The first images of the stranded NASA astronauts after their triumphant return to Earth have been released.
Images of Sunita ‘Suni’ Williams and Barry ‘Butch’ Wilmore exiting a plane in Houston were released by NASA’s Johnson Space Center shortly after 12am ET Wednesday, post their medical examinations.
On Tuesday at 5:57pm ET, the duo landed in the waters off the Florida coast, wrapping up a mission lasting over nine months aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
In the photos, the Williams and Wilmore were seen already making a surprising recovery as they were walking under their own power in normal gravity.
Medical experts had previously said that the astronauts would likely not walk on their own for days, even weeks.
However, Williams and Wilmore are still likely to undergo physical therapy to combat loss of muscle mass and bone density.
Former astronauts have observed that the recovery period after a mission can be as long as 1.5 times the duration of the mission itself. This implies that Williams and Wilmore, who returned today, may require over a year to fully recuperate and feel like their usual selves once more.
While WIlmore appeared clean-shaven after sporting a beard in space, Williams looked noticeably frail and still had an IV drip in her arm to receive fluids.
Barry ‘Butch’ Wilmore hugs NASA personnel after arriving in Houston following his nine-month stay at the International Space Station
Sunita ‘Suni’ Williams was seen walking under her own power as she met NASA officials at the Johnson Space Center in Houston
The new NASA images also captured Hague and Gorbunov’s return to the Johnson Space Center late last night.
The two astronauts arrived at the International Space Station (ISS) in the Crew-9 Dragon capsule in September.
Williams and Wilmore’s vessel, Boeing’s Starliner, barely reached the ISS after mechanical issues developed during the flight.
Starliner was sent back to Earth without a crew after NASA deemed it too risky to have Williams and Wilmore use the craft again. This made room for Hague and Gorbunov to arrive at ISS in the SpaceX capsule.
SpaceX has been involved with every crewed mission to the station since the Commercial Crew Program began in 2015. The Starliner flight was Boeing’s first crewed mission to the ISS.
All four astronauts have been waiting for a replacement crew (Crew-10) since then, but mechanical issues and claims of political interference delayed a new mission from being launched.
After Crew-10 arrived on board another SpaceX rocket on March 16, NASA and SpaceX worked on preparing the stranded astronauts for an expedited return to Earth.
Usually, the handoff between ISS crews lasts five days but Crew-9 was able to depart in two days – safely landing off the coast of Florida roughly 17 hours later.
NASA’s Nick Hague and Russia’s Aleksandr Gorbunov (pictured) were also taken to the NASA space center following medical exams on Tuesday
Hague (pictured) and Gorbunov were the two pilots sent in the Crew-9 Dragon capsule to replace the faulty Starliner spacecraft that stranded Williams and Wilmore
The new images reveal what some may consider a stunning bounce back when it comes to the health of Crew-9.
Although NASA had personnel at the airport in Houston there to help all four of the astronauts balance themselves, it was clear Williams, Wilmore, Hague, and Gorbunov were all capable of standing and walking after their medical checks.
Danish adventurer and astronaut-in-training Per Wimmer said Williams and Wilmore may experience a few rough days once they landed back on Earth.
In an interview with Al Arabiya, Wimmer noted that their hearts won’t be used to pumping blood into the upper parts of their bodies – leading to dizziness and nausea when they first arrive on Earth.
He also warned that Williams and Wilmore could be a little ‘fragile’ because an astronaut’s muscles and bone structure can deteriorate while in zero gravity.
To his point, Williams did appear to be frail around her hands and wrists after the NASA veteran spent 286 days in orbit.
Some users on X also pointed out the apparent wasting issues the astronaut may have experienced since June.
‘Did Suni have bone loss?’ one person asked, replying to NASA’s tweet.
The astronauts are expected to continue undergoing medical tests over the next few days as they transition back to life on land.
However, NASA has not specifically disclosed all the details of what medical tests astronauts take once they return from a mission in space.
