The return of Indian-origin astronaut Sunita Williams from the International Space Station (ISS) has been delayed once again. Ms Williams, 59, will now return to Earth after March next year. NASA says the crew on the ISS is healthy and safe.
The US space agency announced that the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft, tasked with bringing him back, would not be launched before the end of March. Ms Williams arrived at the ISS in June. However, her return was delayed until February next year due to safety issues with the Boeing Starliner spacecraft she was carrying into space.
Prolonged exposure to a near-zero-gravity environment has many consequences for the human body, which is designed to function under Earth’s gravity. Bone density in the human body decreases, causing bones to become brittle in space. Since the muscles are not used to lift any weight – since the body becomes virtually weightless in space – their mass decreases. Other organs, such as the heart, liver and eyes, also experience changes. Most of these changes are reversed after the astronauts return to Earth and retrain under Earth’s gravity.
Ms. Williams is a veteran of space flights, and this current mission is her third flight in space. Cumulatively, she has already spent more than 517 days in space during her mission. At one point, he held the record for most time spent on a spacewalk, with more than 51 hours of extra-vehicular activity (EVA).
Ms Williams flew to the ISS aboard a Boeing Starliner in June, which was initially planned as a 7 to 10-day mission. However, due to security glitches with the Boeing Starliner, their stay was extended to February 2025. Now, NASA has announced that it is adjusting the crew’s dates, meaning they will return around late March or April next year.
“NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 is now aiming to launch four crew members to the International Space Station before the end of March 2025,” the US space agency said.
NASA and SpaceX assessed various options for managing the next crew handover, including using another Dragon spacecraft and making obvious adjustments. After careful consideration, the team determined that launching Crew-10 in late March, after the completion of the new Dragon spacecraft, was the best time to meet NASA requirements and achieve space station objectives for 2025. Was the best option.
The agency’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission, carrying NASA astronauts Nick Hague, Sunita Williams, Butch Wilmore and Roscosmos astronaut Alexander Gorbunov, will return to Earth following Crew-10’s arrival at the orbiting laboratory. This period, known as ‘handover’, allows Crew-9 to share any lessons learned with the newly arrived crew, making for a smooth transition to ongoing science and maintenance activities at the station. Facility is available.
Crew-9, along with the full space station crew of Expedition 72, is focused on completing research in the Microgravity Laboratory and preparing for the upcoming spacewalk.
There was speculation that Ms. Williams had lost weight and was unwell, but NASA dismissed these rumors. Ms. Williams herself said she has been doing extensive weight training on the space station using special equipment provided to the crew. Incidentally, during the first mission, she ran a space marathon on the ISS treadmill.
NASA also confirmed that the space station recently received two resupply flights in November and is well-stocked with everything the crew needs, including food, water, clothing and oxygen. The resupply spacecraft carried special items for the crew to vacation on the orbital platform.
