havoc on the hair and skin – as evidenced by the photos of Sunita Williams.
NASA has a specialized rehabilitation program to help astronauts returning from space. Williams and Wilmore are required to complete a 45-day rehabilitation program that includes exercising for two hours a day, seven days a week to learn how to walk again.
