New Delhi:
Plastic cups and time to readjust to Earth’s gravity – that is what Sunita Williams, the United States astronaut whose eight-day mission to the International Space Station extended to a nine-month stay, will need to recover, astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson told NDTV Thursday afternoon.
But recover she, and fellow astronaut Butch Wilmore, will, Mr Tyson said, explaining he was never worried about their safety or about them returning home. “They are professional astronauts… they are selected not just because they are physically fit but also because they are emotionally fit, okay?”
“And when you are emotionally fit, things like, ‘okay, instead of eight days it’s nine months’… you don’t see them freaking out or reacting in some way that would jeopardise the safety of the crew. So that’s why I was never worried… even if everybody else was. At no time did I have sympathy for them.”
“I don’t think they needed sympathy, personally,” he declared.
On Ms Williams and Mr Wilmore’s road to recovery, Neil deGrasse Tyson said, “There is no reason to think their muscles will not be able to hold them up… on the ISS they have many ways to exercise.”
“The difference is… when you spend this much time being weightless, your ability to orient for what is ‘up’ and ‘down’ is compromised because you never had to use these tools of the inner ear to establish ‘up’ and ‘down’ in space. Now I haven’t been in space… but I have spoken to astronauts, friends of mine, who have spent a lot of time there, and they say typically they will recover within a week…”
But don’t hand them glass cutlery just yet.
“… if you hand them a glass they just let go (because their muscles are weaker) So, make sure the first few beverages are in a plastic cup,” Mr Tyson said with a smile.
Mr Tyson also played down any talk of Ms Williams and Mr Wilmore’s mental status being affected, pointing out NASA selects its astronauts based on both strength of body and mind.
Sunita Williams onboard the International Space Station (File).
“There was food and water (even if it was recycled urine, which is normal up there!) and they are professional astronauts. The only thing… maybe they didn’t bring extra pairs of underwear.”
Ms Williams, and fellow astronaut Butch Wilmore, were flown back from the ISS late Tuesday/early Wednesday. They returned home in SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft and were greeted by a pod of chattering dolphins as they splashed down of Florida’s eastern coast.
READ | “They’re Saying ‘Hi'”: Dolphins Welcome Sunita Williams, Home From Space
They had flown to the ISS on June 5 last year. But the Boeing Starliner capsule that carried them to the ISS then had propulsion issues, meaning Ms Williams and Mr Wilmore had to wait… for nine months, during which time the United States held a presidential election, to come home.
VIDEO | Moment Sunita Williams’ Spacecraft Splashed Down Off Florida Coast
But now they are, and visuals of the astronauts (and the two sent to bring them back) waving and smiling from inside the capsule after it landed on Earth were beamed live worldwide.
The flight back home, though, is only half the challenge to Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore returning to normal lives. The other involves a months-long rehabilitation programme to rebuild muscle mass and bone density; this will include strength training and mobility exercises.
A thumbs-up from a smiling Sunita Williams as she returns to Earth.
At the crux of these issues is the different levels of gravity on Earth and in space; for example, muscles activated by our everyday tasks here weaker because they don’t need to work as hard in space.
READ | Puffy Head, Chicken Legs: How Sunita Williams Will Readjust To Gravity
On the delay in bringing Ms Williams and Mr Wilmore home, Mr Tyson said he had rarely been worried for their safety. “The fact is we had options…when Plan A failed, we brought in Plan B – another rocket, from a whole other private company. The fact we had options is a sign that the space frontier is becoming part of everyday understanding of where human beings can be…”
The famous astrophysicist did, however, also suggest, “Maybe if this is going to become more common (i.e., frequent trips to space) we will always have a spare rocket in the garage!”
“If I were NASA, or any other space agency, given how many rockets are available to us today, I’d put a rocket on reserve just for this occasion,” Mr Tyson said.
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