The astronaut who was stranded in space for 311 days likely suffered severe consequences on his body.
The thought of being stranded in space isn't a pleasant one, with everything from supply issues to physical deterioration being a worry for astronauts. We've recently seen it with American astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita "Suni" Williams being 'stranded' in space following a fault with their Boeing Starliner and unable to return to Earth until early 2025. Still, at least they're being looked after with a slap-up Thanksgiving meal.
There have been concerns about the welfare of the stranded astronauts, especially the apparently dramatic change in appearance for Williams. Despite their mission going on much longer than they planned, it's nothing compared to cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev, who spent 311 days marooned in space due to his country no longer existing.
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Known as the 'last' Soviet astronaut, Krikalev found himself caught in the crossfire of the Soviet Union's dissolution on December 26, 1991, leaving him up on the Mir space station for twice as long as he was supposed to be.
It all happened when the Baikonur Cosmodrome and proposed landing site ended up being part of the newly independent Kazakhstan. Thankfully, Krikalev eventually touched down on March 25, 1992.
Due to his veteran status, Krikalev has spent the fourth longest cumulative time in space, racking up a whopping 803 days, 9 hours, and 39 minutes. As 311 days of that come from his Mir mission, that's a lot of time to be subjected to the side effects of space.
According to Jay Buckey, an associate professor of medicine at Dartmouth Medical School in Hanover, New Hampshire, Krikalev was called on so many times because of his reputation as an 'impressive cosmonaut.'
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Speaking to the New Scientist, Buckey suggests that bone loss, radiation exposure, and psychosocial symptoms are all major concerns of spending so long in space, but everyone handles them differently. Discussing how Krikalev has adapted, Buckey added: "I imagine he’s gotten pretty good over time in adhering to a countermeasure programme to minimise bone mass loss."
To try and alleviate bone mass loss, astronauts run on treadmills to try and replicate the impact of running or walking on Earth.
Still, with them losing about 1.5% of their bone mass every month in areas like the hips and lower back, it's the same as a post-menopausal woman loses in the average year.
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Buckey says it can take years to recover your lost bone mass from a six-month mission, and with Krikalev spending nearly double that on just one trip, he could still be facing some very real side effects.
Another concern is radiation caused by the Sun. Although NASA sets limits that supposedly stop you from being exposed to radiation that increases your chances of getting cancer by 3%, it all depends on the Sun's activity.
David Musson, a physician and psychology researcher at the University of Texas in Austin, warns that astronauts often face a kind of depression when spending a long time in space after the novelty wears off. Citing 'fatigue, lack of motivation, irritability, and problems sleeping,' Musson at least says that most astronauts "tend to reintegrate pretty well" when they're back on Earth.
Kirkalev retired from being a cosmonaut in 2007, so at least we know his time in the stars is over. Still, we don't imagine coming back to Earth and finding your country no longer exists will help with your space depression.