The NASA astronauts who are stuck in space are likely to experience severe impacts on their bodies when they finally return to Earth.
Sunita ‘Suni’ Williams and Barry ‘Butch’ Wilmore have been stranded in space since June 2024 and it is expected to have taken a toll on their bodies.
What was meant to be an eight day mission has lasted months after they ran into some serious issues with their spacecraft Boeing Starliner spacecraft’s propulsion system.
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Five of the spacecraft’s maneuvering thrusters had reportedly stalled, with five helium leaks and a faulty propellant valve.
Boeing had insisted that the spacecraft was safe, allowing thruster tests that had taken place both in space and on the ground.
However, NASA deemed it too unsafe for the pair to return to Earth and instead, the spacecraft returned empty.
Williams and Wilmore have been patiently waiting in orbit ever since and, after 252 days stuck on the International Space Station, it is hoped that the pair will finally make their return in March.
This is when they are due to be picked up by a SpaceX spacecraft carrying Crew-9.
But spending that much time in space will come with some physical side effects.
In fact, one astronaut who recently returned to Earth had to be hospitalized overnight, although the reason hasn’t been made public.
What are the physical effects of time in space?
One thing that can be impacted by spending time in space is your bones. When you’re not standing on your feet, carrying your body around, the bones in your feet stop producing healthy new tissue and start to weaken.
This has the potential to spark space-related osteoporosis.
Muscle mass is another body part that starts to break down in space, as well as effects on the cardiovascular system.
The heart doesn’t have to work as hard to pump blood around the body in space, which ends up weakening the heart muscle.
How can astronauts combat the effects of space?
Luckily, there are things that astronauts can do while in space to slow down the changes to their body.
People living on the ISS follow a strict routine that includes two hours of exercise a day.
There are specialized weightlifting machines that pull downwards to create resistance.
There are also treadmills that the astronauts can strap themselves into.
In fact, during a previous space mission, Williams even completed the Boston Marathon on one of them.