NASA astronaut 'stranded' in space for nine months reveals what kept him going while waiting to be rescued

Butch Wilmore revealed what helped him get through his drastically extended trip to space.

Wilmore and fellow NASA astronaut Suni Williams set off the the International Space Station last June and have only just returned to Earth in recent days.

While months-long trips to space aren't uncommon, what made Wilmore and Williams' situation unique was that the pair were only supposed to be at the ISS for eight days; but they ended up staying there for 286.

The time they spent in space will have had a big impact on their bodies — their eyesight in particular.

Speaking to UNILAD on the matter, Tina Patel, a contact lens optician and eye health expert from Feel Good Contacts, said: "Spending months in microgravity doesn’t just test an astronaut’s endurance — it could physically alter their eyes.

"With no gravity pulling fluids downward, more fluid shifts toward the head, increasing pressure inside the skull, known as SANS (spaceflight-associated neuro-ocular syndrome)."

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Of course, the extended trip will have taken a toll on Wilmore and Williams' mental health as well as their physical health.

But, as a way of getting through, Wilmore said he relied on his religious beliefs.

Speaking from the ISS before his return home, he was asked what life lesson he's learnt as a result of his extended trip.

"My feeling on all of this goes back to my faith," he replied.

"It's bound in my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He is working out His plan and His purposes for His glory… And however that plays out."

Wilmore continued: "I am content because I understand that He is at work and all things. Some things are for the good, [...] some things look to us be not so good, but it's all working out."

Wilmore's daughter Daryn echoed similar sentiments about faith when she was asked about her father's extended stay at the ISS.

"The Lord has given all of us a peace throughout all of this and we know it was his plan," she told Mail Online.

Speaking on the day of his return, Daryn added: "The Lord has blessed us in this time, and we know he’s in control of it."

Williams and Wilmore will have to undergo rehab post-space mission.

It's expected to take around 45 days to rehabilitate the average astronaut after spending time in space.