Stranded NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore finally arrived home yesterday after more than nine months in space.
When they touched down in Florida, neither was able to physically step off the SpaceX Dragon capsule, and were instead carried out and placed on stretchers.
But this wasn’t due to any injury or illness; the move is merely protocol for any returning astronauts, who sometimes experience ‘space motion sickness’ as they return.
Their bodies also take time to reacclimatise to life on Earth, as prolonged periods in space can lead to gradual muscle and bone loss.
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Thankfully, Williams and Wilmore are said to be doing well, although the pair may still have been subject to various physical changes common with space travel.
But it sounds like a challenge Williams was willing to accept on behalf of her own body, saying in an interview with Fortune before her mission began: “It’s just what the human body does - it explores, among other things. We all have curiosity; we’re born with it. Maybe some of that gets pushed down a little bit by society and things going on around us, but we’re all curious and we want to explore. As a nation, this is one of those things that gives people hope and understanding about things that are bigger than themselves.”
The pair set off in June 2024, and were originally scheduled to be in space for just over a week.
However, after their aircraft, the Boeing Starliner, experienced technical problems, they were forced to stay put for an extra 278 days than planned.
Speaking at a press conference in September last year after several months in space, Williams admitted she was missing her two dogs and friends.
She said: “But you know what? Like Butch said, there are so many people on Earth that are sending us messages.
“And it makes you feel just right at home with everybody when we’re able to have those conversations with our friends and family at home.”
Wilmore said they had experienced some 'tough times', but added: "We were very fortunate that we have the Space Station and that we had the option to stay and we had the option to come back a different way."
Back on Earth, people began to grow concerned over Williams' health after seeing photos of her on the ISS.
Pulmonologist Dr Vinay Gupta told the Daily Mail at the time: “I think what I can discern by her face and her cheeks being sunken in is that [she] has probably been at a significant [calorie] deficit for a while.
“Based on what I'm at least seeing in the photo, I don't think she's quite at a... place where I say her life's in danger.
“But I don't think you can look at that photo and say she has sort of healthy body weight.”
But the astronaut later spoke out to put everyone's minds at ease, telling the New England Sports Network Clubhouse in November: “There’s a lot of changes that go on up here.
“But it’s funny, I think there’s some rumours around out there that I’m losing weight and stuff. I’m actually right at the same amount.”
Williams also explained that she'd actually built muscle during the trip, adding: “I think things shift around quite a bit. You’ve probably heard of a fluid shift, where folks in space, their heads look a little bigger because the fluid evens out along the body.
“But Butch and I have been up here for a number of months, we’ve been on the workout gear. We’ve got a bike, we got a treadmill and we got weightlifting equipment.
“And I could definitely tell that weightlifting - which is not something I do all the time - has definitely changed me. My thighs are a little bigger, my butt is a little bigger, we do a lot of squats.”
Finally, the time came for the crew to return home - a journey that took 17 hours in total.
They were all-smiles as they were stretchered away from the capsule, with Williams giving a hearty thumbs up to cameras.
The pair were then due to be checked over by medical teams before being reunited with their loved ones, but Steve Stich, manager at NASA's Commercial Crew Program said at a news conference that they were doing 'great'.
Joel Montalbano, deputy associate administrator at NASA's Space Operations Mission Directorate, also said: "It is awesome to have crew 9 home, just a beautiful landing."
Thanking the crew for their resilience and flexibility, he added that SpaceX had been a 'great partner' for the mission.
Jess Hardiman