Astronaut Barry Wilmore faces gravity readjustment challenge
Astronaut Barry Wilmore is having difficulty adapting to gravity after returning from a nine-month space mission. His daughter reveals that it is hard for him, but he is doing well. She also discloses the dish she wants to prepare for him to celebrate his return to Earth.
Astronauts Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams returned to Earth after nine months in space. According to the New York Post, Wilmore is struggling to adjust to Earth's gravity. His daughter, Daryn, was asked about the 62-year-old astronaut's health condition.
He's doing good - Daryn Wilmore revealed on Thursday on TikTok.
The astronaut's daughter assured that she stayed in contact with her father during his nine-month absence. A few hours before returning to Earth, Daryn stated that she wanted to prepare his favourite dessert: pecan pie. She also prepared a list of things the 62-year-old should do after reuniting with the family. The concerned daughter added that her father will spend the coming days undergoing tests. In another video, she argued that the astronauts got stuck due to neglect, which she cannot discuss further.
One of the biggest challenges for astronauts is adapting to life without microgravity. In space, muscles and bones lose mass, making it difficult to return to normal physical activity. NASA reports that in microgravity conditions, bones lose 1 to 1.5 percent of mineral density per month, according to the New York Post.
The astronauts flew to the International Space Station in June last year. They were supposed to stay for eight days, but their journey was extended. Ultimately, NASA decided that as part of a planned crew exchange on the ISS, Williams and Wilmore would return to Earth aboard the Crew Dragon spacecraft from Elon Musk's company, SpaceX.
Williams and Wilmore spent 286 days in space. Frank Rubio, the American astronaut who spent the most time in space in one stretch, spent an uninterrupted 371 days there. In terms of the total number of days spent in space, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononienko holds the record, with over 878 days, reports PAP.
