Chennai (Tamil Nadu): NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore, who reached the International Space Station on June 5th by Boeing's Starliner spacecraft, are currently stranded at the space station and will remain there till February 2025 till SpaceX brings them back to Earth.
The two astronauts were scheduled to return to Earth in 10 days on the same spacecraft. However, both are stuck at the International Space Station due to thruster failures and helium leaks in the Starliner spacecraft.
While the two astronauts prepare for the long haul, ETV Bharat asked 'Moon Man of India' Mylswamy Annadurai about the challenges faced by the two former US Navy Captains in particular and how astronauts survive in space in general.
Annadurai has served as director of the ISRO Satellite Center and his pioneering work led to the development of the spacecraft for Chandrayaan-1, India's first lunar mission.
Speaking over the selection of the astronauts for space missions, Annadurai said those who are suitable for space travel are selected and sent to such missions only after undergoing exhaustive physical and mental training. He pointed out that Sunita Williams already has experience in space for which she was chosen for such a challenging and Boeing's first crewed mission.
Pointing out that despite minor repairs, the spacecraft has now reached the International Space Station (ISS), Annadurai said that the ISS also has the necessary facilities to accommodate many astronauts. Explaining the alternatives, he said, "Even if Sunita William and Barry Wilmore will not be able to return to Earth in 10 days as planned, they are considering whether the Starliner can be repaired. Even if that is not possible, there are arrangements to bring them back safely".
The former director of the ISRO Satellite Center pointed out that there are people who have stayed in space for several hundred days. “Sunita Williams has the experience and skills to do this, so there is no need to worry about this,” he said.
In 1991, the soldiers who went to the International Space Station on behalf of the Soviet Union stayed in space for over 300 days. Sergei Krikalev and Alexander Volkov went into space on May 19, 1991, in the Soyuz TM-12 spacecraft and returned to Earth on March 25, 1992. The interesting part about their mission was when they left Earth, the Soviet Union was intact but when they returned it did not exist anymore.
So, how do astronauts do daily tasks like brushing teeth in space?
Mylswamy Annadurai said that as space has no gravity like Earth, everything floats. “We have also seen it in the videos. You can brush your teeth and spit on the earth. But spitting in space will make the saliva float. So the toothpaste is formulated to be consumed after brushing. They brush their teeth with minimal opening of the mouth so that the drops of toothpaste do not come out. Then they swallow it. The reason for this is to prevent the toothpaste from flying away and spoiling the equipment. The teeth are then cleaned with wet wipes,” Annadurai explained.
What about call of nature?
Annadurai said that usually a suction tube is installed as a toilet in the spaceship. “Through these pipes waste is vaporized with the help of chemicals. Urine waste is recycled. There are currently two toilets on the International Space Station (ISS), one of Russian design and the other of American design,” he said.
Do Astronauts Shower?
Annadurai said that the temperature in the space centre is maintained so that sweating does not occur much. “So astronauts don't need to change their clothes for a few weeks. Only underwear is changed at regular intervals. Special tissue papers are used to clean the body,” he said.
Exercise and nutrition in space
The former director of the ISRO Satellite Center said that astronauts are required to eat 2800 calories per day in space and can eat their favourite foods. It is worth mentioning that Sunita Williams carried fish curry during her trip to space. Annadurai said that food plates are attached to the floor for each astronaut so that they do not float due to lack of gravity.
“These are specifically created for each astronaut individually. Russian food is on red food trays kept on the ISS. American/European food is served on blue plates. And those foods are made to last longer,” he said.
Hydrated foods
Annadurai said that water-soluble, processed tea, coffee and fruit powders, oats, etc. are stored in space for easy storage and use. Besides, dried fruits and cooked fish (TUNA), while sweets are canned and kept in plastic cups for astronauts.
Beef products are cooked and sealed in foils and are sterilized by ionizing radiation and kept at room temperature to preserve them. As for fruits, apples and bananas are also shipped and are soaked using vitamin C tablets to prevent spoilage.
“We cannot eat on a plate in space like we eat on Earth. You should hold the food well. Only then they can eat without food particles flying here and there,” Annadurai said.
Impact on health and how do astronauts stay fit
Annadurai said that the human body is used to the gravity on earth. “But because of the lack of gravity in space, blood flow changes and the joints and muscles begin to weaken which causes many health problems. Even a small weight in space appears to have a lot of impact. Sometimes even using a computer can become difficult, so exercise is crucial for astronauts to stay fit,” he said.
Without the constant tug of gravity on our limbs, muscle and bone mass quickly begin to diminish in space. The most affected are those muscles that help to maintain our posture in our back, neck, calves and quadriceps – in microgravity, they no longer have to work nearly as hard and begin to atrophy.
After just two weeks muscle mass can fall by as much as 20% and on longer missions of three-to-six months it can fall by 30%. Because astronauts are not putting their skeletons through as much mechanical strain as they do when subject to Earth's gravity, their bones also start to demineralise and lose strength.
Astronauts can lose 1-2% of their bone mass every month they spend in space and up to 10% over six months (on Earth, older men and women lose bone mass at a rate of 0.5%-1% every year). This can increase their risk of suffering fractures and increase the amount of time it takes to heal. It can take up to four years for their bone mass to return to normal after returning to Earth.
To avoid the same, Annadurai said that a treadmill and an exercise bicycle have been installed on the ISS for astronauts to stay fit. Astronauts must exercise at least 2 hours a day to stay in good shape. While all these comforts help the space-faring Williams and Wilmore to protect themselves, what drives them as human beings is their goal to reach home. NASA aims to ensure that they reach Earth unharmed. Keeping this in mind, subsequent plans are ready to bring them back to Earth.
Scott Kelly, a NASA astronaut who took part in the most extensive study of the effects of long-term spaceflight after staying onboard the ISS for 340 days, lost 7% of his body mass while in orbit.
Impact on eyesight
On Earth, gravity helps to force the blood in our bodies downward while the heart pumps it up again. In space, however, this process becomes messed up (although the body does adapt somewhat), and blood can accumulate in the head more than it normally would. Some of this fluid can pool at the back of the eye and around the optic nerve, leading to oedema. This can lead to changes in vision such as decreased sharpness and structural changes in the eye itself. Researchers also found that astronauts do suffer some decreases in white blood cell counts that fall in line with the doses of radiation they receive while in orbit.
When will they be back?
NASA decided on August 24, 2024, that it’s too risky to bring two astronauts back to Earth in Boeing’s troubled new capsule, and they’ll have to wait until next year for a ride home with SpaceX. The two astronauts sent to the International Space Station by Boeing's Starliner on a 10-day mission could return on SpaceX's Crew Dragon in February 2025 if Starliner is still deemed safe to return to Earth.
Williams and Wilmore took off on a test mission on Boeing Starliner to the International Space Station (ISS) on June 5 and were expected to return in eight days. However, the plans went awry. Now more than two months on, they are still floating above the Earth.
List of cosmonauts and astronauts who recorded most consecutive days spent in space
- December 1987 to December 1988: Russian cosmonauts Vladimir Titov and Musa Manarov, who as crew members on Russia's Mir space station from December 1987 to December 1988, tallied a total of 365 days, 22 hours and 38 minutes orbiting the Earth.
- January 1994- March 1995 - Russian cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov still holds the record for the most days spent in space in one go. Polyakov set a record that still stands today for the single longest space mission: 438 days.
- August 1998- August 1999- Russian cosmonaut Sergey Avdeev, spent 379 days on the Russian Mir space station from August 1998 to August 1999.
- April 2021- March 2022: US Astronaut Vande Hei and Russian cosmonaut Dubrov logged 355 days seven hours and 45 minutes off planet, covering 5,680 orbits spanning 150.1 million miles.
