2024-09-05 12:20:26
Washington: NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore have been stranded at the International Space Station for the past three months. Both had gone to the space station in Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, where they were to return to Earth after spending a week, but their return was postponed after a malfunction in the Starliner. Now the spaceship is returning without the astronauts. NASA has said that there is a plan to bring Williams and Wilmore back in February next year. This means that the 8-day mission has now become eight months. Meanwhile, an old interview of Sunita Williams is going viral, in which she has talked about the difficulties in space.
Effect of microgravity in space
During his visit to India, Williams interacted with school students about how the human body copes with different conditions in the microgravity environment of space. He talked about the growth of nails and hair and also explained that when a person is in space, his height increases. He said that ‘the scabs on your feet disappear because you do not walk. Nails and hair grow faster. Without gravity, wrinkles on the face can go away.
Why does length increase in space?
Sunita Williams also said that your spine also stretches, which makes you a little taller in space. Along with this, she told that these changes end after returning to Earth. You cannot escape gravity and return to your normal height. Due to the condition of microgravity in space, there is no gravitational force working, which can give stress to the body. Due to this, bone density and muscle mass decrease significantly.
There are many difficulties in space
Due to the gravity present on Earth, our bones are pulled towards the ground, but this does not happen in space. For this, the crew present on the space station does exercise. This includes running on the treadmill, doing squats and deadlifts. Sunita Williams and Bailey Wilmore went into space on June 5 in Boeing’s Starliner test vehicle. After the launch, both of them are not being brought back to Earth due to helium leak in Starliner and malfunction in several thrusters. NASA has said that the spacecraft will return to Earth on September 6, but Williams and Wilmore will not be with it.