NASA Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore astronauts ended their unexpected nine -month stay in space, but their health course on Earth is just beginning.
They can face a variety of health problems – weaker bones and muscles with vision problems and “baby’s feet” – because their body adapts to the gravity of the planet.
Astronauts splash In a Dragon Spacex capsule off the coast of Florida just before 6 p.m. on Tuesday, March 18. They smiled and agitated while the crews helped them get out of the spacecraft on the deck of the SpaceX recovery ship.
They were then transported by plane to Houston, Texas, for the forties and several days of medical evaluation.
Why were astronauts stuck in space?
Williams and Wilmore arrived at the international space station last June and had to stay about a week.
They were forced to stay in orbit around the earth when the vehicle in which they arrived – Boeing Starliner capsule – Propulsion problems developed and helium leaks.
How long have they been stuck in space?
They spent 286 days in space – one of the The longest periods on the international space station.
During their extended stay, Williams denied Rumors, she lost weightnoting that his head seemed greater compared to his body because of the way in which the fluid redistributes in microgravity, causing one “Inflanged head, bird legs” appearance.
Have astronauts returned?
Yes, after splashing in the waters of Tallahassee, Florida, on Tuesday, March 18, astronauts were verified by doctors.
How to look at the splash
NASA has published a clip from the moment when astronauts splash:
You can also watch Complete NBC coverage of splash.
What health problems do astronauts have?
Astronauts must undergo an in -depth medical examination at the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center from NASA in Houston, where they will be monitored for any cardiac change, blood pressure, vision or neurological, reported the main correspondent of NBC, Tom Costello.
They will not be allowed to go home until the doctors have erased them, he added.
“Astronauts say they often feel banal and foul when they return to earth because the vestibular ear system must readjust,” said Costello.
“I remember that the first time trying to walk, I had almost the impression that my legs were not attached to me,” said Nasa Woody Hoburg astronaut after her experience after a long stay on the ISS.
Here are other health problems with which astronauts can manage after a long stay in space:
Bone and muscle loss
The bones become approximately 1% less dense for each month in space, According to NASAIn particular the bones in the legs, hips and spine, which make the big lifting on earth.
Muscles do not need to work so hard in space, so they also atrophy. All this could cause falls, bone fractureosteoporosis and other medical problems once the mission is completed.
To counter these effects, astronauts must exercise every day in space – for about two hours, including cardio and resistance training – as part of their work to keep their bones and strong muscles. But they always feel the impact when they go home.
“It is a big shock for the body to come back to earth – everything is so heavy. We spend a lot of time getting used to being back in gravity Tot Today.com.
As part of the adjustment, astronauts will spend a few weeks to do supervised training sessions – go to the gymnasium with special coaches who will ask them to lift weights, move, run and do things “that they like to do and they have to do” Said today.
Immune system changes
After so long far from the planet, astronauts’ immune systems have undergone changes, according to experts.
“They have to face being back on Earth, which means that all the little germs and bugs we have,” said TODAY DIRECTORG, Director of the Aerospace Human Neurology and Human Performance Program at the South Carolina Medical University.
“Their immune system has been removed over a period of time.”
Immunosuppression during space flights was noticed for the first time during Apollo missions in the 1960s and “remains a major health risk for astronauts”, wrote researchers in a scientific report Posted in Nature.
Shorter height on earth
Astronauts grow in space because the spine expands without gravity, said Whitson. She grew up about an inch, while the former NASA SCOTT KELLY astronaut has become 2 inches higher.
On Earth, vertebral discs are compressed again, then Whitson experienced “dramatic” back pain when returning. The former NASA astronaut, Frank Rubio – who spent 371 days at the International Space Station, a record – also pointed out pain in the lower back.
Returning after such a long floating forced in microgravity, the spine is “really used to keeping your posture at every moment of the day,” Rubio said NPR.
Vision problems
The eyes of astronauts and the structure of the brain change in space because it is without gravity, “the fluids of the body move upwards, which can exert pressure on the eyes and cause vision problems”, explains NASA.
The condition is known as the name Neurocular syndrome associated with space flights.
The changes include swelling of the optic nerve, folds in the retina, the flattening of the back of the eye and blurred vision. Certain changes can be permanent in certain astronauts, NASA notes.
Heart changes
In space, many astronauts are experiencing changes similar to what is happening with aging, such as arterial stiffness and thickened artery walls, NASA found.
In addition, the heart changes shape and becomes more spherical in microgravity, which makes it less effective, according to a Study of 12 astronauts.
Space flights can also increase the risk of atrial fibrillationa heart rate problem, research found it.
A separate analysis Human cardiac muscle tissues sent to the international space station have shown weak gravity weakened the tissues and disturbed their normal rhythm.
‘Baby Feet’
The feet are designed to endure the weight of the body on earth, so that the skin on the bottom is hard and robust when people walk. But as astronauts bounce and float in space, the feet do not support much and the soles become delicate, said the former NASA astronaut, Leroy Chiao.
“You essentially lose the thick part of the skin on your developing feet, and you have some sort of baby’s feet when you return”, it says newsnation Earlier this month.
All the calluses fall, said the former astronaut of NASA Scott Kelly, noting that he had received compliments while obtaining a foot massage after his return from a space mission.
“The masseuse says,” You have the sweetest feet that I have ever felt in all my life, “he recalls On C-SPAN.
Rubio was surprised by the pressure and sensitivity that accompany the standing position and walking on earth.
“The bottom of my feet hurts a little,” he told NPR. “You really can’t train.”
The feet quickly returned to normal, added Chiao.
Rash
The researchers reported the case A NASA astronaut which developed a rash and a skin sensitivity when it returns after 340 days in space. Symptoms lasted six days after landing on earth and were successfully treated with medicines, hydrotherapy and massage.
“An prolonged lack of skin stimulation during the one -year mission” was to be blamed for rashes, the authors wrote.