{"id":46055,"date":"2026-04-09T20:59:30","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T20:59:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=46055"},"modified":"2026-04-09T20:59:30","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T20:59:30","slug":"artemis-astronauts-to-face-gravity-challenges-back-on-earth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=46055","title":{"rendered":"Artemis astronauts to face gravity challenges back on Earth"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<br \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F2%2F2026%2F04%2F125313924.jpg?quality%3D90%26strip%3Dall\" \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>They won\u2019t be \u201cover\u201d the moon even after returning from it.<\/p>\n<p>Following their historic 10-day flight around the moon, the intrepid Artemis II astronauts are slated to return to Earth Friday evening, marking the end of the United States\u2019 first lunar foray in over 50 years.<\/p>\n<p>But they won\u2019t be out of the woods yet \u2014 the moonstruck space explorers will have to <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/04\/09\/us-news\/how-to-see-astronauts-off-californias-coast-in-historic-artemis-ii-splash-down-friday\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">deal with a precarious splashdown<\/a> and a host of residual health effects.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith eyes closed, it was almost impossible to walk in a straight line,\u201d NASA astronaut Andreas Mogensen previously said while recalling the side effects following a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/centers-and-facilities\/johnson\/life-after-microgravity-astronauts-reflect-on-post-flight-recovery\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">200-day stint in space in 2024<\/a> as part of NASA\u2019s SpaceX Crew-7 mission.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>The Artemis II crew (clockwise from left): Mission specialist Christina Koch, mission specialist Jeremy Hansen, commander Reid Wiseman, and pilot Victor Glover. <span class=\"credit\">Nasa\/UPI\/Shutterstock<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The Artemis II crew \u2014 comprised of Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch \u2060and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen \u2014 is currently approaching the critical and highly dangerous point in the journey where they\u2019ll be reentering Earth\u2019s atmosphere at 25,000 miles per hour <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/04\/08\/us-news\/artemis-ii-to-face-its-most-dangerous-task-yet-on-reentry\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">on Friday, April 10.<\/a><\/p>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module aligncenter wp-block-nypost-editor-primary-tag\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>Their survival will depend on Orion\u2019s 16\u00bd-foot-wide heat shield, which will have to endure temperatures of 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit. This is a precarious prospect, <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/04\/01\/science\/potential-risks-surround-nasas-delayed-artemis-ii-mission-why-we-may-not-be-able-to-return-to-the-moon\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">given that the fire forcefield is a dead ringer <\/a>for the component present on the uncrewed Artemis I, which returned damaged with a chunk missing from it.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Happy water landings<\/h2>\n<p>If all goes well during the trip, which marks the furthest humans have ever flown from Earth at over 252,756\u00a0miles, the Orion will be descending under parachutes before splashing down that same day at 8:07 EST off the coast of San Diego, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxweather.com\/earth-space\/what-happens-moments-following-artemis-splashdown\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Fox News reported.<\/a><\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Members of NASA\u2019s Exploration Ground System\u2019s Landing and Recovery team and partners from the Department of War recover a Crew Module Test Article while practicing retrieval procedures off the coast of San Diego, California, in 2024. <span class=\"credit\">via REUTERS<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Upon arrival, the astronauts will power down the spacecraft, after which their retrieval is in the Department of War\u2019s hands.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen that\u2019s where my job comes in, of recovering the crew module alongside all the other NASA and Amentum employees we have on the ship,\u201d said Jason Endsley, the lead ground instrumentation engineer with Amentum, NASA\u2019s advanced engineering partner, which presides over the retrieval.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignleft\">\n\t<\/aside>\n<p>This means outfitting the Orion with a special stabilizing collar to keep it upright in oft-tumultuous seas \u2014 although the forecast is clear for the time being.<\/p>\n<p>After popping the hatch, the crew will be assessed by US Navy medical personnel and assisted by recovery divers onto an inflatable \u201cfront porch\u201d where they\u2019ll don \u201cAstronaut Recovery Vests.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Those will be used to hoist the astronauts onto HSC-23 helicopters and then delivered to the USS John P. Murtha, where they\u2019ll undergo a checkup at a medical bay before getting transported back to Houston. Every part of the retrieval process has to go swimmingly to avoid any splashdown disasters.<\/p>\n<p>The Orion craft, meanwhile, will be ferried to the ship via a floating dock. Once the module\u2019s ashore, a truck will transport it to the Kennedy Space Center in Merritt Island, Florida.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Feeling spacey<\/h2>\n<p>Of course, following the mission, astronauts can experience of host of health effects due to the whiplash of returning to Earth after residing in microgravity for an extended period of time.<\/p>\n<p>The change can throw astronauts\u2019 inner-ear balance off kilter, as was the case with the crew of NASA\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/centers-and-facilities\/johnson\/life-after-microgravity-astronauts-reflect-on-post-flight-recovery\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">SpaceX Crew-7 mission post-landing in 2024.<\/a><\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>NASA astronaut Suni Williams is helped out of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft onboard the SpaceX recovery ship MEGAN after landing on the water on March 18, 2025. <span class=\"credit\">NASA via Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>They reportedly struggled to walk with their eyes closed and then open \u2014 one of the first tests the crew completed upon touching back down on home soil. Crewmember Jasmin Moghbeli said her initial attempt at the fit-mus test resembled \u201ca nice tap dance.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI felt wobbly for the first two days,\u201d she said. \u201cMy neck was very tired from holding up my head.\u201d<\/p>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignleft\">\n\t<\/aside>\n<p>Another side effect was extreme nausea, with some crew members reporting not being able to look down without feeling the spins.<\/p>\n<p>NASA\u2019s oldest active astronaut Don Pettit, 70, recalled feeling queasy after returning home in April 2025 after 220 days on the International Space Station. While descending, he recalled \u201cemptying the contents of my stomach onto the steppes of Kazakhstan.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Other side effects include everything from effects on the immune system, sleep disturbances and vision issues because microgravity causes blood to pool in the head, affecting the optic nerve, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/future\/article\/20230927-what-a-long-term-mission-in-space-does-to-the-human-body\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the BBC reported.<\/a> The problem can begin after just two weeks in space.<\/p>\n<p>Another aftershock? A loss of mass triggered by weightlessness in space. <\/p>\n<p>After just two weeks, muscle mass can plummet by 20% while astronauts lose up to 2% of their bone density per month because their body no longer requires skeletal support in the microgravity environment. <\/p>\n<p>The phenomenon is similar to how fish bones are thin because the animal is kept afloat in part by the buoyancy of water.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Adapting to life back on Earth<\/h2>\n<p>Thankfully, astronauts can combat space-related side effects by maintaining strict workout regimens on board. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>NASA astronaut Loral O\u2019Hara pedals on the Cycle Ergometer Vibration Isolation System (CEVIS) inside the International Space Station\u2019s Destiny laboratory module. <span class=\"credit\">NASA<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>To combat the atrophy, those stationed aboard the ISS engage in 2\u00bd hours of daily exercises.<\/p>\n<p>These include squats, deadlifts, rows and bench presses using a resistive exercise device, among other workouts.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, the Artemis II astronauts fought physical decline using the\u00a0flywheel, a custom machine that they strap their feet into and pull on straps to trigger commensurate resistance, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2026\/04\/09\/nx-s1-5779671\/artemis-flywheel-astronauts-resistance-workout-bone-loss#:~:text=Artemis%20II%20astronauts%20work%20out%20on%20the%20flywheel%20The%20Artemis,for%20strength%20and%20cardio%20workouts.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">NPR reported.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen compared the yo-yo-like contraption to a rowing machine, claiming that you \u201crow at a lower resistance and a fast pace\u201d for a \u201ccardiovascular workout.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In most cases, equilibrium is restored within months of returning to the home planet. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s amazing how fast the body readjusts,\u201d said NASA astronaut Nichole Ayers, who flew her first space mission with NASA\u2019s SpaceX Crew-10.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/04\/09\/science\/artemis-astronauts-to-face-gravity-challenges-back-on-earth\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>They won\u2019t be \u201cover\u201d the moon even after returning from it. Following their historic 10-day flight around the moon, the intrepid Artemis II astronauts are slated&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":46056,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-46055","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46055","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=46055"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46055\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/46056"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=46055"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=46055"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=46055"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}