Health impacts of 9 months in space when 2 NASA astronauts return home after a prolonged stay in ISS

NASA Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita “Suni” Williams return to Earth after spending nine months not planned in space.

The couple made the first Capsulo flight of Boeing Starliner, created astronauts, to the International Space Station (ISS) in June 2024.

Wilmore and Williams were supposed to only spend approximately one week in space. However, the problems with Starliner extended their mission for several months and delayed their return until the beginning of 2025.

Experts have said that spending a prolonged period in space, especially many months, can come with many changes in human physiology and psychology.

Changes due to microgravity

One of the biggest changes comes from spending time in microgravity, which allows astronauts to float inside a space or exterior save during space walks.

During this period, there is a decreased muscle mass – Due to the decrease in use and lack of stimulus through the exercise team, and bone loss, according to NASA.

Without the severity of the Earth, the bones that support the weight of the body can lose 1% to 1.5% of the mineral density on average per month in space, says the Federal Health Agency.

In addition, without eating an adequate diet and exercising proper, astronauts lose Muscle mass Faster in microgravity than on earth.

NASA also says that in microgravity, blood and cerebrospinal fluid they often move up the extremities lower to the head and eyes, which is believed to cause ocular and cerebral structural changes.

Crews run the risk of developing renal calculations due to dehydration or calcium excretion of their bones without preventive or countermeasures.

Upon returning to Earth, astronauts are Often examined by a medical team While they work to read the severity of the earth and rebalance their equilibria for daily tasks, such as walking and standing vertically.

Spatial radiation

Space radiation is different from experienced radiation on Earth. It is composed of three types of radiation: particles trapped in the Earth’s magnetic field, solar flares and galactic cosmic rays NASA said.

The earth is surrounded by a system of magnetic fields, called magnetospherethat protects people from the radiation of the harmful space. However, the higher a person is in altitudeThe higher the radiation dose to which they are exposed.

Due to prolonged exposure, astronauts can have a significant risk of radiation disease and have a higher risk of life cancer, effects of the central nervous system and degenerative diseases, according to POT.

The ISS on board teams receive an average of 80 MSV at 160 msv during a six -month stay, according to a NASA 2017 Report. Millisieverts (MSV) are units of measurement of how much radiation has been absorbed by the body.

Although the type of radiation is different, 1 MSV of space radiation is approximately the same as receiving three radiographs in the chest, said the Federal Space Agency.

In comparison, a person on Earth receives an average of 2 msv every year of background radiation, NASA said.

“In the orbit of the Low Earth, where the ISS is, astronauts are at least partially protected by the magnetosphere that protects the land from exposure to the radiation of deep space,” said previously Dr. Rihana Bokhari, interim scientific director of the Institute for Translational Research Institute of Baylor College Medicine, said ABC News.

“However, they have greater exposure to radiation than those of the Earth because the ISS passes through radiation areas trapped in its orbit,” he continued. “Butch and Suni, since they are in the ISS, will not be exposed to sufficient radiation to seriously cause great impacts on body systems, but the long -term exposure to greater radiation than on earth could lead to an increase in the risk of cancer.”

Insulation in space

There are also physical and psychological effects that come from being isolated and in a closed environment for a long duration.

NASA says that the teams selected for ISS missions are carefully chosen and trained To make sure they can handle a mission that may last six months or more.

However, research has shown that this type of environment, regardless of whether someone is in space, can lead to behavioral changes and cause fatigue, stress and sleep loss.

NASA said researchers are investigating ways to help avoid the negative effects of isolation, including the use of virtual reality to “stimulate relaxing environments” or participate in activities such as learning a language or attending to a space garden.

Dr. Jennifer Fogart, scientific director of the Baylor College of Medicine Medicine Research Institute, previously told ABC News that there are also changes in the immune system during this time, often the result of chronic stress, so it is important to create as healthy as possible for astronauts.