NASA delays return of astronauts amid health concerns
The return of NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore from the International Space Station has been delayed again, extending their mission to over nine months. Doctors are concerned about the impact of prolonged stays in space on their health.
NASA announced another delay in the return of astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore to Earth, now rescheduled for March 2025. They were originally supposed to spend only eight days on the station after launching on June 5 aboard Boeing's faulty Starliner spacecraft.
Williams and Wilmore were to undertake a short mission to the International Space Station (ISS), but technical issues with the Starliner spacecraft, including helium leaks and engine failures, have prevented their planned return.
They may now join a small group of NASA astronauts who have spent over 300 days in space—so far, only five have achieved this feat.
Is staying in space harmful? Doctors worry about astronauts on the ISS
Doctors are concerned about the effects of long-term microgravity exposure on astronauts' health.
Dr. John Jaquish, a biomedical engineer, explained that when the body does not experience gravity, it does not perceive the need to maintain bone density and muscle mass, causing it to begin losing them rapidly.
Long-duration space missions involve risks such as bone and muscle mass loss, exposure to radiation, vision problems, kidney stones, and cardiovascular issues.
Astronauts on the ISS exercise about two hours a day to counteract these effects, but exercise cannot completely negate the adverse impact of microgravity.
Dr. Vinay Gupta, a pulmonologist and Air Force veteran, stated that while astronauts are trained to handle stress, there is a difference between training and reality, as the crew is exposed to weight loss, muscle atrophy, cardiovascular problems, sleep disturbances, and hormonal changes.
Despite these concerns, NASA assures that the astronauts are in good health.
Dr. James Polk, the agency's chief medical officer, stated that all NASA astronauts aboard the International Space Station, including Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, were in excellent health and expressed disappointment that rumors suggested otherwise.
When will Wilmore and Williams return to Earth?
Williams and Wilmore are scheduled to return to Earth aboard the Crew-9 SpaceX mission, which will leave the ISS after the arrival of the Crew-10 mission. NASA and SpaceX plan to launch Crew-10 no earlier than March 2025. This mission will take NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Japanese astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Russian cosmonaut Kirill Peskov to the ISS.
The decision to delay the astronauts' return is intended to ensure a so-called "handover period", during which the current crew can share experiences with the newly arrived astronauts, supporting continuity in scientific research and station maintenance.
