• News
  • Film and TV
  • Music
  • Tech
  • Features
  • Celebrity
  • Politics
  • Weird
  • Community
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
TikTok
YouTube
Submit Your Content
Stranded NASA astronaut reveals shocking impact Earth’s gravity had on his body as he completes recovery

Home> Technology> NASA

Published 12:11 29 May 2025 GMT+1

Stranded NASA astronaut reveals shocking impact Earth’s gravity had on his body as he completes recovery

He could feel one particular effect of gravity the moment he splashed down

Ellie Kemp

Ellie Kemp

Some 72 days have passed since NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were rescued from a space mission gone wrong.

Last June, the pair docked at the International Space Station for what was supposed to be an eight-day mission.

They made history as the first astronauts to ride Boeing’s Starliner capsule to the ISS - but it was, ironically, that very pod's technical troubles that turned their short trip into a nine-month stay, as NASA scrambled to get them home.

Of course, it was Elon Musk who came to the rescue eventually, offering up a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft to safely bring the duo back home on March 18.

Advert

Spending such a long time in microgravity takes a serious toll on the human body.

While before and after photos of the astronauts sparked concern, both Wilmore and Williams have been recovering well following their unexpectedly long work trip in orbit.

Now, the duo have given an update on their health and post-ISS recovery, 10 weeks since they touched down.

Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore were stuck on the ISS for nine months (YouTube/NASA)
Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore were stuck on the ISS for nine months (YouTube/NASA)

Advert

Speaking to Reuters on Wednesday (May 28), Wilmore said: "Right now, we're just coming off of the rehab portion of our return.

"Gravity stinks for a period, and that period varies for different people, but eventually you get over those neurovestibular balance type of issues."

Before embarking on the mission, the 62-year-old experienced back and head issues - meaning he was unable to turn his head all the way to the side.

Yet those issues disappeared in space, without the stress of gravity weighing his body down.

Advert

But as soon as he landed back on Earth, Wilmore felt his neck pain return immediately.

Butch Wilmore noticed his neck pain returning as soon as he touched down on Earth (Keegan Barber/NASA via Getty Images)
Butch Wilmore noticed his neck pain returning as soon as he touched down on Earth (Keegan Barber/NASA via Getty Images)

"We're still floating in the capsule in the ocean, and my neck starts hurting, while we still hadn't even been extracted yet," he laughed.

Williams shared her own struggles adapting to a gravitational environment, with her side effects proving slower to clear up.

Advert

Despite logging two hours of gruelling exercise a day aboard the space station to preserve muscle and bone mass, the adjustment back to Earth was far from seamless.

Williams revealed she felt unusually tired during the later stages of recovery, as her muscles gradually re-engaged with the effects of gravity.

For a while, she struggled to wake up as early as she wanted.

"Then I'm up at four in the morning, and I'm like, Aha! I'm back," she said.

Advert

The astronauts' work with NASA and Boeing continues (Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo/AFP)
The astronauts' work with NASA and Boeing continues (Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo/AFP)

The duo may be safely on the ground, but their mission is far from over.

Wilmore and Williams continue to work with Boeing's Starliner program and NASA's space station unit in Houston as well as agency researchers.

All that, alongside spending at least two hours a day with strength and reconditioning officials within NASA's medical unit.

Advert

Williams summed up the pair's life post-ISS: "It's been a little bit of a whirlwind."

Featured Image Credit: MIGUEL J. RODRIGUEZ CARRILLO/AFP via Getty Images

Topics: NASA, Health, Space

Ellie Kemp
Ellie Kemp

Ellie joined UNILAD in 2024, specialising in SEO and trending content. She moved from Reach PLC where she worked as a senior journalist at the UK’s largest regional news title, the Manchester Evening News. She also covered TV and entertainment for national brands including the Mirror, Star and Express. In her spare time, Ellie enjoys watching true crime documentaries and curating the perfect Spotify playlist.

X

@EllieKempOnline

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

23 hours ago
a day ago
2 days ago
  • Bruno Vincent/Getty Images
    23 hours ago

    Stephen Hawking made a chilling prediction for the end of the world and we're not far off

    The late professor's impassioned speech touched on nuclear warfare, aliens, and climate change

    Technology
  • YouTube/Skyesports
    a day ago

    NASA unveils new plan for people to live on the moon inside giant glass bubbles

    The plans could see interconnected 'cities' on the Moon

    Technology
  • Getty Images
    a day ago

    Everyone's saying Siri is 'evolving backwards' after comparing old iPhone to new one with shocking results

    Siri was first introduced on an iPhone in 2011

    Technology
  • YouTube/markets
    2 days ago

    America's most influential banker shares brutal reality of AI impact on jobs in next 5 years

    A banker CEO addressed the fears around AI taking their jobs

    Technology
  • NASA astronaut reveals horrifying effects of being stranded in space for 8 months has done to her body
  • NASA astronaut 'stranded' in space for nine months reveals what kept him going while waiting to be rescued
  • Doctor reveals NASA-inspired sleep hack that's an 'essential tool for recovery'
  • Wife of 'stranded' NASA astronaut reveals major health issue he's struggling with since return from space after nine months