Sunita Williams being carried on a stretcher.
NASA astronauts Sunita “Suni” Williams and Barry “Butch” Wilmore returned to planet Earth after being stuck at the International Space Station (ISS) for over nine months. A SpaceX Crew Dragon spaceship carrying the two astronauts along with American Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov splashed down off the coast of Florida early on Wednesday.
Shortly after, neither Wilmore nor Williams physically stepped out of the capsule. Instead, they were wheeled off the spacecraft on stretchers.
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While for some, the visuals may have appeared strange, this is actually a standard NASA protocol for all space travellers returning to Earth, as their bodies take time to get readjusted to Earth’s gravity.
The Science Behind It
Spending nine months in zero gravity, the astronauts don’t sit or lie down or walk. Instead, they float. Without the Earth’s gravitational pull, muscles shrink, bones weaken and bodily fluids shift.
Since they do not use their legs to support their weight in space, they lose muscle mass quickly.
Returning to Earth does not instantly undo months of strain on their bodies. Astronauts’ bodies take time to readjust to gravity. During this, they experience balance issues, dizziness, and weakened cardiovascular function. It may take at least a week for the body to readjust.
Welcome back, #SunitaWilliams and crew!
Space travel is never easy, but true explorers like you embody the spirit of embracing the unknown.
After spending nine long months in space, you’ve finally touched down safely.
Although the journey lasted longer than planned, your… pic.twitter.com/8Zo8m1Xd0g
— Harish Rao Thanneeru (@BRSHarish) March 19, 2025
Sometimes, astronauts even faint or forget about gravity since they get used to the zero-gravity conditions.
Astronauts sometimes faint or forget about gravity#SunitaWilliams #sunitawilliamsreturnpic.twitter.com/PsuaoivoOI
— Pankaj Soni (@pankajsonie) March 18, 2025
While their bodies eventually get readjusted to Earth’s gravity, not everything recovers. Astronauts spending more than six months in space face long-term health risks, including cancer, nerve damage, and degenerative diseases.
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Both Williams and Wilmore flew to the orbital lab in June last year, on what was supposed to be an eight-day-long round trip to test Boeing’s Starliner on its first crewed flight. The spaceship, however, developed propulsion problems and was deemed unfit to fly back and later returned empty.
The two astronauts had originally launched to the ISS on June 6, while Hague and Gorbunov had been on the station since September 29, 2024. The return journey began with the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft undocking from the ISS at 1:05 a.m. EDT, initiating a complex re-entry sequence. The deorbit burn, lasting approximately 7.5 minutes, placed the spacecraft on a precise trajectory for its descent.
