NASA’s astronauts face ‘life-altering’ changes to their bodies due to being stranded in space by Boeing’s faulty Starliner

Experts warn that NASA astronauts stranded in space face “life-changing” risks if their stay on the International Space Station (ISS) is extended until 2025.

Boeing’s malfunctioning Starliner carried Barry ‘Butch’ Wilmore and Sunita Williams to the ISS in June for what They thought it would be a matter of days, but the crew was told this week they might not get home until next year.

Many studies have shown that prolonged space travel can lead to loss of bone density, muscle atrophy, exposure to intense radiation, vision problems, and other serious health problems.

Astronauts also undergo varying levels of training depending on the length of the mission, including health tests, suggesting that Wilmore and Williams are unprepared for the challenges ahead.

As one expert put it to DailyMail.com: ‘The longer you [in space]the bigger the change.’

Due to technical problems with Boeing’s Starliner, the astronauts were stuck on the ISS for more than two months. They were supposed to return on June 14.

Due to failures in the Starliner’s thrusters and helium leaks, NASA and Boeing decided to keep the two astronauts in space longer. They feared that a return trip with the spacecraft could be disastrous.

But now the crew faces another risk: their bodies could deteriorate.

“In general, almost all of the changes we see during human spaceflight in terms of physiology appear to be dose-dependent,” Rachael Seidler, a professor of applied physiology and kinesiology at the University of Florida, told DailyMail.com.

“The longer you’re there, the bigger the change — at least to some extent,” she added.

The ISS has only about 90 percent of the gravity we experience here on Earth.

When you live in an environment with less gravity, your bones and muscles don’t have to work as hard as they should. This leads to significant loss of bone density and muscle atrophy.

“Astronauts are experiencing accelerated bone loss at an alarming rate — about 12 times faster than severe osteoporosis on Earth,” said Kyle Zagrodzky, founder and CEO of Bone Health Clinic, Newsweek.

‘Osteoporosis increases the risk of bone fractures, which often lead to life-changing injuries.

‘Hip fractures are a major problem because they can affect a person’s independence and increase the risk of death.’

Additionally, According to the European Space Agency ESA, astronauts can lose up to 50 percent of their muscle mass during long-term space missions.

This can lead to them being unable to perform physically demanding activities, both during and after the mission, and can cause pain and discomfort.

Low gravity even changes the shape and function of astronauts’ hearts. In space, the heart changes from an oval (like a full water balloon) to a round ball (like an air-filled balloon), according to NASA.

Spending extended periods of time in a low-gravity environment can lead to loss of muscle, bone and cardiovascular capacity, vision and cognitive problems, and even kidney stones.

Muscles that constrict blood vessels also atrophy during long space flights, meaning they can no longer regulate blood flow properly.

A study has found that astronauts can lose up to 50 percent of their cardiovascular endurance during a long space mission.

In addition, bodily fluids rising during spaceflight can cause problems with vision, cognition, balance and coordination, Seidler told DailyMail.com.

Some astronauts report experiencing “space fog” during long missions.

Similar to brain fog, this little-known phenomenon can make astronauts feel unwell and disoriented. In extreme cases, it can cause nausea, vomiting and mood swings.

Low gravity can also cause Spaceflight Associated Neuro-Ocular Syndrome, which reduces astronauts’ near-field vision.

According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, nearly half of astronauts report changes in their near-field vision after returning from long-term ISS missions.

The longer astronauts are in space, the longer it may take for them to recover from these changes once they return to Earth, Seidler said.

For example, it may take several weeks before they can safely drive a car, she said.

And as if that wasn’t bad enough, astronauts’ risk of kidney stones is much higher due to the low gravity.

Astronauts can do a number of things to counteract the effects of low gravity.

For example, the ISS is equipped with special training equipment that astronauts use for two hours a day to limit muscle and bone loss.

Thruster failures and helium leaks on the Starliner prompted NASA and Boeing to keep the two astronauts in space longer, fearing that a return trip with the spacecraft could end in disaster.

A study of the Skylab crew, who lived in the first manned research laboratory in the early 1970s, found that the astronauts had a negative nitrogen balance, indicating a loss of skeletal muscle.

The group spent 171 days in space, which would be less than Williams and Wilmore would spend if they stayed on the ISS until next year.

But there is one danger they can do nothing about: radiation.

The ISS has shielding to reduce the amount of space radiation astronauts are exposed to, but they still receive about 365 times more radiation than we do here on Earth.

In other words, for every day an astronaut spends on the ISS, he is exposed to as much radiation as he would spend a year on Earth.

According to NASA, this could increase the risk of cancer in astronauts later in life.

All of this means that the sooner NASA can get Wilmore and Williams back to Earth, the better. Every extra day they spend on the ISS causes more damage to their bodies.

Starliner launched on June 5 with the intention of docking with the ISS for about a week, after which Wilmore and Williams would return safely to Earth.

Starliner faced numerous technical problems in the run-up to the mission, even on the day of launch. But Boeing still hopes the spacecraft will bring the stranded astronauts home

But the mission got off to a rocky start. In the weeks leading up to it, the launch was postponed several times due to technical problems with the spacecraft.

Even on the day of launch, Starliner experienced small helium leaks, but engineers said they were not serious enough to delay the launch again.

From there it was all downhill. By the time Starliner reached the ISS, there were more helium leaks and five of the 18 thrusters had failed.

Wilmore and Williams were able to safely board the ISS, but now they have no safe way to get home.

If Starliner is not deemed suitable to bring the astronauts home, they could potentially return to Earth aboard SpaceX’s Dragon capsule after the Crew 9 mission launches in September, NASA officials said at a news conference on Wednesday.

But that would mean Wilmore and Williams wouldn’t return home until February 2025, by which time they will have spent nine months in space.

NASA has not yet made a final decision on Starliner’s return, the agency said in an emailed statement to DailyMail.com.

However, Boeing hopes that their spacecraft can still return to Earth with Wilmore and Williams on board.

“We continue to believe in Starliner’s capabilities and flight rationale. If NASA decides to change the mission, we will take the necessary steps to configure Starliner for an unmanned return,” a Boeing spokesperson told DailyMail.com in an emailed statement.