Finally! Just now, the astronauts who had been "wandering" in space for 9 months returned home! All major TV stations were broadcasting the moment they returned to Earth!
At 6 p.m. Eastern Time, American astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams successfully returned to Earth aboard SpaceX's Freedom Dragon spacecraft and landed safely off the coast of Tallahassee, Florida.
After being stranded in space for 286 days, the two finally returned home.
This time they took Boeing's "Starliner" to the International Space Station and were scheduled to stay for 10 days. Unexpectedly, NASA's "own son" Boeing failed miserably. Not only was the plane poorly built, but even the spacecraft was fragile. As a result, the two unlucky astronauts "wandered" for almost 9 months.
As a result, the trouble caused by the "own son" was picked up by the "wild child" SpaceX. Musk sent a spacecraft up there. The person who was picked up early this morning flew for 17 hours and returned to Earth.
After landing this time, Butch and Suni could not return home and were sent to the Johnson Space Center in Houston for medical evaluation.
Living in space for a long time may cause certain effects on astronauts' bodies, including muscle atrophy, bone loss, and vision loss.
In January this year, Suni said during a live broadcast with Earth that she "can't remember what it feels like to walk" because she has been in a microgravity environment for a long time.
"I've been here long enough, and now I'm trying to remember what it feels like to walk. I haven't walked, sat down, or laid down in a long time."
Some doctors have previously worried that astronauts who have lived in space for a long time may not be able to walk on their own when they return to Earth.
Judging from the TV footage just now, she indeed needed assistance from staff to stand up. She was unable to walk and was pushed out.
Both of them are expected to begin a rehabilitation program today, with the first phase focusing on walking, flexibility and muscle strengthening.
Dr. Vinay Gupta, a pulmonologist and Air Force veteran, said that the average astronaut may need up to six weeks of rehabilitation to regain his strength, which includes guided exercise and nutrition plans, and the recovery time may be longer given the two's long stay in space and their actual age.
It's not just gravity that's a problem, astronauts are also exposed to extreme levels of space radiation. In just one week on the International Space Station, astronauts receive as much radiation as they would in a year on Earth.
NASA says prolonged exposure to heavy radiation increases the risk of cancer, central nervous system damage, osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease.
But no matter what, the two finally returned to Earth safely, which is cause for celebration. We hope they can adapt to returning home as soon as possible.
