The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) explained on Wednesday how the body astronauts will struggle as they come home after spending a long time in space. A NASA official said the astronauts may undergo “vascular and cardio reconditioning” and may feel “dizzy” as their bodies readjust to Earth’s gravity.
NASA astronauts Nick Hague, Sunita Williams, and Butch Wilmore and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov returned to Earth on March 19. They splashed down off the coast of Florida near Tallahassee. This marked the end of Sunita Williams’ and Butch Wilmore’s space saga that kept the world on the hook for nine months.
Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, who launched aboard the Starliner spacecraft in June 2024, returned to Earth after spending nine months in space, more than the average six month-rotation on the International Space Station (ISS).
NASA tells how astronauts’ body will struggle on Earth
NASA official Steve Stich said the one thing that the body will struggle with is the inner ear and vestibular response.
He explained that when astronauts transition from “one G” (gravity) here “when we are sitting in this room and the space, the inner ear can get a little disturbed because the gravity is not pulling the fluid down and little hair inside the hear so the crew can take a while to adapt to microgravity.”
“That same thing happens in reverse when you land back on Earth,” he said.
Stich told the media that the body of astronauts “is used to being in microgravity now, the vestibular response is such that you feel disoriented and dizzy and have trouble getting up.”
“Physically, their body, when they are operating in space…, muscles weren’t working as hard, and their heart wasn’t working as hard. Vascular and cardio reconditioning that has to happen. Tyey have to learn the skills back when on earth again,” he added.
