The Real Lost In Space
After a 10-day mission went wrong nine months ago, the deep blue heroes are returning home to what should be a heroes' welcome.
June 5, 2024, and Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore are living their dream. They arrived at the International Space Station, becoming forever remembered in the history books as members of a small club who have left Earth. Little did they know, they were about to go through the ordeal of a lifetime. Sunita and Butch, the two American Heroes, would be trapped in space for far longer than 10 days.
Just sit right here and you'll hear a tale
A tale of a fateful trip
That started from a secured local
Aboard a rocket ship!
When the crew and guests were stranded on that sad little island in the 70s television series, Gilligan's Island, they probably didn't expect their weekend excursion would have such a profound effect on their lives. As America's recent castaways prepare to come home after such a lengthy stay in space, other than the time they were away from home, what will the effect of their ordeal prove to be? Due to the impacts of space flight, and prolonged exposure to the lack of gravity, each will no doubt undergo a medical exam soon after returning home. What else might be in store for them? That's anybody's guess.
Effects on Physical Health from Space Exposure
NASA has a program called the HRP or Human Research Program. They've been studying the effects of traveling to and working in space for over half a century. Research is being done to keep astronauts protected in space by hopefully developing procedures, devices, and strategies designed to protect our astronauts. There are preparations for each mission and astronauts go through years of training before they launch, but are they trained for extensively long missions when they expect an eight to ten-day mission?
According to nasa.gov, there are risks:
- The lack of Gravity and gravitational issues can cause congestion, loss of taste, loss of muscle mass, and weakening of human bones.
- Isolation and confinement can affect the mental health (moods) of astronauts.
- Exposure to radiation in space can cause cancer and various health problems.
- Air systems can fail, causing a loss of oxygen and pressurization in spacecraft, the space station, and space suits worn during work outside of the crafts and the station.
- Distance and return time to Earth with regards to medical attention. If something happens it takes time to plan a return trip safely, and they're already 15 to 20 thousand miles from the nearest medical center.
Disgustingly enough, the two astronauts' predicament saw one additional problem. Astronauts are already doing an incredibly dangerous job and it takes a degree of bravery that not everybody can show. So when they were "stranded" by circumstances aboard the ISS, Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore found themselves in an unplanned scenario.
There have been a few dates announced for their return to Earth. Circumstances changed and they're now coming back to Earth and it's March 2025. The whys are a long list of reasons having to do with craft availability, launch windows, and weather-related issues, among other things.
But, some would politicize the length of time it has taken to get them home.
According to Elon Musk of Space X, it's about a four-week planning to operation timeline to bring astronauts home. They've been trapped there since June of 2024. The question becomes, were they left there by the Biden administration?
If they were, as reported, left there for political reasons, then that would be a horrible statement about our past presidential administration. However, the politicization of their return isn't much better. One astronaut believes Musk's claim that working with Musk to bring back the astronauts last year, while Musk was working with Trump to help get him elected, would have been bad publicity.
What they should get when they come home is unquestionable. After surviving a lengthy stay in space, and publically keeping their chins up for the most part, doing their jobs, and filling two roles on the ISS while trapped away from their families, friends, and lives, they should get a heroes parade. They should be the center of the news.
About the Creator
Jason Ray Morton
Writing has become more important as I live with cancer. It's a therapy, it's an escape, and it's a way to do something lasting that hopefully leaves an impression.
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Comments (1)
I'm afraid most people are likely to treat it as humdrum--just another day on another job. Unless they can exploit it for their own advantage, in which case we may never hear the end of it. But you're right, we should all look up to them as great examples of the kind of character to which we should all aspire.