Suni William’s ancestral village in India danced through the streets saying they were very happy “the princess of space had returned to Earth” as ITV News Sharon Thomas reports
Two British astronauts have described what returning to Earth feels like as Nasa’s stranded duo arrive home after being stuck in space for nine months.
Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams said goodbye to their colleagues on the International Space Station (ISS) on Tuesday morning before heading home in a SpaceX capsule.
They had left on a test flight in Boeing’s Starliner in June last year when problems with the capsule meant they were left stuck in space.
Their SpaceX capsule splashed down on Tuesday evening off the coast of Florida.
But after more than 273 unexpected days in Space, what impact will it have on them?
How will gravity feel to them when they return?
British astronaut Tim Peake told ITV News that in the first week back from space the body goes through a lot of changes as “it has to cope with gravity again” with more load on the muscles and bones.
He said it can take up to two months for astronauts to get back to pre-flight fitness.
British reserve astronaut, Meganne Christian described the sensation of returning to gravity as feeling like “when a car turns a corner and you feel that extra weight on you.”
Christian explained how being in space usually causes the human body to “lose muscle mass almost immediately”, which is why astronauts have to exercise up to two hours a day.
She said: “Your legs especially but also your heart so you start to lose cardiovascular fitness.
“You also start to lose bone density and these can lead to other complications such as an increased risk of diabetes and kidney stones.”
“Suddenly you get back to earth and you have to learn how to walk again,” says Meganne Christian
Despite receiving training in space, many astronauts have to learn to walk again when they arrive, though they are provided physiotherapy to help with this.
“You have to get used to it again and it’s quite common for astronauts to have back aches when they’re back down on Earth,” said Christian.
On returning to Earth, some astronauts can forget that they are no longer floating and it can take a day or two to adjust.
“In that moment when you arrive you might hand a pen to somebody but forget that gravity is there and so instead of floating across to them it will fall to the ground,” Christian said.
She also said that astronauts have to “retrain” their brains to interact with other people and “handing things to other people, you have to hand it to someone and not to expect it to float across to them.”
What psychological impacts come from being in space for so long?
Christian said it would’ve been mentally difficult to be up there away from family. They knew and were prepared for a longer duration but said the uncertainty of their return might have taken its toll.
Peake said that the trip was “a lot longer than Suni and Butch were planning but we are prepared to expect the unexpected”.
He explained that adjustments would have been made for them, including family plans, which would have caused some “hardship”, but that astronauts and their families receive a lot of support from Nasa.
Williams and Wilmore will have to integrate themselves back into the busy world after working in such a remote place on the ISS particularly with the increased media attention around the mission.
“They will be coming back and feeling that pressure of suddenly being immersed into a very busy environment but they will have a lot of people to support them.”
Peake said there will be a “mixture of emotions” upon their return.
“Suni said she doesn’t think she will be going back to space again and that’s a big deal,” says Tim Peake
“Suni said she says she doesn’t think she will be going back to space again and that’s a big deal to leave space for what you feel is the last time so there will be an emotional feeling there saying goodbye to space,” Peak said.
What will they most be looking forward to on their return?
The two things Christian said the astronauts will be most looking forward to when they return is their first meal and shower.
“One thing astronauts look forward to when they come back down to earth is their first meal,” she said.
“When you’re on the space station, we try to make it as similar to the food we eat on the ground but ultimately it is dehydrated and rehydrated on the international space station so it’s not the same.”
Peake echoed this saying the first treat meal he had after his 183-day mission was a cold beer and pizza.
But one of the things he said he missed most was nature and fresh air.
“One thing I wanted to do was to take myself off into the woods and go for a long run, that’s something I enjoy doing, long-distance running and feeling the fresh air on my face again.”
But more likely they will want to see their family again.
Peake said: “Clearly the emotion of seeing family again is going to be overwhelming.”
Both retired Navy captains, Wilmore and Williams previously stressed they didn’t mind spending more time in space, but they did acknowledge it was tough on their families.
They will now enjoy a long-awaited reunion with their loved ones.
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