Rescued Astronauts Could Have Bizarre Health Complications, Including “Baby Feet”

Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are finally home safely after nine months aboard the SpaceX Dragon capsule. They triumphantly returned to Earth on March 18 with a plunge into the ocean. The rescued astronauts may experience complications while getting acclimated to life outside of space, despite their gratitude for their homecoming. According to Today, following their arrival back on Earth, crews flew the rescued astronauts to the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in Houston for quarantine and to monitor for complications. The astronauts had one of the longest stays in space in history, which could cause health issues.

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NBC senior correspondent Tom Costello explained Wilmore and Williams would be monitored for cardiac, blood pressure, vision, or neurological changes. Though Williams denied rumors she lost weight on board SpaceX, doctors’ monitoring is critical post-space mission.

“Astronauts say they often feel wobbly and nauseated when they return to Earth because the ear’s vestibular system has to readjust,” Costello said.

NASA astronaut Woody Hoburg told Today about his time at the International Space Station.” I remember that the first time I attempted to walk, it almost felt like my legs were not attached to me.”

Additionally, the astronauts could experience bone and muscle loss and immunes system changes.

“They have to deal with being back on Earth, so that means all the little germs and bugs that we have,” Dr. Mark Rosenberg, director of the aerospace neurology and human performance program at the Medical University of South Carolina, shared with Today. “Their immune system has been suppressed over a period of time.”

Vision changes, height changes, and heart changes are among other potential complications the rescued astronauts might face.

Among the most interesting is a condition known as “baby feet.” NASA astronaut Leroy Chiao told the News Station,

“You basically lose the thick part of the skin on your feet that develops, and you kind of have baby feet when you come back,” he said.

Although the rescued astronauts may feel a bit under the weather since their return, the complications likely outweigh the thought of being stuck in space any longer. We’re sure they’re grateful to be home.

This story’s featured image is by NASA / Keegan Barber / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Image.