Former Astronaut Explains What It Feels Like To Be Back On Earth After Being In Space For Months

NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore safely returned to Earth after an extended stay on the International Space Station (ISS).

That doesn't mean they are ready to resume life as normal with their feet firmly planted on the ground.

Former NASA astronaut Dr. Tom Marshburn gave CBS Mornings viewers some insight into the acclimating process for astronauts who've been without gravity for months.

On Tuesday evening, Williams and Wilmore splashed into the coastal waters of Florida after spending over nine months aboard the ISS for the first crewed mission of the Boeing Starliner.

The mission was expected to last eight days after launching on June 5, 2024, but NASA delayed the astronauts' return to Earth due to mechanical issues with the reusable aircraft's service module.

On Wednesday's CBS Mornings broadcast, Marshburn—a veteran of three spaceflights to the ISS and the oldest person to perform a spacewalk at 61—explained what it feels like to be reintroduced to gravity.

"It's a very strange feeling, especially when you land in the capsule in the water," said Marshburn, who splashed down in the same waters as Williams and Wilmore on May 6, 2022, after spending six months on the ISS as part of the long duration Expedition 66 mission.

He explained:

"The main thing that you're feeling is gravity. You haven't been feeling the effects of gravity for six months, and it feels just like a magnetic, strange force that is welding you into your seat."

"Even your lips and your teeth feel heavy."

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He continued:

"So, when I landed with my commander of the Dragon capsule, Raja Chari, we tried to pick up some water bottles, and we dropped them in our lap because they felt so heavy."

When asked if his face felt like it was "falling," Marshburn replied:

"Oh, well, yeah. You feel all of the muscles dragging on your bones until your body gets used to gravity again."

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@cbsmornings/TikTok

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Marshburn mentioned it can take up to three months until returning astronauts feel any semblance of physical normalcy.

"You won't be able to drive a car," he said, at least not right away, adding "They have a test where they put you on a platform and push you around for a little bit to make sure if you can stand before you drive."

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@cbsmornings/TikTok

For mental recovery, Marshburn said plenty of rest is essential. "Even with just the gravity thing is exhausting. All the sensation of everyone around them, everyone wants to say 'Hello'…They'll be given lots of naps, maybe work two hours a day."

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@cbsmornings/TikTok

You can watch the full interview here.

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Dr. Natacha Chough, a NASA flight surgeon and assistant professor in the aerospace medicine division at the University of Texas Medical Branch, told NPR that one of the illnesses she looks for in astronauts after landing home is motion sickness.

"Your inner ear kind of shuts off more or less in weightlessness. So when you reintroduce that sense of gravity, it can be a little bit disorienting," said Chough.

The disorientation is due to the inner ear vestibular system tending to receive mixed messages in the absence of gravity, making it confusing to determine which way is up or down.

After safely returning to Earth, Williams and Wilmore were transported to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, where they will undergo "a progressive 45-day post-mission recovery program," according to NASA.

The crew will be spending two hours a day with trainers working on a personalized reconditioning program to help restore their bodies to their respective fitness levels they had before they left for the mission.