The first images of the stranded NASA astronauts after their triumphant return to Earth have been released.
NASA’s Johnson Space Center shared shots of Sunita ‘Suni’ Williams and Barry ‘Butch’ Wilmore emerging from an airplane in Houston around 2am ET Wednesday, following medical tests.
The pair splashed down off the coast of Florida Tuesday at 5:57pm ET, following a more than nine-month mission on the International Space Station (ISS).
In the photos, Williams and Wilmore were seen already making a surprising recovery as they were walking under their own power in normal gravity.
Medical experts had previously said that the astronauts would likely not walk on their own for days, even weeks.
However, Williams and Wilmore are likely to undergo physical therapy to combat loss of muscle mass and bone density.
Former astronauts have found that it can take up to 1.5 times the length of the mission to recover. That means the stranded pair returning today may need more than a year before they feel entirely themselves again.
While WIlmore appeared clean-shaven after sporting a beard in space, Williams looked noticeably frail and still had an IV drip in her arm to receive fluids.
Barry ‘Butch’ Wilmore hugs NASA personnel after arriving in Houston following his nine-month stay at the International Space Station
Sunita ‘Suni’ Williams was seen walking under her own power as she met NASA officials at the Johnson Space Center in Houston
Williams and Wilmore, along with NASA’s Nick Hague, and Russia‘s Aleksandr Gorbunov, were stretchered off immediately after emerging from the SpaceX capsule that splashed down last night.
The crew underwent hours of secret medical tests that accessed the effects of microgravity, radiation exposure and stresses of space travel.
Although NASA had personnel to help all four of the astronauts balance themselves, it was clear Williams, Wilmore, Hague, and Gorbunov were all capable of standing and walking after their medical checks.
Danish adventurer and astronaut-in-training Per Wimmer said Williams and Wilmore may experience a few rough days once they landed back on Earth.
In an interview with Al Arabiya, Wimmer noted that their hearts won’t be used to pumping blood into the upper parts of their bodies – leading to dizziness and nausea when they first arrive on Earth.
He also warned that Williams and Wilmore could be a little ‘fragile’ because an astronaut’s muscles and bone structure can deteriorate while in zero gravity.
To his point, Williams did appear to be frail around her hands and wrists after the NASA veteran spent 286 days in orbit.
Some users on X also pointed out the apparent wasting issues the astronaut may have experienced since June.
NASA’s Nick Hague and Russia’s Aleksandr Gorbunov (pictured) were also taken to the NASA space center following medical exams on Tuesday
Hague (pictured) and Gorbunov were the two pilots sent in the Crew-9 Dragon capsule to replace the faulty Starliner spacecraft that stranded Williams and Wilmore
‘Did Suni have bone loss?’ one person asked, replying to NASA’s tweet.
The astronauts are expected to continue undergoing medical tests over the next few days as they transition back to life on land.
Retired British astronaut Tim Peake gave his thoughts on how the two stranded Nasa astronauts will be feeling after returning to Earth, explaining space impacts people differently.
‘For me, going into space was no problem at all, but for the first two days on Earth, I felt pretty rough,’ Peake said in an interview on The Chris Moyles Show on Radio X.
‘I think Butch and Suni will be feeling a bit rough right now. You know, the whole body is just getting used to gravity. The vestibular systems a bit messed up. You feel dizzy, a bit nauseous. So, it’ll take them a couple of days to get over that.’
Williams and Wilmore were initially scheduled for an eight-day stay on the ISS when they launched aboard Boeing’s Starliner capsule on June 5.
However, Starliner was plagued by issues from before launch and until it docked on the orbiting laboratory a day later.
NASA was forced to deem the capsule unsafe and returned it empty in September, leaving Williams and Wilmore in space.
With the unplanned stay, medical experts are fearing the pair could have serious health impacts, including vision loss, cognitive decline, radiation damage and skin problems.
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