'Concerning' detail spotted in photos of NASA astronauts emerging after 'secret medical tests'
People might just have spotted a 'concerning' detail within recently released photos of NASA's stranded astronauts, as images of the group emerging from 'secret medical tests' might just indicate the current health of one key member.
Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore have finally returned from an unbelievably long stay at the International Space Station (ISS), as while they were supposed to be there for just eight days, technical issues and delays meant that their mission ended up lasting over nine months - 286 days to be precise.
While they did manage to get up to some fascinating things while on board the ISS, they were more than relieved to have finally landed back on Earth on Wednesday, March 19, as the spacecraft's commander Nick Hague remarked that there were smiling faces throughout the entire ship once they splashed into the ocean.
All four astronauts that returned to Earth in the SpaceX Crew-9 spacecraft were immediately stretchered off to a medical facility where they are to undergo a brutal six week physical rehabilitation program, but first they were subject to a number of secret tests assessing the effects of their time in space.
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These included studies on the effects of microgravity, cancer screenings due to their exposure to radiation, and their general stress levels.
However, as reported by the Daily Mail, keen eyes have spotted a 'concerning' detail in photos that were taken as the astronauts emerged from these tests.
The photos, taken at Johnson Space Center at 11:19 p.m. CDT, show Wilmore, Hague, and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov greeting people, but if you look closely you can see that Suni Williams has an IV drip attached to her left arm at the wrist, which will be feeding her fluids.
It was Williams' appearance during their time on the International Space Station that caused concern for many, as she appeared to look rather gaunt in many photos and videos that were shared.
NASA thankfully assured everyone that she was fine and in good health, but doctors revealed that her thinner appearance was likely a natural consequence of the muscle loss that many experience during extended stays in space.
This IV drip could then indicate that Williams could need some additional medical treatments to assist her return to Earth, with one user on X speculating whether she has experienced bone loss.
One thing that's definitely a positive is that all four astronauts are walking without assistance so soon after landing back on Earth, which is something that Williams herself has expressed her worries over.
Doctors have illustrated that, at least from a medical point of view, it's expected to take 'at least a few weeks' before the astronauts can return to normal, although former astronauts have expressed that it can take a couple of months or even over a year before you really start to feel at home on Earth again.
They'll also likely run into a number of bizarre side effects that are a consequence of the shift in gravity, including 'baby-like' skin that's hypersensitive to clothes and difficulty speaking due to the fact your tongue is now subject to gravity again - it is a muscle after all!