Long-term Residence at Space Station Raises Concerns Over Astronauts’ Health

After spending 286 days stranded at the International Space Station, astronauts Suni Williams and Barry Wilmore finally returned to Earth on March 18th aboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft. Their prolonged stay in space led to visible signs of aging in their bodies, raising concerns about astronaut health.

In the late afternoon on Tuesday, March 18th, around 5:57 PM Eastern Time, the 4 astronauts onboard SpaceX’s Crew-9 Dragon successfully splashed down in the ocean, where they were warmly greeted by a group of dolphins. Recovery personnel quickly inspected the spacecraft’s safety and towed it to the SpaceX exclusive recovery vessel.

Due to the long-term exposure to microgravity in space, Suni Williams and Barry Wilmore were unable to walk normally and had to be assisted out of the spacecraft and placed on stretchers by the ground crew. Nick Hague and Aleksandr Gorbunov, who had shorter stays in space, appeared to have no major difficulties and were mobile.

The four astronauts have now arrived at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston for medical evaluation and intensive medical checks lasting several days, with a rehabilitation program expected to continue for weeks or even months.

The two astronauts who spent an extended time in space have shown severe signs of physical decline. Williams experienced rapid weight loss, sunken eye sockets, rapid graying of hair, and other aging signs, while Wilmore’s condition was similar but less pronounced.

Health experts warn that long-term exposure to microgravity and radiation poses various challenges, including fluid accumulation in the head, muscle atrophy, bone density loss, cardiovascular changes, vision impairment, cognitive decline, difficulty with balance, and radiation risks. Extensive rehabilitation lasting weeks to months is expected for them to regain most of their physical functions.

NASA has designed a 45-day rehabilitation program for returning astronauts, requiring them to engage in two hours of exercise per day. The program is divided into three phases focusing on strength, flexibility, mobility, and cardiovascular conditioning, among others.

Apart from the astronauts’ physical health, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft played essential roles in this space rescue mission and garnered significant attention.

On Friday, March 14th, at 7:03 PM Eastern Time, the Falcon 9 rocket successfully launched, allowing four new crew members to board the Crew-10 Dragon spacecraft and reach the International Space Station to replace Williams and Wilmore. Meanwhile, Williams and his crew safely returned aboard the Crew-9 Dragon spacecraft.

The four crew members include NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Japan’s Takuya Onishi, and Russia’s Kirill Peskov.

The Dragon spacecraft is a versatile space vehicle designed to transport crew and cargo between Earth’s orbit and beyond. It is the first spacecraft built by a private company capable of sending humans to the International Space Station and returning with cargo. The spacecraft is bullet-shaped, measures 8.1 meters in height, 4 meters in diameter, with a standard capacity of 4 passengers (up to 7).

It is equipped with solar panels for power supply during flight and docking maneuvers, lithium batteries as backup power, and features a fully automated docking system with manual control capabilities for astronauts.

The Crew Dragon spacecraft comprises a pressurized cabin for crew and sensitive cargo and an unpressurized trunk for non-sensitive cargo. The spacecraft’s exterior uses SpaceX’s PICA-X heat-resistant material, capable of withstanding high temperatures and ensuring crew safety.

The spacecraft is equipped with 16 Draco thrusters for attitude control and maneuvering, as well as 8 SuperDraco thrusters for crew escape during launch anomalies to ensure astronaut safety.

During descent, the Crew Dragon spacecraft deploys a parachute system with 2 drogue parachutes and 4 main parachutes to slow down for a safe splashdown in the ocean.

The latest version of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, Block 5, is a two-stage, reusable orbital-class rocket with a lower launch cost compared to traditional rockets. It consists of aluminum-lithium alloy fuel tanks, Merlin engines providing over 1.7 million pounds of thrust, and features a recovery process for its first stage to reduce costs.

The Falcon 9 rocket payload capacities vary depending on the orbit, ranging from low Earth orbit to geostationary orbit and beyond, facilitating satellite launches, crew transportation, and special missions.

After landing, the first stage undergoes refurbishment for reuse, while the second stage is disposed of post-mission. The cost-effective and reusable nature of the Falcon 9 rocket has revolutionized space exploration and transportation.

With advancements in space technology and continuous efforts to enhance astronaut well-being and safety, space missions like these further humanity’s exploration of space and push the boundaries of human capability beyond Earth’s confines.