Sunita Williams to return to earth tomorrow morning at 3.27 a.m.I.S.T
Sunita Williams return to earth- Watch Live
Astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, who were stuck at the International Space Station (ISS) for more than nine months, began their return journey on Tuesday morning. According to NASA, Williams and Wilmore undocked from the ISS at 10:35 am IST and set on a 17-hour trip back to Earth.
The spacecraft, Elon Musk-led SpaceX’s Dragon, will splash down off the coast of the American state of Florida around 3:27 am IST Wednesday.
The two astronauts flew to the orbital lab in June last year, on what was supposed to be a days-long roundtrip to test Boeing’s Starliner on its first crewed flight. The spaceship, however, developed propulsion problems and was deemed unfit to fly them back and instead returned empty.
Watch her return to earth LIVE by clicking on the link below.
Sunita Williams Return Live: Sunita Williams, Butch Wilmore will be carried on stretchers after reaching Earth
Nasa astronauts Sunita Williams, Butch Wilmore, Nick Hague are expected to reach earth on March 19; the splashdown is expected at 3.27am as per Indian Standard Time. Fans and followers of the astronauts who have been praying for their safe return are worried about their health, especially how they will adjust to the earth’s gravitational force.
One of the biggest challenges astronauts face is the inability to walk on earth. Many astronauts struggle to stand or move normally, often requiring assistance. This phenomenon is primarily due to the effects of microgravity on the human body. As soon as they reach Earth, they are carried on stretchers.
“A lot of them don’t want to be brought out on a stretcher, but they’re told they have to be,” John DeWitt, director of applied sports science at Rice University in Texas and a former senior scientist at Nasa’s Johnson Space Center told Live Science. He has developed methods to improve astronaut health during spaceflight.
Primarily for this reason, astronauts are typically rolled out on a stretcher after their landing as a precautionary measure, DeWitt said.
Another factor that explains why astronauts find it difficult to walk, is fluid redistribution. In space, blood and fluids shift toward the upper body. Upon returning to Earth, astronauts may experience dizziness or fainting due to a sudden drop in blood pressure when standing up. This is because the body needs time to recondition its ability to regulate blood flow under Earth’s gravity.
