Featured Image Credit: WVLT
Topics: NASA, Space, International Space Station, US News
Jen Thomas
After spending nine months in space, one of the 'stranded' astronauts is struggling following his return home, according to his wife.
Astronaut Barry 'Butch' Wilmore was 'stranded' in space for 286 days, much longer than the original planned eight-day trip onboard the International Space Station.
Wilmore was up in space for his extremely extended stay along with his crewmate Sunita 'Suni' Williams, with the duo finally returning to Earth last week in a phenomenal splashdown in Florida.
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Now, Barry's wife Deanna Wilmore has shared some of the challenges her husband is experiencing while he tries to readjust to normal life again - which involves 45 days of rehab in order for the pair to safely adjust to life on Earth.
"Barry does say gravity is not his friend right now, and you know the stamina is not there, and so they do have to rest and relax quite a bit because they're just not strong yet," she shared, as per the Daily Mail.
Significant muscle and bone loss among other health issues are common for astronauts who have spent a long time in low-gravity environments.
The impact has hit Barry and Suni harder because their mission - which they set of for on June 5, 2024 - lasted for nine months longer than planned, so they have a long road ahead of them for recovery to peak fitness.
Wilmore's two daughters, Daryn and Logan, were also there to welcome their father home.
Daryn has revealed that Barry is 'doing good, it’s rough, but he’s a trooper'.
The NASA astronauts finally returned to Earth on March 18, and upon leaving the ship they found they could hardly lift their arms, let alone walk, due to gravity.
Deanna told local press that her husband has mostly been resting and watching TV on the couch. She also revealed when he returned there was 'not a lot of talking, just a lot of hugging and enjoying the moment'.
The duo missed birthdays, Christmas and many special occasions, including Barry and Deanna's 30th wedding anniversary. He did, however, make it back in time for Logan's high school graduation next month.
After spending so much time away, the family are also planning on taking a trip away this summer to celebrate his return.
According to doctors, the astronauts could have lost up to half of their muscle mass, and almost a fifth of their bone density.
In previous cases, researchers have found that it can take up to 1.5 times the length of the mission for astronauts to recover.
Barry and Suni may face more than a year of therapy, including progressive core and spinal stabilization exercises, stretching and mobility work and more.
Dr Ehsan Jazini, a spine surgeon at VSI, told the Daily Mail that 'a longer recovery timeline should be expected'.
"Just like I tell my patients, they’ll need a lot of patience and consistency in the rehabilitation process," she said.
"Even with pre-landing conditioning practices, their return to gravity is still a major adjustment to their spine, as nothing fully replicates that sudden shift back to Earth’s gravity."
Experts were impressed to see that both astronauts were up and walking less than 24 hours after their return though, which they said was promising and impressive.