Sunita Williams return: Baby feet, dizziness, weightless tongue—astronauts face health challenges after months in space | Mint<img src='https://sb.scorecardresearch.com/p?c1=2&c2=6035286&cv=4.4.0&cj=1'>SubscribeSign inView Market DashboardHomeLatest NewsMarketsMarket NewsMark to MarketCommoditiesLive BlogsCryptocurrencyIPOStock MarketsMarket DataStock PagesIndex pagesBullionGold SilverFuelPetrolDieselNewsIndiaWorldWSJEconomistUS NewsTrendsPremium e-paperGlobal Partners WSJEconomistBarron'sMint SpecialsMint ExplainersMark to MarketLong StoryMint PrimerSnapviewSectionsCompaniesTechnologyMarketsMoneyMutual FundsInsuranceAutoIndustryPersonal FinanceCompaniesStart-upsCompany ResultsPeopleMoneyPersonal FinanceInsurance Ask Mint MoneyMutual FundsMyMintIPL Schedule 2025Personal LoanTechnologyGadgetsTech ReviewsApp News5G TechFoldable SmartphonesMint HindiMoreElection 2025OpinionAuto NewsSportsOrange Cap in IPLPurple Cap in IPLEducationTools IFSC Code FinderIncome Tax CalculatorMint LoungeMintGenie Multi-MediaVideosWebStories Photo GalleryPodcastsExplore MintAbout usPrint subscriptionMint AuthorsSubscriber terms of usePrivacy PolicyTerms of UseDisclaimerMint codeCookie PolicyCode of ethicsSitemapContact UsHindustan TimesLive HindustanHealthshotsCredit CardSunita Williams Return LIVE Hello UserSign inSign OutMy AccountSubscribeMy WatchlistNewslettersNotificationsMy ReadsFor YouView Less -View More +Data InsightsMarket DashboardBullionGoldSilverFuelPetrolDieselCommoditiesGoldGoldMAluminumMenthaoilSilverSilverMICGoldPetalNatural GasCopperZincSilverMCrudeOilGoldGinueaLeadCryptoCurrenciesView Less -View More +Top SectionsToday's NewsIndia NewsWorld NewsUS News TodayBudget 2025EconomyMoney NewsPersonal FinanceQ&AOpinionCompany Business NewsIPO NewsStart-upsCompany ResultsTop Company LeaderStock Market NewsStock MarketsCommodity NewsMark To MarketIPO NewsLive Blogpersonal loanpersonal loan emi calculatorPersonal Loan Interest RatePersonal Loan EligibilityBusiness LoanInstant LoanElection Results 2025Assembly Elections 2025Indian Industry AnalysisBanking NewsInfotech NewsInfrastructureAgricultureManufacturingEnergy NewsRetail NewsAuto NewsSports NewsOpinionViewsColumnsTechnology NewsGadgetsTech ReviewsApp NewsPolitics NewsLoungeBusiness of LifeSports NewsIPL 2025 IPL 2025 Points Table IPL 2025 Orange CapIPL 2025 Purple CapIPL Match Today | IPL 2025 ScheduleEducation News TodayView Less -View More +Premium Offeringse-paperWSJEconomistBarron'sMyMintMint PremiumView Less -View More +Tools and CalculatorsIFSC Code FinderIncome Tax CalculatorSIP CalculatorEMI CalculatorHome Loan EMI CalculatorCar Loan EMINPS CalculatorView Less -View More +MultiMedia CollectionsVideosWebStoriesPhoto GalleryPodcastsView Less -View More +More From MintMint GenieMint LoungeMint HindiView Less -Explore MintAbout UsPrint SubscriptionMint AuthorsTerms of UseDisclaimerMint CodeCode of ethicsCookie PolicyPrivacy PolicySubscriber - Terms of UseSITEMAPContact UsMint AppsView Less -View More +Copyright © HT Digital Streams Limited All Rights Reserved.Sunita Williams return: Baby feet, dizziness, weightless tongue—astronauts face health challenges after months in spaceNASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, will return to Earth on SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft after an extended nine mission. They will face various health challenges on Earth after prolonged weightlessness in space. Jocelyn FernandesUpdated18 Mar 2025, 12:38 PM ISTNASA astronaut Butch Wilmore, Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov and NASA astronauts Nick Hague and Suni Williams pose for a photo at the hatch a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule before closing the hatch in preparation for undocking from the ISS to begin their return to Earth March 18 (IST) in this still image taken from video. (NASA / Handout via Reuters)Sunita Williams return news: NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore are finally on their way back home to Earth, ending an extended nine-month stay on the International Space Station (ISS), but it seems that the space travel is not their biggest challenge left.While the journey back home is technical and precise, the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft successfully undocked from the ISS at 10.35 am IST on March 18, beginning the crew's 17-hour voyage to Earth.Also alongside Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore aka ‘Butch and Suni’ — who were stuck on the ISS since June 2024 (in a trip that was originally meant to least eight days), are NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov.We take a look at the health challenges that the astronauts, especially Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore are susceptible to once they return to our gravity-ruled planet.Also Read | Sunita Williams Return LIVE Updates: NASA astronauts begin trip on SpaceX dragonSunita Williams, NASA Astronauts Face health ChallengesIt may be fun to watch astronauts float around inside the International Space Station, but the absence of gravity has its effects on long-duration space travellers, who experience dizziness, nausea and an unstable gait when they return to earth.NASA astronauts Sunita Willams and Butch Wilmore, and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov are scheduled to return to Earth on Wednesday onboard SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft.For Williams and Wilmore, test pilots for Boeing's new Starliner capsule, the eight-day mission stretched to more than nine months as a series of helium leaks and thruster failures deemed their spacecraft unsafe and had to return empty in September.Astronauts who have travelled on space missions earlier have reported facing difficulty in walking, having bad eyesight, dizziness, and a condition called baby feet where space travellers lose the thick part of the skin on the soles that become soft like a baby's."Once the astronaut returns to Earth, they are immediately forced to readjust again, back to Earth's gravity, and can experience issues standing, stabilising their gaze, walking, and turning. For their safety, returning astronauts are often placed in a chair immediately upon return to Earth," the Houston-based Baylor College of Medicine said in a note on body changes in space.It takes astronauts several weeks to re-calibrate themselves to life on Earth.The vestibular organ deep inside the ear helps humans keep their bodies balanced while walking on Earth by sending information about gravity to the brain."In the low gravity of space, the information received from the vestibular organs changes. This is thought to confuse the brain, leading to space sickness. When you return to earth, you experience the effects of earth's gravity again, and thus 'gravity sickness' sometimes occurs, with similar symptoms as space sickness," the Japanese space agency JAXA said.On Earth, gravity pulls blood and other body fluids into the lower part of the body, but for astronauts experiencing weightlessness in space, these fluids accumulate in the upper parts of the body, making them look bloated."Astronauts returning to earth often experience dizziness when standing up, known as orthostatic hypotension. This occurs because gravity on the earth is stronger than in space, and it is more difficult to deliver blood from the heart to the head," the JAXA said.The lack of gravity causes significant and often irreparable bone density loss. According to NASA, for every month in space, astronauts' weight-bearing bones become roughly one per cent less dense if they don't take precautions to counter this loss.To help combat this, astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) have a strict exercise regimen."Astronauts are required to exercise two hours per day, using the treadmill or stationary bicycle, to avoid the bone and muscle deterioration that occurs in zero gravity. Without this exercise, astronauts would be unable to walk or stand up when they return to Earth after months of floating in space," NASA said.Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield reported to have experienced a weightless tongue on his return from a stint at the International Space Station in 2013."Right after I landed, I could feel the weight of my lips and tongue and I had to change how I was talking. I hadn't realised that I learned to talk with a weightless tongue," Hadfield had said.Astronauts may also be more susceptible to infection and illness due to a suppressed immune system."While we see that immune cells do not behave in the way they should in space, so far we haven't had any severe infection on board the Space Station, so cell altered behaviour is not directly transferable to immune protection," European Space Agency's flight surgeon Sergi Vaquer said in a blog post on the agency's website.(With inputs from PTI)Key TakeawaysAstronauts experience significant physical changes and health challenges upon returning to Earth due to prolonged exposure to microgravity.Symptoms such as dizziness and ’baby feet’ result from fluid redistribution and loss of bone density in space.Strict exercise regimens are essential for maintaining bone and muscle health during space missions.Catch all the Business News, Market News, Breaking News Events and Latest News Updates on Live Mint. Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates.Business NewsScienceNewsSunita Williams return: Baby feet, dizziness, weightless tongue—astronauts face health challenges after months in spaceMoreLessFirst Published:18 Mar 2025, 12:37 PM ISTGet Instant Loan up to ₹10 Lakh!Enter Mobile NumberEmployment TypeSalariedSelf-Employed BusinessApply NowMost Active StocksMarket SnapshotTop GainersTop Losers52 Week HighTrending In Market Gold Price TodayMCX GoldAlphabet Grand Continent Hotels IPOPaytm shares Tata Motors share price Recommended For YouMore RecommendationsGold Prices24K22KFuel PricePetrolDieselPopular in ScienceStory Url has been added to your clipboardDownload AppDownload the Mint app and read premium storiesTrending StoriesVedanta share price Stock Market Today IREDA share price Chhaava Box Office Collection Champions Trophy 2025 Indian stock market Mark Carney Suzlon Share Price ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Points Table ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Schedule ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Most Runs ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Most Wickets Livemint Hindi Bank Holidays in Gujarat Bank Holidays in Delhi Bank Holidays in September Income Tax Calculator 2025 Bank Holidays in Jammu And Kashmir Instant Personal Loan Check Credit Score Online Business Loan Personal Loan Interest Rate Personal Loan Eligibility Personal Loan EMI Calculator Gold Rate in Delhi Gold Rate in Bangalore Gold Rate in Chennai Gold Rate in Hyderabad Gold Rate in Mumbai Business Radio - FAB Play Assembly Election Results Credit Card Personal Loan Online Gold Rate India Bank Holidays India Stocks to Watch Stocks to Buy Popular StocksJSW INFRASTRUCTURE share priceR R KABEL share priceCONCORD BIOTECH share priceIDBI Bank share priceYes Bank share priceAdani Power share priceHUL share priceIndian Oil share priceVedanta share priceJio Financial Services share pricePaytm share pricePunjab National Bank share priceCanara Bank share priceAdani Green Energy share priceIndian Railway Finance Corporation share priceSuzlon Energy share priceIREDA share priceVodafone Idea share priceOrient Technologies share pricePremier Energies share priceBajaj Housing Finance Share PriceGaruda Construction And Engineer share priceHyundai Motor India share priceNifty 50 companiesADANI ENTERPRISES share priceADANI PORTS share priceAPOLLO HOSPITALS share priceASIAN PAINTS share priceAXIS BANK share priceBAJAJ AUTO share priceBAJAJ FINANCE share priceBAJAJ FINSERVE share priceBPCL share priceBHARTI AIRTEL share priceBRITANNIA share priceCIPLA share priceCOAL INDIA share priceDIVIS LABORATORIES share priceDR REDDYS LABORATORIES share priceEICHER MOTORS share priceGRASIM INDUSTRIES share priceHCL TECHNOLOGIES share priceHDFC BANK share priceHDFC LIFE share priceHERO MOTOCORP share priceHINDALCO INDUSTRIES share priceHINDUSTAN UNILEVER share priceICICI BANK share priceITC share priceINDUSIND BANK share priceINFOSYS share priceJSW STEEL share priceKOTAK BANK share priceLARSEN & TOURBO share priceMAHINDRA & MAHINDRA share priceMARUTI SUZUKI share priceNTPC share priceNESTLE INDIA share priceONGC share pricePOWER GRID share priceRELIANCE INDUSTRIES share priceSBI LIFE share priceSBI share priceSUN PHARMA share priceTCS share priceTATA MOTORS share priceTATA STEEL share priceTATA CONSUMER share priceTECH MAHINDRA share priceTITAN share priceUPL share priceULTRATECH CEMENT share priceWIPRO share priceLatest StoriesSectionPremiumOpinionNewsMarketPoliticsCompaniesMoneySportsMutual FundIndustryTechnologyToolsIFSC Code FinderIncome Tax CalculatorSIP CalculatorHome Loan EMI CalculatorCar Loan EMINPS CalculatorData PagesMarket DashboardIndicesTop GainerMutual FundsGold PriceSilver PriceFuel PriceAbout UsMint AuthorsContact usTerms of UseCode of EthicsPrivacy PolicyRSSCopyright © 2025 HT Digital Streams Limited. 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