An unexpected situation occurred when the NASA astronauts, Sunita Williams along with her colleague, Butch Willmore got stuck in the International Space Station (ISS). This mission was primarily a short mission in Boeing’s Starliner capsule on 5th June 2024 as a part of a starting test mission for a stay of just eight days. However, the malfunctioning in the capsule’s thrusters created a problem.
This has sparked tension not only among the US Space Agency but also around the entire world. There have been debates and controversy, but there remained no clear way about their returns, despite being almost more than two months from then. The debate goes along the lines of whether the return journey be made in the Boeing Starliner itself, or Space X be launched for the rescue mission.
The former US military space commander, Rudy Ridolfi has made a frightening assumption about what might happen if Sunita Williams and Butch Willmore start their departure journey in the faulty spacecraft. If the space capsule is not lined up correctly, then it “might burn up or bounce back into space”.
Therefore, amidst problematic conditions there arose the hypothesis regarding the astronauts’ well-being. According to a NASA report, two million red blood cells are created every second in human bodies on Earth and the astronauts lose up to 10% of the liquids in the blood vessels. Therefore, hemolysis or blood cell destruction happens with the longer stay of astronauts in space.
Prolonged exposure to space radiation, affects the eyes causing vision problems, the cardiovascular system, a decrease in bone density or ‘skeletal unloading’, weakening of muscles, space sickness and even going to the extent of brain damage due to oxygen deprivation. The lack of atmospheric pressure and vacuum makes the life support cumbersome for the astronauts. Exposed radiation can also heighten the risk of developing cancers or cataracts.
As Oxygen is an essential component of life support, its deprivation can have serious issues. According to Dr Kumar, hypoxia or the absence of oxygen can lead to long-term or permanent damage to those in space. Hypoxia leads to damage to cognitive faculties, which leads to confusion, dizziness, neurological issues, and other related health issues. It can also disrupt blood flow and respiration.
Dr Shailesh Jha, who is a psychiatrist at Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, pointed out that in the space environment, fluids in the body shift more towards the upward portion of the head because of microgravity. This increases intracranial pressure, which is a growing pressure inside one’s skull. This can put pressure on the eyes, leading to headaches, vision problems, damage to the spinal cord, and long-term neurological problems.
Though the Space Station has created shields to obstruct harmful radiation, the level of radiation is still much higher when they are in space. The increased radiation exposure also reduces the time one can spend in space. Though NASA is closely monitoring the radiation level, the extended mission of Sunita Willams aged 58 and Butch Willmore aged 61, has raised their concerns about the cumulative impact of radiation.
Apart from the risks and medical issues regarding one’s physical health, the mental health of astronauts is also at stake. According to the neurologist, Dr Sudhir Kumar, these unplanned missions can also lead to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), where prolonged isolation from Earth and living in confined living spaces, can lead to emotional distress affecting the psychological well-being of astronauts. Living in these precarious situations also increases stress and anxiety.According to NASA’s latest report, the return of the two astronauts has been scheduled to be February 2025 with Crew 9 in Space X. Now, the question remains that given the psychical and psychological concerns, how well can Butch and Suni sustain their unplanned and unfortunate long stay.
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