unilad homepage
  • News
    • UK News
    • US News
    • World News
    • Crime
    • Health
    • Money
    • Sport
    • Travel
  • Film and TV
    • Netflix
  • Music
  • Tech
  • Features
  • Celebrity
  • Politics
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Archive
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
TikTok
YouTube
Submit Your Content
Astronauts reveal scariest part about returning to Earth calling it the ‘most dangerous’ aspect of space travel

Home> Technology> Space

Published 17:39 23 Nov 2024 GMT

Astronauts reveal scariest part about returning to Earth calling it the ‘most dangerous’ aspect of space travel

Let's just say we'll be keeping our feet firmly on Earth

Emma Rosemurgey

Emma Rosemurgey

google discoverFollow us on Google Discover
Featured Image Credit: Elen11/Getty/NASA

Topics: Space, NASA

Emma Rosemurgey
Emma Rosemurgey

Advert

Advert

Advert

You've got to be pretty brave to be an astronaut because, let's face it, the thought of hurtling into space at thousands of miles per hour is terrifying.

But while space travel is undeniably equal parts awesome and scary, it turns out that going into space isn't what frightens those who leave Earth.

In fact, it's travelling back down to Earth that is the most terrifying part of the whole ordeal.

Several astronauts appeared on a 2018 National Geographic documentary called One Strange Rock, in which they claimed the re-entry to Earth is 'the most dangerous thing an astronaut will ever do.'

Advert

(Paul Hennessy/Anadolu via Getty Images)
(Paul Hennessy/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Apparently the journey is even worse if you happen to be sitting on a window seat, because if you look out the window, you'll see 'orange and purple flames of 3,000 degrees' right outside where you're sitting.

"That’s pretty freaking scary," one astronaut said, while another added: "Flying the Russian Soyuz is a little bit, like, maybe, flying a meteorite home."

That's because on the journey back into Earth, the vessels the astronauts are travelling in hurtles into the atmosphere at eyewatering speeds of around 17,500 miles per hour.

In fact, it's so fast that a spacecraft re-entering Earth is actually even faster than the speed of sound - beyond anything most of us Earthlings can even comprehend.

Unsurprisingly, space travel comes with a lot of risk and spending time in space can cause a myriad of effects on the human body - I'd ask Frank Rubio who spent a year in space.

Earlier this month, it was announced that four astronauts who had recently returned to Earth after spending 200 days in space in the SpaceX Dragon capsule were hospitalized.

SpaceX's Crew-8 landed on October 25 (Paul Hennessy/Anadolu via Getty Images)
SpaceX's Crew-8 landed on October 25 (Paul Hennessy/Anadolu via Getty Images)

The team landed in Florida on October 25 and one astronaut received immediate medical care, however, NASA later announced that all members would be sent to hospital.

Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, Jeanette Epps, and Alexander Grebenkin were taken to Ascension Sacred Heart Pensacola hospital in Florida to be evaluated 'out of an abundance of caution'.

All four have since been released and are said to be in good health, NASA has confirmed, however, they declined to explain the reasoning behind the hospitalisation.

They wrote in a blog post: "To protect the crew member's medical privacy, specific details on the individual’s condition and identity will not be shared."

Regardless of the reason, it's probably best that we keep our feet firmly on the Earth's ground and leave it to the professionals.

Choose your content:

3 hours ago
7 hours ago
8 hours ago
4 days ago
  • Getty Stock Photo
    3 hours ago

    ChatGPT's unsettling answer when I asked what's the scariest thing about AI

    The chat bot listed six concerns when it comes to the future of AI

    Technology
  • Getty Stock
    7 hours ago

    Expert shares the three jobs that AI can't replace

    With the world on the brink of a total technological revolution, many jobs will not be safe from the upheaval of artificial intelligence

    Technology
  • Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images
    8 hours ago

    iPhone users warned to delete concerning iCloud email that puts them at risk

    Scammers targeting Apple's 1.8 billion users are tricking people with a particularly real-looking email about their iCloud account

    Technology
  • Photo by NASA via Getty Images
    4 days ago

    Scientists are tracking astronaut health on Artemis II which could unlock insights

    Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen departed for space on April 1 on board the Orion craft

    Technology
  • Artemis astronauts to lose contact with Earth as they embark on the most terrifying part of their journey
  • Terrifying warning Artemis II astronauts heard during crucial part of mission
  • Artemis II astronauts prepare for most dangerous phase of mission yet as NASA warns there is 'no plan B'
  • 7 grim things that can happen to your body in space as Artemis II astronauts return to Earth