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Butch Wilmore, Suni Williams recover from drawn-out space

mission

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Astronauts resuming development work with Boeing ( BA ), NASA

programs

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NASA pushing for Starliner to fly uncrewed before carrying

humans again

By Joey Roulette

WASHINGTON, May 28 (Reuters) - Butch Wilmore and Suni

Williams, the U.S. astronauts left on the International Space

Station last year by Boeing's ( BA ) troubled Starliner capsule, are on

the up after returning to Earth in March, emerging from weeks of

physical therapy to ramp up work with Boeing ( BA ) and various NASA

programs.

"Right now, we're just coming off of the rehab portion of

our return," Wilmore, 62, told Reuters in an interview on

Wednesday. "Gravity stinks for a period, and that period varies

for different people, but eventually you get over those

neurovestibular balance type of issues."

Wilmore and Williams, who last year set off for an eight-day

Starliner test flight that swelled into a nine-month stay in

space, have had to readapt their muscles, sense of balance and

other basics of Earth living in a 45-day period standard for

astronauts returning from long-term space missions.

The astronaut duo have spent at least two hours a day with

astronaut strength and reconditioning officials within NASA's

medical unit while juggling an increasing workload with Boeing's ( BA )

Starliner program, NASA's space station unit in Houston

and agency researchers.

"It's been a little bit of a whirlwind," Williams, 59, said

in the interview. "Because we also have obligations to all of

the folks that we worked with."

Williams said some of her post-spaceflight side effects were

slower to clear up and she felt tired in late stages of

recovery, as dozens of various muscles re-engaged. That made it

hard for her to wake up as early in the mornings as she likes,

until a little more than a week ago.

"Then I'm up at four in the morning, and I'm like, Aha! I'm

back," she said.

Wilmore had some issues with his back and neck before

heading to space, being unable to turn his head all the way to

the side, he said. That all went away in space where "you don't

have any stress on your body."

When he returned in March, gravity greeted him with the neck

pain he left on Earth.

"We're still floating in the capsule in the ocean, and my

neck starts hurting, while we still hadn't even been extracted

yet," he said, laughing.

The human body, evolved over millions of years in the

gravity of Earth's surface, was not meant for spaceflight.

The absence of gravity triggers an array of physical effects

over time, such as muscle atrophy or cardiovascular shifts that

can cause a chain reaction of other health changes. Confinement

in a small space and higher solar radiation in space, without

the protection of Earth's atmosphere, have other effects.

STARLINER PROBLEMS

Propulsion system issues on Boeing's ( BA ) Starliner forced NASA

to bring the capsule back without its crew last year and to fold

the two astronauts into its normal, long-duration rotation

schedule on the ISS.

Boeing ( BA ), which has taken $2 billion in charges on its

Starliner development, faces a looming decision by NASA to refly

the spacecraft uncrewed before it carries humans again. Boeing ( BA )

spent $410 million to fly a similar uncrewed mission in 2022

after a 2019 testing failure.

Reflying Starliner uncrewed "seems like the logical thing to

do," Williams said, drawing comparisons with Elon Musk's SpaceX

and Russian capsules that flew uncrewed missions before putting

humans aboard. She and NASA are pushing for that outcome,

Williams added.

"I think that's the correct path," said Williams, who is

"hoping Boeing ( BA ) and NASA will decide on that same course of

action" soon.

Results from Starliner testing planned throughout the summer

are expected to determine whether the spacecraft can fly humans

on its next flight, NASA officials have said.