Rescued astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams said Monday they're still getting used to gravity after nine months stranded in space, telling Newsmax that it'll be a "couple more months" before their bodies are back to normal.
Williams and Wilmore joined Nick Hague in an appearance on "Rob Schmitt Tonight" to talk about the physical challenges of being back on Earth.
Wilmore said it "certainly is" weird getting used to gravity again.
"Neurovestibular, your balance, those inner ear canals are just getting used to the gravitational pull, and it does take a couple of days. A little bit dizzy, a little bit of wobbliness," Wilmore told Schmitt. "But over time, the body is pretty — it's just amazing — it adjusts. … Now, these muscles, it hasn't held up your bone structure for months is now responsible for that. So you get some twinges in the back as it starts to adjust as well. The process will continue for a couple more months as we go forward."
Williams added: "But also, you know, all those little muscles; my neck hurt for about 12 hours just because your head is heavy. You know, just simple things like that. And even the act of lifting up your arm, it's like, 'Wow, that weighs a lot.' Of course, you get you get used to it pretty quick.
"Your brain kicks in and then you're back to a normal stance. You're back to normal, moving your arms and stuff like that. But it is incredible what all of us put up with on a daily basis. And that makes us healthy and that makes us human beings," she said.
The astronauts did a series of interviews Monday, their first since returning to Earth on March 18. A thruster problem on their Boeing Starliner turned an eight-day mission into 286 days aboard the International Space Station before Elon Musk's SpaceX Dragon finally brought them home, a move President Donald Trump asserts former President Joe Biden eschewed over politics.
"For that, I am grateful that our national leaders actually are coming in and taking part in our human space flight program, which we see is hugely important, [of] global significance, and they take an active role. And based on the past and what we see now … it's refreshing, not just refreshing, it's empowering," Wilmore said earlier in the day.
"I'm just glad that they're involved and they're taking notice," Williams said.
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Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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