A completely different life for 300 days: after a long absence, astronauts turn back from space significantly changed from space

Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams broke out into space on June 5, 2024 with the Boeing Starliner capsule.

Actually, you should return after about eight to ten days, but in the end it was only time after 286 days and on March 18, 2025 due to technical problems.

Visually, on the following comparison images in our eyes you can see only Williams a slightly bigger change, which is mainly due to her gray hair. But that can only be related to the absence of a color.

Before departure to the ISS After returning to earth

In the blue suits you can see the astronauts in front of their mission in space, in the gray suits afterwards. (Source of pictures: Br.ign.com)

On the other hand, the physical changes are much stronger. The astronauts get you to feel through the long stay in weightlessness howXatakareported.

What consequences the weightlessness has

Loss of muscle and bone mass

  • The lack of gravity on the ISS means that the muscles and bones do not have to be used as usual on earth to support the body. Therefore, the muscles steal over time and the bone mineral density decreases by about one percent per month.
  • There are training opportunities on the space station to counteract this effect. But that can only alleviate him and not completely prevent him.
  • Since their return to earth, Wilmore and Williams have been going through a 45-day rehabilitation program in order to find their way back to old strength as quickly as possible, such asTimes of Indiareported.
  • Until the full muscle strength is restored, it can take two to four years after such a long stay, says Xataka.

Köper fluids and blood pressure

  • The weightlessness also means that liquids are redistributed in the body. A bloated face is still one of the more harmless consequences.
  • The blood volume also drops due to this fact. Because at the same time it is no longer necessary for the body to pump the blood against gravity through the body, the cardiovascular system relaxes. As a result, the muscle walls of the heart can again become thinner and the blood pressure drop.
  • These changes also present the body to challenges such as dizziness or even fainting after returning to earth and they need to get used to the local conditions with gravity.
  • Special compression suits and a longer sitting after the return are to be relieved of the symptoms.

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Spaceflight-Associated Neuro-Ocular Syndrome

  • The fluid shift due to the lack of gravity also depends on theSpaceflight-Associated Neuro-Ocular Syndrome(Sans) together.
  • It describes the fact that a pressure increase towards the head can lead to a slight deformation of the eyeballs and a related compression of the optic nerve.
  • This in turn can have a change in visual acuity as a result. Difficulties can occur, especially when seeing nearby.

Weakening of the immune system

  • Both a change in the distribution of white blood cells and the comparatively sterile surroundings on the space station have a weakening of the immune system.
  • The reduced defenses make the occurrence of rashes, allergies and the reactivation of latent viruses such as herpes more likely.

Increased radiation and psychological stress

  • The lack of the atmosphere takes the astronauts an important protective shield against cosmic and solar radiation in space. However, the ISS circles the earth with a relatively small amount of 400 kilometers and a stay of nine months is still within the acceptable limits of the ISS.
  • There are no natural light and dark cycles on the space station, which can disturb the biological rhythm and lack lack of sleep.
  • In addition, the situation is generally a very large burden on a very large burden on a cramped space.

Most effects are not permanent

The good news is that many of the physiological changes are clearly normalizing within a few weeks after returning, as Xataka writes.

However, it is still a big task to face such a mission in space that presents both the body and the psyche with very special challenges.

This only applies even more if a stay with a planned time of about a week suddenly become over nine months as in the case of Wilmore and Williams.