Daughter of NASA astronaut 'stranded' in space for nine months shares update on how he’s adjusting after returning to Earth
Gerrard Kaonga
Featured Image Credit: Keegan Barber/NASA via Getty Images
NASA astronauts Barry 'Butch' Wilmore and Sunita 'Suni' Williams are finally home - much to the delight of their loved ones.
The two set off on a mission to the International Space Station (ISS) on what was meant to be an eight-day stay, but was extended nine months following technical difficulties with their spacecraft.
However, on Tuesday (March 18), Wilmore and Williams made their return on a SpaceX rocket, which landed off the coast of Tallahassee, Florida, where they were soon picked up.
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Following their landing, the NASA astronauts underwent a series of health tests as their extended stay in space could potentially render some health issues, with experts listing six in particular.
According to officials, Wilmore and Williams are expected to undergo 45 days of rehab to get readjusted to being back on Earth and to regain their strength.
Amidst all this, however, many are wondering how they are faring following their return - a question that Wilmore's daughter was happy to answer.
Daryn Wilmore has so far given a brief glimpse into how her father is doing with dealing with this new challenge.
Sharing a cosplay video on her TikTok page, darynthepuff.cos, she answered a question from a curious viewer, who asked: “How’s he adjusting to gravity? I’ve been thinking about that the last couple of days. I feel like it must be so difficult.”
In a rather brief response, Daryn replied: “He’s doing good, it’s rough but he’s a trooper.”
She'd previously joked about her dad being stuck in space and upon his return, she uploaded a video about how they are going to celebrate when he is well enough.
She said (via NBC News): "We’re not having a party for him. We might want to go to my uncle’s house. ... We might just have a little get-together with a few close friends, but no big party or anything. I’m making him his favorite dessert, which is pecan pie."
She also said that she'd made a list of 'all his favorite things and things that we used to do together' before she goes back to school to 'make up for some lost time'.
Daryn also shared more on what else her father will be doing to reacclimatise, adding: "He’s going to spend the next few days going in, tests, lots of medical stuff, because they’re still technically part of the experiment of human spaceflight, and just get re-acclimated to gravity and the routine back here on Earth."