SPACE (KXAN) — After an extended stay on the International Space Station (ISS), astronauts Suni Williams and Barry “Butch” Wilmore are returning to Earth on March 18.
The two originally planned to spend a few days in space after piloting the inaugural flight of Boeing’s Starliner capsule in June 2024. Issues with the spacecraft led to their return to Earth being delayed nine months.
They join an elite group of astronauts who’ve spent an extended period of time in space. Only 10 other astronauts have spent more than two hundred consecutive days circling the planet. The longest, Frank Rubio, stayed aboard the ISS for 371 days.
The long journey comes with a variety of side effects that will be visible as soon as the crew splashes down off the coast of Florida at around 4:57 p.m. CT on March 18.
What happens after splashdown?
Per NASA protocol, both astronauts will be carried away on stretchers. Astronauts’ bodies undergo several changes while in microgravity and they will need time to readjust.
One issue they may face, space motion sickness. According to the National Institutes of Health, 60% to 80% of astronauts experience motion sickness during the first two to three days after returning to Earth.
Symptoms include: “pallor, increased body warmth, cold sweating, malaise, loss of appetite, nausea, fatigue, vomiting, and anorexia.”
According to the NIH, two theories exist for why this happens. One is that fluid shifts in the body while in microgravity. The other is that the senses have a hard time adjusting to the lack of gravity, or the return to it.
Skin rashes are also a risk. Astronaut Scott Kelly reported rashes and sensitive skin on his feet after his 340-day trip around the Earth. Those symptoms lasted six days.
Shrinking bones
Another reason the astronauts will be under strict scrutiny: bone loss. According to NASA, astronauts lose roughly 1% of their bone density for every month they spend in space.
Bones reshape themselves without gravity working its magic. Growth decreases while cells that remove old bone keep working.
Radiation is a major issue in space. While the ISS has radiation shielding, it isn’t perfect. According to the European Space Agency, one week aboard the ISS is equivalent to one year of radiation exposure on the ground.
One possible outcome to long radiation exposure is an increased risk for cancer.
There is good news. Most of these changes are expected to return to normal. A 2019 study conducted by NASA sent astronaut Scott Kelly to space while his twin brother, astronaut and senator Mark Kelly, remained on Earth.
According to the study, the majority of changes in the body either remained stable or returned to their baseline after Scott Kelly’s return to Earth. The study is being used to NASA to discover risk factors for prolonged space flight.
