BOSTON — Mass General Hospital launched its Center for Space Medicine Research in January of 2024. Needham native Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore are the latest to undergo physical changes after their return from space after 9 months this week.
Williams and Butch Wilmore’s eight-day expedition turned into 9 months after concerns over their Boeing capsule.
The two splashed down Tuesday night off the coast of Florida.
Vladimir Ivkovic is the director of research opportunities at the Mass General Hospital Center for Space Medicine. He has been monitoring Suni and Butch’s journey – alongside other astronauts who have to acclimate from space to life on Earth.
He explained, “We are more and more interested in understanding the actual ramifications of those missions that they will have on the human body, on human performance, on psychological functioning of these individuals.”
The Boston-based unit is now performing research funded by NASA.
Ivkovic told Boston 25 Saturday that Wilmore and Williams will undergo several changes returning to life on Earth and gravity.
This week, Ivkovic said they’ll experience weakness in their muscles and bones that haven’t experienced pressure from gravity in months.
Their hearts will also be forced to pump harder with gravity, which could cause fatigue and take weeks to adapt to.
He explained, “Of course, initially it is most acute in the first 48 hours. Then it becomes more stable. But, it takes a lot of effort.”
The two will undergo extensive cardiovascular and resistive exercises to gain back their physical strength, Ivkovic says.
Emotional and psychological effects can be seen in the coming weeks as well, with more exposure to crowds, family, and the outside world.
Ivkovic and his team are not working directly with Wilmore or Williams, but have been gathering data from other astronauts who’ve undergone the same physical change.
They believe the physical changes they undergo could shed light on certain disorders and conditions on Earth.
Ivkovic explained, “There’s a lot of similarities in fact with some extreme situations or environments we have on earth and what we’re seeing in space flight.”
Boston 25 spoke with Suni Williams’ family Wednesday, who said they are giving her space to adapt over the next few weeks. Once she’s able, she plans to return at some point to the Boston area.
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