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Astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore expected to be in space for days, not months. How would their physical and mental health cope?
Much has been said about the potential health risks facing NASA astronauts Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams stranded in space – but how serious are these risks, really?
- Williams and Wilmore have been stranded on the International Space Station (ISS) since June 2024 due to technical problems with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft.
- They withstand the effects of radiation and microgravity
- But “they must be thinking it’s pretty cool.” (Susan Bailey, radiation biologist)
Humans haven’t evolved to live in space — in (almost) zero gravity on the International Space Station — so those who go there need highly specialized training and careful health monitoring before, during, and after space travel.
Also read: NASA gives good news about Boeing Starliner, Sunita Williams is still in space
Astronauts selected for human spaceflight are required to be capable not only of completing their assigned mission, but also of managing complex and changing circumstances.
Wilmore and Williams flew as test pilots for the first crewed flight of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft to the ISS. But their eight-day mission had to be extended and could have lasted up to eight months because of propulsion problems with their spacecraft.
Although NASA and Boeing will soon decide whether to return the two to Earth on Starliner or wait until February 2025 to travel with a SpaceX crew, the astronauts have been forced to change their stance.
“I think it’s quite a burden, but they can handle it,” retired German astronaut Thomas Reiter said.
Reiter served on two missions to space, first on the Soviet-era space station Mir, which went out of orbit in 2001, and later as a flight engineer on the ISS. Williams replaced him during his first space flight.
“Both of them are not inexperienced, they are familiar with the tasks on the spacecraft. However, their last visit to the ISS was several years ago and they [were] This time the focus was on test flying, which was a very specific task, [with] “It’s only a matter of a few days,” Reiter said.
“Knowing that it’s been extended for a couple of weeks or months and maybe even eight months now, with some uncertainty, I’m very confident they’re handling it,” Reiter said.
Also read: Families of Starliner astronauts Sunita Williams, Butch Wilmore explain their ‘stranded’ status
Health Effects of Space Travel: Background Radiation
Wilmore and Williams have completed multiple missions for NASA and spent 178 and 322 days in space, respectively. Like all astronauts, this has exposed them to microgravity and space radiation.
Space agencies devote entire departments to studying the effects of space on the human body – for example, the German Space Agency (DLR) runs its own laboratory, Envihab, near Cologne.
In June 2024, the journal Nature published over 40 studies, described as “the largest ever collection of data for aerospace medicine and space biology”.
One of these studies is known as TWINS. It involved 10 laboratories that compared astronaut Scott Kelly, who spent a year on the ISS, and his identical twin and astronaut, Mark, who stayed on Earth. And it is this study that points to one of the major risks of long-term stay in space – radiation.
“Radiation exposure in space is going to be the big limiting factor in determining how well astronauts perform or how long they can actually survive in space,” said Susan Bailey, a radiation biologist at Colorado State University. Bailey led the TWINS study’s research on the effects of radiation on telomeres, the tiny genetic caps at the end of human chromosomes.
“Radiation exposure is actually very damaging to our DNA,” Bailey said.
This exposure increases the risk of cancer in astronauts. Also, it increases oxidative stress in the body.
“That’s what it’s all about: protecting them from those dangerous late effects and some of the very acute impacts,” Bailey said. “We have to have countermeasures to protect astronauts not only during space flight, but also when they’re camped out on the Moon or Mars.”
Space agencies have set specific limits on the amount of radiation astronauts are exposed to throughout their careers.
The stress of microgravity: From kidney stones to poor eyesight
Microgravity in space can cause bone demineralization – astronauts lose about 1–1.5% of bone density for each month spent in space.
This can also change the mineral levels in the body and lead to health risks. For example, increased levels of calcium in the body’s excretory system, which removes waste such as urine, can cause kidney stones.
“When they come back, they won’t be able to go out on the dance floor and dance heavily like other people do who have been in weightlessness for many months,” Reiter said.
This environment can also cause changes in vision, as body fluids shift toward the head and put pressure on the eyes. Prolonged exposure to pressure can cause Spaceflight Associated Neuro-Ocular Syndrome, which can alter the eyes’ ability to focus, sometimes permanently.
Both Williams and Wilmore will be subjected to regular health monitoring upon their return to Earth.
They will not be short of food and water
Despite the health risks associated with traveling in space, more immediate needs are well met by the ISS. “If there are suddenly two more people, they don’t immediately run out of water, oxygen or food,” Reiter said.
Food, water, oxygen, and carbon filtration needs are met by regular resupply missions.
And there are six dormitories, two bathrooms and a gymnasium – so, there’s plenty of room for the crew to spread out.
In addition, long-duration astronauts are assisted with psychological care by being involved in ongoing tasks on the station. Wilmore and Williams have spent the past two months aboard the ISS performing scientific and support tasks alongside the other seven astronauts.
“Health-wise, I think it’s going to be similar to what we’ve seen with some of our six-month astronauts and people who have actually been up there for a year or more,” Bailey said, but he added: “Astronauts want to go to space, they train for it their whole lives. They might be thinking that’s the best thing about spaceflight.” [extension] It is absolutely gorgeous.”
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