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Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore after spending over nine months aboard the International Space Station (ISS) due to Boeing Starliner capsule issues, have safely returned to Earth. Originally scheduled for an eight-day mission, their stay extended significantly, culminating in a March return. Since then, both astronauts have been undergoing intensive physical rehabilitation to readjust to Earth’s gravity and recover muscle strength and balance. Alongside rehab, Wilmore and Williams are gradually resuming their duties with NASA and Boeing, contributing to ongoing spaceflight programs and supporting efforts to address technical challenges with the Starliner spacecraft.
NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore undergo intensive rehab after long space mission
Acclimating back to Earth’s gravity after a long exposure to microgravity is extremely challenging for astronauts from a physiological standpoint. According to Reuters report, Wilmore, who is 62, explained the ordeal in a joking manner in an interview:“Gravity sucks for a little while, and that little while is different for everyone, but you get over those neurovestibular balance kind of problems eventually.”Both Wilmore and Williams went through a routine 45-day rehabilitation program, where they had to recondition their muscles, regain their sense of balance, and acclimatize themselves to daily life on Earth. That is a standard procedure for astronauts coming back from long-duration space missions.
Wilmore and Williams regain strength while supporting Starliner and ISS operations
As part of their rehabilitation, Wilmore and Williams worked at least two hours every day with NASA’s strength-conditioning and medical team. Meanwhile, they started taking on new responsibilities with Boeing’s Starliner program and NASA’s human spaceflight operations in Houston. “It’s been a little bit of a whirlwind,” said Williams, 59. “Because we also have obligations to all of the folks that we worked with.” She also commented that the reconditioning was of varying intensity, stating some of the physical effects took longer than anticipated to fade.“Dozens of muscles had to re-fire. I was tired and couldn’t get up as early as I normally do—until about a week and a half ago,” she said. Now, though, she is like she used to be: “Then I’m up at four in the morning, and I’m like, Aha! I’m back.”
Starliner setbacks prompt calls for another uncrewed test
The astronauts’ prolonged duration was due to propulsion system malfunctions with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft. The issues led NASA to return the capsule unmanned in 2023, incorporating Wilmore and Williams into the normal long-duration rotation on board the ISS.Boeing, which has lost more than $2 billion on the Starliner program, previously flew a test flight in 2022 for $410 million after a test failure in 2019. With doubt surrounding the reliability of the capsule, Williams showed firm support for another test flight without humans before flying people again.“Reflying Starliner uncrewed seems like the logical thing to do,” she said, citing precedents set by SpaceX and Russia, which conducted multiple uncrewed tests before human spaceflights. She added that both she and NASA are advocating for this path: “I think that’s the correct path. I’m hoping Boeing and NASA will decide on that same course of action soon.”
Williams and Wilmore poised to support NASA and Boeing amid program uncertainty
NASA officials said that tests conducted over the summer would decide whether Starliner would be certified to carry people on its next flight. Until then, the future of the program and its place in NASA’s manned missions is unsettled.Wilmore and Williams, both having made a complete recovery, are likely to continue making contributions to both NASA’s strategic planning and Boeing’s work to overcome the technical missteps that prolonged their historic space journey.
How microgravity affects the human body
The human body is biologically adapted to living on Earth, influenced by millions of years of constant gravity. When put in the microgravity of space, a few physiological modifications take place:
- Muscle atrophy: The muscles lose strength through disuse, particularly in the legs and back.
- Cardiovascular changes: Fluids move into the upper part of the body and the head, impacting circulation and heart function.
- Neurovestibular imbalance: The balance and orientation sense of the body is affected.
- Increased radiation exposure: Without the protection of Earth’s atmosphere, astronauts are exposed to greater levels of solar radiation.
- Confinement stress: The physical and psychological effect of being contained in a small, close environment for long periods.
Wilmore felt these effects firsthand. He reported that pre-existing neck pain vanished in space but came back as soon as reentry was completed. We’re still in the capsule floating in the ocean, and my neck begins to ache, whereas we hadn’t even been brought out yet,” he remembered with amusement.Also Read | ISRO-ICRB recruitment 2025: Apply online for 320 Scientist or Engineer roles by June 16; know the eligibility, selection process, and how to apply online
