What Next for Sunita Williams? 45-Day Rehabilitation, Workout, Comfortable Clothes for Astronauts After Nine-Month Space Stay

Washington DC: Indian-origin astronaut Sunita Williams and the other three NASA astronauts, who have just returned from space, have to go through an extensive three-phase rehabilitation programme. 

The world's long wait finally ended as Sunita Williams, Butch Wilmore, Nick Hague and Aleksandr Gorbunov of the Crew-9 space mission returned to the earth on SpaceX Dragon, after an extended nine-month stay at the International Space Station (ISS). Here's what's next for them…

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What's Next for Sunita Williams and NASA's Crew-9 Mission Astronauts?

The NASA astronauts, who came back from space a few hours ago after the splashdown off the coast of Tallahassee in Florida, are expected to undergo an extensive rehabilitation programme, spanning over 45 days and three phases. The rehabilitation programme, tailored for every astronaut, will be scheduled for two hours a day.

According to NASA, 45 days is the ideal duration for astronauts to return to their normal fitness level but this is subjective, and for some, it may take months or years to recover completely. Here's what the NASA astronauts will do during their rehabilitation programme…

1. During phase one of the rehabilitation programme, Sunita Williams, Butch Wilmore, Nick Hague and Aleksandr Gorbunov will work out and focus on regaining their flexibility, strength and ability to walk. 
2. In the rehabilitation programme's phase two, the NASA astronauts will be doing proprioceptive exercises which will make the human body stronger and improve the mind's functioning regarding movement and position. The astronauts will also be doing exercises and workouts for cardio reconditioning. 
3. The third and last phase of the rehabilitation programme will include functional development training, through which the astronauts will be able to return to their best level of physical performance. This will be the longest period of the rehabilitation programme.

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Medical Procedures Part of Post-Mission Recovery for NASA Astronauts

Before beginning their rehabilitation programme, the four astronauts of Crew-9 mission will be undergoing several medical procedures. The first one was immediate medical attention to monitor balance issues, fluid shifts and possible muscle atrophy due to long exposure to microgravity and second thorough medical examination will then be done at the Houston's Johnson Space Center, before they reunite with their families.

Following the medical checkups and procedures, post-mission debriefings will be held where the astronauts will share in detail, their experiences, the challenges they faced, the studies and experiments they conducted and feedback on the performance of the Boeing Starliner spacecraft.

Also Read: Smile & Wave: Watch The Exact Moment Sunita Williams Exits Dragon Capsule

Sunita Williams, who had gone to the International Space Station (ISS) for a seven-day-long mission, returned after a prolonged stay of nine months. The astronauts were in space for 286 days, circled Earth 4,576 times and travelled 195 million kilometres by the splashdown time. As the astronauts returned to earth and made a splashdown in the Gulf of America, the SpaceX Mission Control in California radioed, “On behalf of SpaceX, welcome home”.