NASA astronauts stranded in space face “life-altering” risks if their stay on the International Space Station (ISS) is extended into 2025, experts warn.
Boeing’s malfunctioning Starliner carried Barry ‘Butch’ Wilmore and Sunita Williams to the ISS in June. so that They thought it would be a matter of days, but the crew received news this week that they might not return home until next year.
Many studies have shown that prolonged stays in space can cause loss of bone density, muscle atrophy, intense radiation exposure, vision problems, and other major health problems.
Astronauts also receive different levels of training depending on the length of the mission, including health tests, suggesting Wilmore and Williams are not prepared for the journeys ahead.
As one expert told DailyMail.com: “The longer you are[in space]the bigger the change.”
NASA astronauts Sunita Williams (left) and Barry Wilmore (right) face significant health risks while stranded on the International Space Station
Technical problems with Boeing’s Starliner have left astronauts stranded on the ISS for more than two months, when they were scheduled to return on June 14.
Thruster failures and helium leaks on Starliner prompted NASA and Boeing to keep the two astronauts in orbit longer out of fear that a return trip on the spacecraft could end in disaster.
But now the crew faces another risk: their bodies could begin to deteriorate.
“In general, almost all of the changes we see with human spaceflight in terms of physiology seem to be dose-dependent,” Rachael Seidler, professor of Applied Physiology and Kinesiology at the University of Florida, told DailyMail.com.
“The longer you’re there, the more of a change there is, at least to some extent,” he added.
The ISS only has about 90 percent of the gravity we experience here on Earth.
Living in reduced gravity means that the body’s bones and muscles do not work as hard as they should, and this results in significant loss of bone density and muscle atrophy.
“Astronauts experience accelerated bone loss at an alarming rate, about 12 times faster than severe osteoporosis on Earth,” said Kyle Zagrodzky, founder and CEO of the bone health clinic. Newsweek Magazine.
‘Osteoporosis increases the risk of fractures, which often lead to life-altering injuries.
‘Hip fractures pose a serious concern as they can take away independence and increase the risk of mortality.’
Besides, Astronauts on long-duration space missions can lose up to 50 percent of their muscle mass, according to the European Space Agency.
This can compromise your ability to perform physically demanding activities both during and after your mission, and cause pain and discomfort.
Low gravity even changes the shape and function of astronauts’ hearts. In space, the heart changes from oval (like a water-filled balloon) to round (like an air-filled balloon), according to NASA.
Spending prolonged periods of time in low gravity causes loss of muscle, bone and cardiovascular capacity, vision and cognitive problems, and even kidney stones.
The muscles that work to constrict blood vessels also atrophy during long space flights, meaning they can’t control blood flow as well.
During a long space mission, astronauts can lose up to 50 percent of their cardiovascular endurance, according to one study.
Additionally, as bodily fluids move upward during spaceflight, it can cause problems with vision, cognition, balance and coordination, Seidler told DailyMail.com.
Some astronauts report experiencing “space fog” during a long mission.
This phenomenon, similar to brain fog, can make astronauts feel disoriented and out of place. In extreme cases, it can lead to nausea, vomiting and mood swings.
Low gravity can also cause spaceflight-associated neuroocular syndrome, which reduces astronauts’ near vision.
Nearly half of astronauts report changes in their near vision after returning from long missions to the International Space Station, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology.
The longer astronauts spend in space, the longer it will take them to recover from these changes once they return to Earth, Seidler said.
For example, it could be several weeks before they can safely drive a car, he said.
And if that wasn’t bad enough, low gravity also puts astronauts at a much higher risk of developing kidney stones.
There are some things astronauts can do to combat the effects of low gravity.
For example, the ISS is equipped with special exercise equipment that astronauts use for two hours a day to reduce muscle and bone loss.
Thruster failures and helium leaks on Starliner prompted NASA and Boeing to keep the two astronauts in orbit longer out of fear that a return trip on the spacecraft could end in disaster.
A study of the Skylab crew, who stayed on the first manned research laboratory in the early 1970s, found that the astronauts had a negative nitrogen balance, indicating loss of skeletal muscle.
The group spent 171 days in space, which would be less than Williams and Wilmore would spend if they remained on the ISS until next year.
But there is one danger they can do nothing to prevent: radiation.
The International Space Station has shielding that reduces the amount of space radiation astronauts are exposed to, but they still endure about 365 times more radiation than we do here on Earth.
In other words, for every day an astronaut spends on the ISS, he or she is exposed to a year’s worth of radiation that he or she would experience on Earth.
According to NASA, this could increase the risk of astronauts developing cancer later in life.
All of this means that the sooner NASA can get Wilmore and Williams back to Earth, the better. Every additional day they spend on the International Space Station takes more toll on their bodies.
Starliner launched on June 5 with the intention of docking at the ISS for about a week before returning Wilmore and Williams safely to Earth.
Starliner faced numerous technical issues before the mission, including on launch day. But Boeing is still hopeful the spacecraft will bring stranded astronauts home
But the mission had already gotten off to a rocky start. In the preceding weeks, the launch had been delayed several times due to technical problems with the spacecraft.
Even on liftoff day, Starliner experienced small helium leaks that engineers determined were not severe enough to delay the launch again.
From there, it was all downhill. By the time Starliner reached the ISS, it had suffered more helium leaks and five of its 18 thrusters had failed.
Wilmore and Williams managed to safely board the ISS, but now have no safe way to return home.
If Starliner is deemed unfit to bring astronauts home, they could return to Earth aboard SpaceX’s Dragon capsule after the Crew-9 mission launches in September, NASA officials said at a news conference Wednesday.
But that would mean Wilmore and Williams wouldn’t return home until February 2025. By then, they will have spent nine months in space.
NASA has not made any final decisions regarding Starliner’s return, the agency told DailyMail.com in an emailed statement.
But Boeing is hopeful its spacecraft can still return to Earth with Wilmore and Williams on board.
“We continue to believe in Starliner’s capabilities and flight logic. If NASA decides to change the mission, we will take the necessary steps to configure Starliner for an uncrewed return,” a Boeing spokesperson told DailyMail.com in an emailed statement.
