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3mo ago

Astronauts Complete Rehabilitation After Nine-Month ISS Mission

They have resumed duties under NASA’s space station unit with Boeing as the agency weighs an additional uncrewed Starliner test flight.

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams walk at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, ahead of Boeing's Starliner-1 Crew Flight Test (CFT) mission on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket to the International Space Station, in Cape Canaveral, Florida, U.S., June 5, 2024. REUTERS/Joe Skipper/File Photo
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Overview

  • Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams finished a standard 45-day program in mid-May after returning in March from a 286-day stay on the International Space Station.
  • Their daily recovery included at least two hours of strength and conditioning training to counter muscle atrophy, balance issues and cardiovascular deconditioning.
  • Both astronauts have re-engaged with Boeing’s Starliner program, NASA’s ISS operations in Houston and agency research teams.
  • NASA is set to review summer test results before deciding on a further uncrewed Starliner flight prior to resuming crewed missions.
  • The extended mission highlighted the physical and psychological strains of long-duration spaceflight, from neurovestibular challenges to confinement stress.